Webasto continues to expand in China and has opened a new roof systems facility.
The official inauguration of its plant in Baoding (Hebei province) marks another expansion of the Webasto production network for roof systems in China.
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With this strategic step, Webasto increases its production capacity in the company’s largest single market, with the aim of satisfying the continuing increase in demand for sunroofs and panorama roofs even more efficiently. To fulfill this objective, the market leader for roof systems invested around EUR8m (US$8.77m) in the new location over the time period of 2016 until now. The plant covers an area of more than 20,000 square meters in total.
Fitment rate of Chinese OEMs will surpass the 50% mark. “We anticipate that the high share of vehicles with a roof system that are produced in China will increase yet again over the next few years. The demand for large-scale panorama roofs in particular will continue to increase,” says Dr. Holger Engelmann, chairman of the Management Board, Webasto SE. “The national Chinese manufacturers will play an essential part in this, since roof systems are becoming a must-have in this segment as well,” Engelmann continues. The supplier anticipates that in the coming years, the fitment rate of the national OEMs will also exceed the 50% mark. This affirms the Webasto strategy of an early focus on building close relationships with national Chinese manufacturers, in addition to working with international manufacturers and their joint ventures.
Webasto supplies the roof systems produced in Baoding primarily to Great Wall Motors, whose headquarters are located in the immediate vicinity of the plant. Other customers include Changan Motors, Foton-Borgward as well as FAW-Volkswagen. “Opening this new plant emphasises our confidence in the Chinese market, and at the same time it constitutes another element in our consolidation of the good long-term relationships with our customers in China and their successful continuation,” was how Engelmann framed it in his address at the opening. In addition to Wei Jianjun, chairman of the Executive Board Great Wall Motors, attendees at the inauguration ceremony included representatives of the other Baoding customers along with local government officials and the employees of the plant itself.
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