MILAN, Oct 15 (Class Editori) - Immergas, Italy's leading brand in condensing boilers, officially inaugurated its third production hub abroad in the Changzhou National High Technology District in China. After the rooting in Slovakia and the launching of the start-up in Iran, expansion into China has also arrived.
"These investments have the ability to develop the penetration of the Italian system in China and at the same time to enhance the exchange of know-how in a sector such as energy efficiency, environmental sustainability and quality of life, which sees Italy always most appreciated in China," commented Michele Cecchi, Consul General of Italy in Shanghai, at the inauguration.
"Italy and China have been linked for over two thousand years. Trade in goods has always been accompanied by exchanges of culture, ideas and projects. The Italian President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella has repeatedly stressed the need to consolidate a new Silk Road, to strengthen mutual collaboration and it is in this direction that we will continue to commit ourselves."
The new Immergas China production center was completed within a few months, with an investment of millions of dollars and will be dedicated to the production of gas boilers for the Asian market, designed and tested in the new Research Center inaugurated at the end of 2018 in the headquarters in Brescello.
"The growth prospects in the Chinese market are linked to the change in the market and the regulations related to the domestic climate. Our solutions will have a growing appeal because even in China there is an ever greater awareness towards respect for the environment and energy saving, an element that will influence the choices for the management of the climate in the cities by the municipalities and those of the end customers who increasingly rely on the comfort of their homes," explained Alfredo Amadei, Immergas president of the new Chinese branch.
"In the start-up phase of the new Chinese production unit, the know-how for the study of products and new solutions will remain in Brescello but over the next few years we expect to transfer skills by creating a research and development department dedicated to the Asian market. China is vast, but the Immergas philosophy does not change: we want to train a large number of installers with our style of pre and after-sales services that together with the original spare parts will bring the added value of our products to Chinese homes."
The investment decided by Immerfin is part of a phase of great change for the domestic climate sector in China that Immergas is determined to exploit by leveraging the skills acquired in the analogous transition in Italy in the 60s of the last century. Then Immergas changed its production from gas stoves to the first boilers, to seize the opportunities linked to the methanization of the Po Valley and Northern Italy and now China is also choosing the clean heating route, as was confirmed by the Minister of Chinese environment Li Ganjie.
Ganjie announced that coal heating will gradually be abandoned in favor of domestic heating with natural gas and electricity, starting from northern China by 2021. The plan is dedicated to 28 major Chinese cities in the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Henan and Shanxi, including the megalopolis of Beijing and Tianjin, and aims at replacing over 150 million tons of coal by 2021, mostly with gas natural.
Production signed by Immergas China has already begun with 25 employees who, when fully operational, can increase to 100 for an expected turnover of around 20 million euros in the first year of operation. A significant start for a market with huge potential, to which the Italian company is approaching with great timing.
The first Talos 24 kW boiler was produced last April 16 and has already been installed in a Chinese home. "We have fully complied with the plans and this is a good sign. The new plant with the line of boilers expressly designed for China allows us to start a new phase of development, despite the complexity of the Chinese market that remains highly competitive," said Bruno Rinaldi, general manager of Immergas China.
"The synergies between the Italian parent company and the new Chinese company proved to be very positive. The engineering team and the Immergas operation team took care of the start-up of the production line at all stages, both in design and installation and in final testing. Great attention has been paid to the procedures related to work safety and the healthiness of the work environment," explained the manager.
Immergas' presence along the Silk Road dates back to 1998 with the first exports to Beijing followed, in 2003, by the establishment of the first Chinese branch. The Immergas China plant was born on a total area of 5,300 square meters (two warehouses): 2,700 square meters dedicated to production, 1,300 square meters for offices, and 1,300 for logistics and warehouse.
The production center is located in a strategic area from a logistics point of view, in the heart of the Jiangsu region, easily reachable from Shanghai. In this area there is the most important concentration of companies specialized in the components dedicated to the construction of heating devices.
Also from the sales point of view it is an interesting place since Changzhou is located halfway between Shanghai in Nanjing, an area crossed by the Yangze River among those with the greatest potential for the commercialization of wall boilers.
"Being present on the Chinese market for twenty years has made the start-up phase of the production unit, of production and of finding human resources Chinese easier," concluded Rinaldi.
The Immergas group, controlled by the Immerfin holding company owned by the founding families Amadei and Carra, recorded a turnover of 300 million euros in 2018 with almost 70 percent of sales abroad.
(Source:Class Editori)
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