NANJING, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Asia-Pacific headquarters project of a joint venture that Huber & Ranner Group has established in China commenced production on Monday in the high-tech zone of Taicang City, east China's Jiangsu Province.
Huber & Ranner Group, Germany's air treatment "hidden champion," was founded in 1974. "Hidden champions" are highly successful yet lesser-known small and medium-sized enterprises that are global leaders in terms of market share in their respective niches.
With a total investment of 500 million yuan (about 71.38 million U.S. dollars) and covering an area of 3.1 hectares, the facility specializes in the manufacturing of advanced, energy-efficient modular air conditioning systems.
Huber & Ranner Environment Equipment (Taicang) Co., Ltd., a Sino-German joint venture founded in 2016, signed the deal for its Asia-Pacific headquarters project in July 2023.
Once operating at full capacity, the project is expected to produce 300,000 air handling equipment sets or units annually, achieving an annual output value of 1 billion yuan and creating a significant number of local high-tech jobs, according to the company.
The joint venture has long served globally renowned enterprises, including Boeing, Airbus, the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, demonstrating significant technological and market advantages in the field of high-end air handling, said Yang Xinhua, Asia-Pacific regional president at Huber & Ranner.
Dietmar Huber, president of Huber & Ranner, said that the high-quality business environment, well-established industrial chain support and regional advantages of the Yangtze River Delta in Taicang were key factors in the group's decision to establish its Asia-Pacific headquarters there.
The now-operational base will integrate R&D, manufacturing and services functions further, combining German technology with localized innovation to support the green development of high-end industries in China and the broader Asia-Pacific region, including biopharmaceuticals, aerospace, automotive manufacturing and electronic semiconductors, Huber noted.
Located on the banks of the Yangtze River, Taicang is a pioneering hub for Sino-German economic and trade cooperation. The city has attracted over 560 German enterprises to date, with a total investment exceeding 6 billion U.S. dollars and an annual industrial output of more than 67 billion yuan. One in every 10 German manufacturing companies in China operates from Taicang. ■
