Featured Image

International News From the Field: China

With no immediate end in sight for China's costly zero-COVID policy, and a dropping manufacturing PMI, the world's fastest-growing economy has found itself in a challenging scenario. For more industry intel and other tidbits, read on.
Dec 05, 2022

China published the ninth version of its COVID-19 prevention and control protocols on Nov. 11. The most recent adjustments were outlined in a notice which laid out 20 key measures, ranging from quarantine to risk categorization policies such as shortening quarantine time, limiting contact, and managing the country’s resources more efficiently. These measures are intended to minimize the impact of the epidemic on an economy already struggling with supply chain disruptions and other challenges. China’s Q3 2022 GDP growth dropped to 3%, while the manufacturing PMI fell to 49.2 in October. The impact of COVID-19 is still being felt in the macroeconomy, especially in the manufacturing industry, although investments remain high.

Here are some new investments and projects that were recently announced:

  • Dongfeng Motor Corp. kicked off a new $1.67 billion investment cycle to build capacity for producing 30-GW power batteries. The project will become a new energy power battery hub, integrating power battery cells, modules, R&D, production, and sales, which will boost Hubei’s automotive supply chain.

  • BMW will carry out a large-scale expansion of its Shenyang battery production base. Investments are worth $1.39 billion, which will be a crucial step for BMW to accelerate electrification in China. The new power battery project follows the BMW iFACTORY principles of green, lean, and digital. The Shenyang facilities have become the world’s largest production base for BMW. BMW delivered about 592,900 BMW and MINI vehicles to Chinese customers in the first three quarters of 2022. BMW's EV battery business increased by 65% YOY in China, while plans are to keep growing production to supply up to 13 BMW models by 2023.

  • Jiangsu-based Aerospace Lithium Technology Co. Ltd. announced a $4.12 billion investment in the Lithium Iron Phosphate Cylindrical Cell Industrial Park Project in Tai An, Shandong. The project takes the battery as the core, covering cathode materials, negative electrode materials, diaphragm materials, electrolyte materials, and other supporting industries to build a lithium battery production facility. The project’s first phase comprises 10 production lines of 5-GW lithium iron phosphate batteries, with investments of around $417 million. Plans are to achieve a production capacity of 50-GW by 2024.

  • The Digital Elevator Industrial Park, in which Midea's Building Technologies division has invested, has officially settled in Nanhai, Guangdong Great Bay Area, and includes a sheet metal smart manufacturing center and a smart shipping center, as well as facilities for parts processing and an office building complex. Total investment is around $1.38 billion, with plans to increase production capacity of multi-model elevators, escalators, and components to 30,000 units a year.

  • VEM Electric Motor, a subsidiary of VEM Group in Dresden, Germany, will invest $146 million in Wuxi, Jiangsu, to manufacture high-end electric motors, control systems, and wind power generators.

  • LONGi Green Energy Technology Group will invest $968 million in Erdos, Inner Mongolia, to produce monocrystalline silicon solar cells, increasing capacity by 30 GW. LONGi is a publicly traded company listed on the Shanghai stock exchange and one of the leading players in the photovoltaic segment.

  • Jiangxi Sunpin Technology announced a new investment of $415 million in Ping Xiang, Jiangxi, to manufacture EV components by giga-casting. Plans are to purchase 40 sets of die-casting machines, 300 sets of machining centers, coating lines, and ancillary equipment.

  • Keyang Electric Motor Science & Technology has announced investments of $44 million in Huzhou, Zhejiang, to produce motors. Expected annual output is around 200,000 units for new electric vehicles.

For more information, please contact Fred Qian at fredqian@AMTchina.org.

PicturePicture
Author
Fred Qian
General Manager - Shanghai Technology and Service Center of AMT
Recent international News
China's economic pulse, gauged by electricity use and excavator sales, showcases growth. Driven by recovery and electrification trends, the largest manufacturing nation shows positive signs of recovery. For more industry intel and other tidbits, read on.
China has good reason to celebrate the Year of the Dragon after a record-breaking 2023 for automotive production. Continued growth is expected, and demand for imported machine tools is increasing. For more industry intel and other tidbits, read on.
Are there still manufacturing opportunities in China? The world’s second-largest economy faces setbacks from the pandemic, uncertainty in real estate, and weakened global demand for its exports. For more industry intel and other tidbits, read on.
Foreign investment use in China shrank in 2023, but new measures are aimed at its increase. With stimulus and confrontations with structural slowdowns, is the economic recovery finally gaining traction? For more industry intel and other tidbits, read on.
Has the Chinese economy finally bottomed out? Are signs of stabilization an indication of a turnaround? Are there still opportunities in the automotive industry? For more industry intel and other tidbits, read on.
Similar News
undefined
International
By Arun Mahajan | Mar 19, 2024

India sees another rise in PMI and record export growth. The country's market is poised to skyrocket, particularly in defense and semiconductors, thanks to its surging economy and persistent reforms. For more industry intel and other tidbits, read on.

5 min
undefined
Technology
By Bonnie Gurney | Mar 18, 2024

While additive manufacturing has significantly matured, further development depends on the current market evolving, which will require developing opportunities to showcase it as well as changing how we think of it – that it's more than 3D printing a part.

6 min
undefined
International
By Conchi Aranguren | Mar 14, 2024

Europe's manufacturing sector faces declining domestic orders, geopolitical tensions, increased exports, and opportunities in the battery market. A very dynamic scenario is ahead for the old continent. For more industry intel and other tidbits, read on.

5 min