Boao CEO Innovation Business Forum Explores Global Brand Strategy – MAXTECH shares Port Equipment's Global Model

On December 3, the Boao CEO Innovation Business Forum—titled "Riding Momentum, Embracing New Beginnings: Brand Strategy & Industrial Upgrading in the New Globalization Era"—kicked off in Boao, Hainan. As a parallel session of the 2025 Entrepreneurs Boao Forum, the event gathered global business leaders, investors, and economists to unpack strategies for elevating brands and advancing industries. Among the speakers, Zhang Xinyue, General Manager of MAXTECH, shared MAXTECH’s on-the-ground experience in port equipment globalization, outlining a three-phase brand elevation framework and three core guiding principles—offering a tangible playbook for Chinese manufacturers expanding globally.

During the panel "Ecosystem Collaboration: Global Upgrading of Supply Chains & Sustainability", Zhang walked through MAXTECH’s regional expansion in the Middle East and Africa. She stressed that brand elevation is a gradual journey, unfolding in three key stages: product export → pain point resolution → value alignment. The linchpin of this evolution, she explained, lies in three practices: research deeply, listen closely, integrate fully.

A specialist in port equipment, MAXTECH first entered global markets by exporting core offerings: marine cranes (including telescopic boom, Knuckle Boom, and stiff boom variants), hydraulic grabs (such as remote-control, electric-hydraulic, and diesel-hydraulic models), bulk hoppers (including Eco Hoppers), container spreaders, and winches & windlasses. While cost-competitive gear helped it gain initial traction in the Middle East and Africa, the team quickly realized that product-only exports could not sustain long-term competitiveness.

Rooted in "deep research and close listening", MAXTECH teams embedded themselves in local port operations to pinpoint site-specific challenges: African ports’ extreme high-temperature, high-salt environments demanded enhanced corrosion resistance for marine cranes; Middle Eastern clients struggled with slow bulk cargo handling, calling for tailored hydraulic Grabs and bulk hoppers. To address these needs, MAXTECH moved into the "pain point resolution" phase with customized solutions: upgrading knuckle boom cranes for African partners with a 3-layer anti-corrosion coating to extend service life; engineering large-opening remote-control hydraulic grabs and anti-clog ECO bulk hoppers to boost Middle Eastern port loading efficiency; refining container spreader telescopic precision for regional container specs; and pairing gear with custom winches & windlasses to improve lifting stability.

In the "value alignment" phase, MAXTECH wove ESG principles into brand engagement and local market integration. On the product front, its ECO bulk hoppers use lightweight, eco-friendly materials to cut port energy use; on the service side, personalized customization reduced clients’ equipment costs—avoiding the race to the bottom on pricing. The company also adopted a "symbiosis mindset" to deepen local ties: training on-site technicians to operate cargo cranes and hydraulic grabs, and collaborating on local port equipment maintenance standards. This shifted the relationship from transactional supplier to long-term, trust-based partner.

"In the Middle East and Africa, we didn’t compete on price—we solved real problems with tailored gear and built value through ESG. Clients see us as collaborators, not just vendors," Zhang noted. MAXTECH’s experience shows that Chinese manufacturing is moving beyond "products going global" to "values integrating globally"—with technical expertise and customization capabilities for core equipment (like ship cranes and hydraulic grabs) as the backbone of this shift.

MAXTECH’s model drew widespread praise at the forum. Industry observers highlighted that its progression from product export to value alignment, paired with its pragmatic research-listen-integrate approach, offers a clear blueprint for Chinese equipment makers aiming to elevate their global brands—and lights a path for the port equipment sector’s international growth.