Schaeffler Group (China) Business Report FY ended Dec. 2016
New Plant
-Schaeffler (Nanjing) Co., Ltd. held an inauguration ceremony to celebrate the official opening of Hall 3, its new production facility in Nanjing, China. The new facility, which has around 30,000 square meters of floor space and will accommodate around 1,000 employees, will produce camshaft phasing units, hydraulic tappets, chains, and tensioners as well as other automotive engine parts and components. The engine parts and components produced in Hall 3 will be supplied to a number of domestic and international automobile manufacturers. (From a press release on October 14, 2016)
-Schaeffler AG announced that it will invest in a new production base in Xiangtan, Hunan Province, China, with a view to expanding the company's production capacity in Greater China and better serving customers in both the domestic and international markets. The first phase of the project will occupy a total area of around 20 hectares and the first plant, which will manufacture automotive parts and precision bearings, is scheduled to enter operation by the end of 2018. In the future, Phase II of the project will involve the construction of a second plant, a logistics center and a training facility. (From a press release on August 18, 2016)
Off the Production Line
-The one-millionth hydraulic torque converter manufactured by Schaeffler in China has rolled off the assembly line at the company's Taicang Plant No.3. Schaeffler began manufacturing LuK brand products in China in 2006, and is now able to supply manual transmission clutches, wet/dry double clutches, clutch release systems, dual mass flywheels, and hydraulic torque converters from China. (From a press release on July 18, 2016)
New Product
-Schaeffler developed clutch discs with centrifugal pendulum-type absorbers. The new clutch discs reduce torsional vibration that is created between the engine and the transmission. In terms of performance and cost, they are between traditional torsional damper clutches and dual mass flywheels. Mass production is expected begin in 2017, first in Europe. In China, the first model with Schaeffler's new clutch discs is expected to be available at the end of 2017. (From a press release on February 21, 2017)
R&D Center
-The Company has R&D center in Anting, Shanghai.
R&D Cooperation
-Schaeffler Group signed a cooperation agreement to establish a joint research laboratory with Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU) in China in May. The joint SWJU-Schaeffler research laboratory will be located in the National Key Laboratory for Traction Drives and will be dedicated to the research and development of axle bearings for rail vehicles. (From a press release on May 23, 2016)
-Schaeffler AG cooperated with Tongji University to develop automotive E-Mobility. (From Shaeffler Group's 2016 annual report)