Wallstabe & Schneider invests eight million euros – Further investments planned
01.02.2024 (sei) “In China for China” – this is the motto under which the Niederwinkling-based sealing specialist Wallstabe & Schneider has now officially opened its new plant in Chuzhou in the Chinese province of Anhui.
After the ground-breaking ceremony at the end of 2022, the new plant was officially opened at the end of January 2024. Not only the two Managing Partners Jürgen and Christian Wallstabe and Technical Managing Director Kai Peters travelled to China for the occasion, but numerous Chinese politicians and guests of honour also attended the ceremony.
New production hall planned in Niederwinkling
“We decided in favour of our own plant in China in order to be able to produce locally for the Chinese market,” explains Christian Wallstabe. The new production facility, in which an investment of eight million euros has been made, is therefore not in competition with the main plant in Lower Bavaria. “The existing jobs in Niederwinkling are not jeopardised by this,” emphasises Wallstabe. On the contrary, the growth in China will also create additional jobs in Niederwinkling, where further investments in the form of a new production hall are also planned.
In China, the sealing specialist employs 20 people in the start-up phase. In five years, the company expects to have around 100 employees. “We have a really great team there, led by our General Manager Rong Fang.” The company is also proud to now be represented on all three major continents with its own production facilities.
Although no employees from Niederwinkling are yet working in China on a permanent basis, they have repeatedly supported their Chinese colleagues on site with their expertise. In return, Chinese colleagues also come to Niederwinkling to be trained here in line with the “train the trainer” concept.
5000 square metres of production space
On 5000 square metres of production space and 1000 square metres of laboratory and office space, the gasket specialist is now initially producing for a Chinese licensee of ZF for automatic transmissions, Geely, Mahle and other German and Chinese automotive suppliers, among others. “The production technology and the factory buildings are state-of-the-art – just like in Niederwinkling. This is necessary in order to hold our own against the strong national and international competition in China,” says Technical Managing Director Kai Peters. However, the company already feels very welcome in Anhui Province, where Bosch Siemens Hausgeräte is one of Wallstabe & Schneider’s neighbours.
