Valeo on Monday (8 July) officially opened its Nanjing ‘expansion plant’ in the Yangtze Delta Region, one of China’s major automotive manufacturing bases, and will make its first double clutch systems there.
“This inauguration marks a milestone in Valeo’s strategy of continuous development in Asia and consolidates its position as a global leader in transmission systems,” the supplier claimed in a statement.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
“I am confident in the continued success of Valeo in China thanks to its expended footprint and growing products portfolio. Our sales in China have doubled over the past four years and will double again every four years in the future. In addition, by 2014 China will become the leading market for Valeo, along with France,” groupf CEO Jacques Aschenbroich said at the opening ceremony.
“Nanjing plant extension is a further step to accompany our growth in China, alongside our 22 existing plants, our four new plants and two other extensions we are building this year.”
In addition to clutches and torque converters, the Nanjing plant will be Valeo’s first site making double clutch systems. The supplier said its system improves energy efficiency during power transmission and, thus, fuel economy.
Valeo began China operations in 1994 and now has 22 sites. In 2012, three new plants were opened (Guangzhou, Wuhu and Huadu). This year, three plants are being extended (Foshan, Wuhan and Nanjing) and four other new factories are under construction.
