From January 2023, Wirthwein will be producing in the Chinese metropolis of Xi'an for the Electrical Industry Business Unit. The company plans to create 60 jobs first.
Creglingen, Xi´an. Since 2007, Wirthwein has been producing with two companies in the city of Kunshan, which is located about one hour west of Shanghai. In 2018, the company successfully opened its third company in Shenyang, China, in the north of the People's Republic. Now, Wirthwein is establishing its fourth company in the "Middle Kingdom" with the founding of "Xi'an Wirthwein Plastic Technology Co., Ltd." in the central Chinese metropolis of Xi'an.
Wirthwein plans to manufacture plastic components in Xi'an from January 2023 for the largest customer in the Electrical Industry business unit, the long-standing partner ebm-papst. The global player has already been supplied from the Wirthwein headquarters in Creglingen for many decades, but Wirthwein also produces for the motor and fan specialist in Łódź, Poland. Up to now, Wirthwein has been manufacturing at the Kunshan site for the customer ebm-papst in China. After the business partner, with whom Wirthwein has built up a relationship of great trust over many years, decided to establish a further company location in Xi'an, it was just a matter of course that Wirthwein will also settle close by. In this way, logistics expenses and transport costs can be significantly reduced and an important contribution to environmental protection can be made by significantly reducing the distance to just a few kilometers; keyword CO2 footprint, which is a hot topic these days.
Xi´an – a new location in an attractive area
The capital of Shaanxi province has over twelve million inhabitants and is the geographical center of China. The metropolis is located on the Silk Road and has an excellent rail connection to Europe as well as to the Chinese high-speed rail network; the international airport is the hub of the region. In addition to the infrastructure, Xi'an scores as a metropolis of science; the city has 63 universities with over 1.2 million students. Xi'an is internationally known for the world-famous Terracotta Army. In addition to tourism, the telecommunications and software development industries as well as the aviation and automotive industries are of economic importance in this metropolis. Wirthwein is settling in an industrial park that is home to the aviation industry. The local government supported the company's decision, as the plastics industry provides the required industrial mixture.
Xi´an Wirthwein Plastic Technology Co., Ltd.
The newly established company rented a newly built hall with a total area of 8,213 square meters, of which around 3,850 square meters each are set aside for production and logistics. The customer will be supplied just-in-time with axial and radial fan wheels as well as housings. For the first time, Wirthwein is also manufacturing stators at the new location, thus entering a new product segment. The company calculates with total sales in the mid single-digit million euro range but sees further customer potential in the region in the automotive and railroad business segments. The business license has been granted for all business areas served by Wirthwein, so that Wirthwein would also be able to supply the home appliance and medical technology industries. In the medium term, the company's sales are expected to reach a sustainable, low double-digit figure. The handover of the newly built hall is scheduled for August 2022. In September, the relocation of six plastic injection molding machines from Kunshan to Xi'an will be started; in addition, two new machines will be delivered, set up and put into operation.
Xi'an is to become the most modern plant of all Chinese Wirthwein locations. For example, the company plans a forklift-free production and a "milk-run system" in logistics. Various equipment for automating production and a central material supply is equally standard. Delivery has been agreed with the customer to start on January 1, 2023. The setup in Xi'an is being managed by the sister company in Kunshan. The corona pandemic in China is currently creating additional challenges, but the team is very committed and confident that it will be able to meet all the deadlines. Some employees from Kunshan will be working in Xi'an in the future and with their experience will make a valuable contribution to training their new colleagues. By the turn of the year, the company plans to create a total of 60 new jobs with an upward trend in the medium term.
