Shenyang Wirthwein Technology Co. Ltd. now fully owned by plastics expert Wirthwein.
Shenyang is located in the northeast of the People's Republic of China and is the capital of Liaoning Province. The metropolis with its more than eight million inhabitants has an exceptionally diverse economy: chemical industry, mechanical and vehicle engineering as well as high-tech industry. The automotive production including the established supplier industry is strongly represented and the reason for Wirthwein's commitment in Shenyang.
The company "Shenyang Wirthwein Technology Co., Ltd.", founded in April 2018, was previously a joint venture in which Wirthwein AG and their Chinese partner "Changshu Automotive Trim Co., Ltd." (in short: CAIP) held 50 percent of the shares each. Wirthwein has now decided to acquire 100 percent in the short term - with effect from December 1, 2020. Lars Lederer, Director of the Automotive Business Unit and central contact person for business matters in Shenyang, explains the main reasons for the decision: "This way, the family-owned company Wirthwein is more flexible and can react faster to short-term market changes". Valen Pan, Deputy General Manager and responsible for Wirthwein in Shenyang since the company was founded, is in charge of the projects on site.
The company has been producing window frame paneling for a renowned German automotive manufacturer since May 2019. In the meantime, Wirthwein has been able to create 25 secure jobs in Shenyang and successfully complete certification pursuant to the IATF 16949 automotive standard. The future of the young subsidiary is also secured in the medium term as the company was able to win a follow-up order for the production of window frame paneling in 2020.
Every year, Wirthwein's production facility in Shenyang, China, equips around 150,000 vehicles with different variants of window frame paneling. The sales volume of the original order is around €15 million for a term until 2024. The follow-up order has a term of around seven years; series production is scheduled to start in May 2023.
However - and this is what makes Wirthwein's operations in the northeast of China so interesting - there is further customer potential in the Shenyang region that is to be exploited.
