Official opening of new Ammann factory in China
Sustainable factory building sustainable asphalt plants marks major turning point for Ammann in Asia
AMMANN’s new factory in China has been hailed as a major turning point in the company’s growth plans for Asia – and a major win for sustainability in China. The factory, located in Zhangjiagang, will manufacture asphalt-mixing plants and parts for China and beyond. An opening ceremony was held in early August.
Hans-Christian Schneider, chief executive officer of the Ammann Group, opened his statements to those gathered at the ceremony with a single word: ‘Sustainability’. He added that the region now has a sustainable factory – building sustainable asphalt-mixing plants.
Zhang Liguang, general manager of Ammann China, said: ‘The design of the new (manufacturing) plant adheres to the Swiss concept of environmental respect, ie reducing energy consumption, plant emissions, and its impact on the environment.’
The factory’s final products – the asphalt plants themselves – will adhere to tight Swiss sustainability standards. That includes Ammann’s global Green Plant initiative, which promotes sustainable technologies, innovative solutions, and environmentally friendly asphalt-mixing practices.
The new facility spans 50,000m2, with 5,000m2 dedicated to office space. It has the capacity to produce 80–100 asphalt-mixing plants annually. Additionally, the factory will produce spare parts for the region.
The location, in the Yangtze river delta region, will play a crucial role in the region’s success. The factory site, near a key transport hub, was chosen to:
Reduce shipping costs
Improve sustainability by shortening travel distances for importing raw materials and exporting finished plants
Quicken delivery times
Increase access to strategic markets throughout China and the Asia-Pacific region.
Ammann entered the Chinese market in 1997 and opened a Beijing office in 2000. Growth spurred the development of the company’s Shanghai factory, which began manufacturing asphalt-mixing plants in 2005. It has built 500 plants since opening and will continue to operate.
‘The opening of the new factory…continues the firm investments made by Ammann in the Chinese market for many years,’ said Mr Schneider. ‘I would like to thank all the governmental authorities who have helped us with the new plant project, our partners who have worked so hard together, and the Ammann China team who have worked so hard to make this happen.’
