ThyssenKrupp Elevator opens new factory in China

ThyssenKrupp Elevator opened a new factory for escalators, moving walks and passenger boarding bridges in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, China.

Edwin Eichler, executive board chairman of ThyssenKrupp Elevator AG, and Ramón Sotomayor, CEO of the Escalators/Passenger Boarding Bridges Business Unit, inaugurated the highly modern plant in the presence of Jian Wen Peng, executive vice mayor of Zhongshan Municipal People's Government and approximately 200 invited guests.

“We are very proud of our investment here,” said Eichler. “After over 10 years of successful cooperation with the city of Zhongshan, we now take a further step ahead with the most modern production site of our Group.”

ThyssenKrupp Elevator can produce up to 4,000 escalators and moving walks as well as 200 passenger boarding bridges a year in the 131,000-square-foot factory. Overall, the site spans 640,000 square feet and also includes a two story-office building, services facilities for its 800 employees and a boarding bridge test facility. The new factory has four production lines for standard escalators, one for special escalators and moving walks and another for passenger boarding bridges. These lines are fitted with state-of-the-art equipment, like laser alignment and CNC controlled systems which guarantee the highest precision and quality of the products. The final assembly line provides a continuous production flow with a high degree of automation. All this increases the overall efficiency of the factory, which is fully ISO 9000 certified. With the new production site, ThyssenKrupp Elevator will create 400 additional jobs.

The factory is favorably situated close to the port and ferry terminals of the city of Zhongshan. It also has excellent international links thanks to the airports in Hong Kong and Guangzhou. Passenger boarding bridges from ThyssenKrupp Elevator are already in operation at Guangzhou Airport.

Asia is currently a growing market for escalators and passenger boarding bridges. Approximately 9,000 escalators a year are supplied to China. The fast growth in air traffic is also reinforcing this trend. This is highlighted by the high number of forty-two airport projects planned just in China.

Sotomayor stated, “For the first time in its history, our Escalators/Passenger Boarding Bridges Business Unit will be able to manufacture all its products under one roof.” State-of-the-art technology as well as decades of experience in manufacture, installation and design will secure the globally recognized high quality standards of ThyssenKrupp Elevator equipment.

The company has been operating in Zhongshan since 1995 with a factory which previously produced escalators and elevators. Elevator production will continue in the existing premises responding to the increasing demand of our products.

The two factories in the city form an outstanding platform for supplying airport equipment, allowing ThyssenKrupp Elevator to offer its customers all passenger transportation systems from one source. Elevators, escalators, moving walks and passenger boarding bridges of ThyssenKrupp Elevator are already used at the international airports of Madrid (Spain), Toronto (Canada), Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and Paris (France). In China, the company is present at the airports in Guangzhou, Chanchung, Shenyang, Shanghai and Beijing. In Guangzhou International Airport, ThyssenKrupp Elevator installed Asia’s first passenger boarding bridge designed specifically for the new Airbus A380. Metro and train stations as well as shopping centers around the globe also rely on the quality of ThyssenKrupp Elevator products.