Chinese Diesel Generator Set Manufacturers: A Comprehensive Guide

China's generator set manufacturers provide a full spectrum of generators set, ranging from portable models to massive diesel units. For those looking to launch a generator set business, importing from China is a prime strategy—and this guide simplifies the process for you.

I. What Types of Generator sets can You Import from China?

Generator sets can be classified into different types based on the fuel they use. Below are the common types of generator sets in China.

1. Diesel Generator Sets

• Fuel: Runs on diesel fuel, known for high energy density and reliability.
• Uses: Widely applied in industrial plants, data centers, and construction sites for continuous power supply, as well as emergency backup during power outages.
• Feature: Ideal for heavy-duty operations due to its long-lasting performance and ability to handle high-load demands.

2. Gasoline Generator Sets

• Fuel: Operates on gasoline, a readily available and affordable fuel source.
• Uses: Suited for small-scale needs like household backup power, camping trips, outdoor events, or portable tools in remote areas.
• Feature: Lightweight and compact, making it easy to transport, though typically less efficient than diesel models for prolonged use.

3. Gas Generator Sets

• Fuel: Utilizes natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), offering a cleaner-burning alternative.
• Uses: Commonly used in commercial buildings, hospitals, and residential areas for both primary power and eco-friendly backup solutions.
• Feature: Emits fewer pollutants than diesel/gasoline, suitable for environments where low emissions are required (e.g., urban settings).

4. Methanol Generator Sets

• Fuel: Runs on methanol, a renewable or synthetic alcohol-based fuel.
• Uses: Applied in specialized scenarios like remote research stations, marine vessels, or areas with limited access to traditional fuels, often as a low-carbon alternative.
• Feature: Lower in carbon emissions than fossil fuels but requires dedicated fuel storage and handling due to its chemical properties.

5. Solar Generator Sets

• Fuel: Harnesses solar energy via photovoltaic (PV) panels, converting sunlight into electricity.
• Uses: Perfect for off-grid locations, camping, RVs, or remote communities, providing sustainable power without fuel costs.
• Feature: Emission-free and low-maintenance, though dependent on sunlight availability and often paired with batteries for energy storage.

6. Mobile Generator Sets

• Fuel: Can use diesel, gasoline, or gas, housed in transportable units (e.g., truck-mounted or trailer-based).
• Uses: Critical for emergency response (e.g., natural disasters), temporary construction sites, outdoor festivals, or mobile workstations needing on-the-go power.
• Feature: Designed for quick deployment, offering flexibility to supply power in areas without fixed electrical infrastructure.

In this article, we mainly focus on diesel generator sets. IMEXsourcing will release other fuels and categories of generator sets in subsequent blog posts, so please stay tuned.

II. Where are the industrial bases of generator sets in China?

If you plan to source diesel generator set manufacturers in China, here are three cities to consider based on the type of generator sets you intend to purchase.

1. Weifang, Shandong Province

• Weifang is home to China’s largest engine manufacturer, Weichai, which specializes in producing large-scale generator sets.
• Its main products include diesel generator sets, natural gas generator sets, and methanol generator sets, catering to heavy-duty industrial and commercial applications.

2. Wuxi, Jiangsu Province

• As China’s mechanical and electrical production hub, Wuxi boasts a complete diesl engine supply chain, supporting a great domestic production base for diesel generator sets.
• The city’s manufacturing ecosystem ensures high-efficiency production and cost-effective solutions for portable and small-to-medium power needs.

3. Fuzhou, Fujian Province

• Fuzhou hosts a dense cluster of generator manufacturers, offering diverse products ranging from traditional diesel units to innovative energy solutions.
• The city’s suppliers are known for flexibility in customization and comprehensive after-sales support, making it an ideal sourcing destination for varied requirements.

III. How to Find Generator Manufacturers in China?

IV. Top 9 Selected High-Quality Chinese Generator Set Suppliers

China is the world's largest producer of generator sets. If you are looking to purchase generator sets, China will definitely be an important choice for you. Below are high-quality manufacturers of various types of generators in China.

1. Weichai Holding Group Co.,Ltd.

Founded in 1946, Weichai stands as China's pioneer diesel engine manufacturer, with its heavy-duty engines leading global sales. Its generator sets are renowned for compact design, stable performance, low fuel consumption, minimal noise, and ease of maintenance, finding extensive applications in marine, national defense, telecommunications, and various other sectors.

2. Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Group Co., Ltd.

Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Group Co., Ltd., founded in 1951 and headquartered in Yulin, Guangxi, is a large - scale state - owned enterprise group. Its main business covers six major sectors, including diesel engines, construction machinery, and auto parts.

Baudouin (Weifang) Power Co., Ltd., founded in 1918, is a renowned French engine manufacturer. With a history spanning over a century, it specializes in marine engines and power systems, and has long been a major supplier of French military diesel engines. In 2009, it underwent a strategic reorganization by Weichai Power.

Baudouin engines are highly acclaimed for their performance. For instance, the 12M55 gas generator, with its 12 - cylinder setup, offers a power range of 1388 - 1588 kW. It employs lean - burn technology, ensuring low - temperature, high - efficiency combustion. This not only enhances reliability but also achieves a thermal efficiency of up to 43%, and an 85% combined efficiency in CHP mode, making it suitable for various applications like hospitals and data centers. The 20M55 generator set, the world's most powerful high - speed diesel engine, provides 4550 kW of power. Its outstanding transient response enables it to handle 100% load without stalling, while also meeting high standards in power generation efficiency and environmental protection. These engines are top choices for power - intensive scenarios.

4. Qingdao Allian Power Technology Co., Ltd.

Qastco’s core goal is to create value for customers, by providing eco-friendly superior quality engines and generators. Based on 20+ years of product design, manufacture and service experience, with a number of industry senior experts and high-efficiency supplychain management team, the company aims to provide customers with package solutions and resources for humanized and professional power system. Sophisticated engineers, experienced designers, high-skilled workers, ISO standard production procedures, strict inspections, customer-centered services, all of our team members are dedicating themselves in supplying the best quality products.

5. CNPC Jichai Power Company Limited.

CNPC Jichai is a professional manufacturer of natural gas generator sets.

As a wholly-owned subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), it originated from Jinan Diesel Engine Factory, founded in 1920. Its core business focuses on R&D and manufacturing of medium and large-power internal combustion engines, boasting three major product clusters: land-use engines, marine engines, and gas engines, with power coverage ranging from 150 to 2,400 kW. Headquartered in Jinan, Shandong, the company has production bases in Chengdu, Sichuan, and Qingxian, Hebei. Its products are widely applied in petroleum, marine, military, and other fields, exported to more than 50 countries and regions.

6. Shandong Xingchuang Technology Co., Ltd.

Shandong Xingchuang Technology Co., Ltd. specializes in the R&D and manufacturing of methanol generator sets, and serves as a drafter of relevant regulations for China's methanol generator set industry.

Methanol generator sets offer the following advantages:

Good fuel economy: Methanol costs lower than traditional diesel and gasoline, with wide availability (convertible from coal, natural gas, etc.), reducing operating costs by about 30%-50%.

Outstanding environmental performance: Combustion products are mainly water and carbon dioxide, with sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides emissions reduced by over 90% compared to diesel units, meeting low-carbon environmental requirements.

Flexible application scenarios: With a wide power coverage (10kW-2000kW), they can be used in distributed power stations, marine power, backup power, etc., especially suitable for areas with high emission standards.

Strong technical compatibility: They can be combined with new energy sources like photovoltaic and wind power to form hybrid power systems, improving energy efficiency and adapting to the development trend of smart grids.

7. Dongfeng Cummins Engine Co., Ltd.

Dongfeng Cummins Engine Co., Ltd., located in Xiangyang, Hubei Province, is a modern medium and heavy-duty engine manufacturing company jointly established by Dongfeng Motor Co., Ltd. and Cummins Inc. (USA) with a 50:50 equity ratio. The company specializes in producing B/C/D/L/M/Z series diesel and natural gas engines, as well as the Yingdong AMT automatic transmission. It designs and manufactures Cummins engines ranging from 120 to 680 horsepower for vehicles and 80 to 770 horsepower for non-vehicle applications, with displacements covering 2.5 to 15 liters.

8. Henan Diesel Engine Industry Co.,Ltd.

Founded in May 1958, Henan Diesel Engine Industry Co., Ltd. (HND) is China's first manufacturer of marine high-speed diesel engines, specializing in R&D, manufacturing, sales, and maintenance services for diesel engines, diesel generator sets, and components.

The company successively introduced diesel engine licensing technologies from Germany's Deutz-Mannheim in 1985 and 1999, and obtained production patents for MAN's L16/24 and L21/31 series diesel engines in 2007. Its products are widely applied in land, sea, and air equipment, marine engineering, nuclear power, petroleum, coal, and other fields, standing as a key industry player with technical superiority and reliable performance.

9. Shaanxi Diesel Heavy Industry Co., Ltd.

Founded in 1966, Shaanxi Diesel Engine Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. (SDEC) is a core enterprise under China State Shipbuilding Corporation. Specializing in R&D and manufacturing of medium and high-power marine diesel engines and power generation equipment, its products cover authorized models from international brands like MAN B&W and WARTSILA. Its core businesses include integrated ship power systems, distributed energy equipment, and marine engineering supporting facilities, with products widely applied in naval vessels, civil ships, and the energy sector.

V. How to Choose the Suitable Power of a Generator for Your Use?

Diesel generators can be used as backup or primary power sources, but the power of a diesel generator is important. If your diesel generator is undersized, you won't be able to power your equipment. If you have an oversized diesel generator, you'll be wasting money. You can avoid undersizing your diesel generator by considering all the loads that will be connected to the power supply of a diesel generator, and by determining the power requirements of all equipments.

You must make sure that the diesel generator you choose is large enough to meet your current needs and anticipated needs.

Here are the basic steps on how to size and select a diesel generator:

1. Load sizing calculation.

To determine the right size diesel generator, add up the total wattage of all lights, appliances, tools, or other equipment you will be connecting to the diesel generator. The total wattage will tell you how much power the equipment requires, and from there you can calculate the minimum electrical input required for the diesel generator.

You can find wattage information on the nameplate of the equipment or in the manufacturer's guide. If wattage is not shown, but amps and volts are given, you can use this simplified formula:

Amps x Volts = Watts

You can use a tool to measure the load current of an appliance/equipment that may not have a nameplate rating. The voltage rating depends on whether the appliance or equipment requires single-phase or three-phase power.

Once you have the total load, it is prudent to add 20%-25% for future load expansion, which will meet any future load additions.

2. Define your power requirements

Will your diesel generator be your primary power source?

Diesel generators should not be run at maximum capacity for more than 30 minutes. If you plan to use diesel generators as a primary power source, you need to adjust 70-80% of the capacity. In addition to improving performance, leaving 20-30% of safety capacity can also meet future power needs.

3. Analyze the situation of site conditions and location

Once you have calculated the load size and taken into account your operating requirements, you will have a good understanding of the amount of power input required for the diesel generator. The next step is to confirm that your power requirements are feasible given your site conditions and location.

Site operability has a great impact on the way diesel generators are delivered and installed, which will also affect the selection of diesel generators. If the site is relatively large, it may be preferred to enter the site with a large generator set; on the contrary, if the site is not large enough, multiple small units can be selected for inline use, which can save space.

VI. Why Choose IMEXsourcing as Your China Generator Set Procurement Agent?

Here are the main services that IMEXsourcing offers.

1. Products Sourcing
2. Import & Export Consulting
3. Samples Collection 
4. Factory Audit
5. Price & MOQ Negotiation
6. Order follow-up
7. Quality Inspection
8. Free Warehousing (90days)
9. Goods Consolidation
10. Low-cost shipping door-to-door Solution
11. Goods delivery inspection

VII. What Documents Do You Need When Importing Generators from China?

1. Contract

• Essential for verifying legal procurement and payment terms.
• Outlines product specifications, quality standards, warranty clauses, and penalty terms.
• Customs uses it to confirm the legitimacy of the transaction.

2. Invoice

• Proforma Invoice: Provides an estimated order value for customs declaration.
• Commercial Invoice: Details the full import transaction for taxation and audit purposes.
• Retain both for compliance and record-keeping.

3. Packing List

• Prepared by the freight forwarder to generate the bill of lading.
• Lists items, net/gross weights, and dimensions to enable customs inspection without container opening.

4. Bill of Lading (B/L) / Airway Bill

• Issued by the carrier, specifying cargo details and delivery terms.
• Critical for customs to validate shipment information in sea or air freight.

5. Insurance Certificate

• Confirms whether the selling price includes insurance coverage.
• Helps customs assess the goods' value and calculate import duties.

6. Certification Documents

• Certificate of Origin: Issued by chambers of commerce or embassies to verify the product’s country of origin.
• CE Certificate: Ensures compliance with EU safety standards for goods entering EU markets.
• Test Certificates: Include conformity certificates, electrical test reports, and safe transport documentation to prove product quality and safety.