Grundfos builds wastewater pump factory in China

To meet demands in East Asia, Grundfos supplements its production of large-scale wastewater pumps with new facilities in Suzhou.

Rapidly growing municipal market prompts expansion
The Chinese market for efficient sewage solutions is growing rapidly, as many municipalities are upgrading their infrastructure to meet modern requirements. According to the Chinese governments 11th 5 year plan (2006-2010) there will be a total investment in wastewater treatment of 30bn EUR. This means that more than 100 new wastewater treatment plants will be built each year.

Group President and CEO Carsten Bjerg, Grundfos, says,
The demand for efficient, large-scale wastewater pumps now prompts Grundfos to expand its existing facilities in Suzhou, China, and we expect to triple our sales in the country within the next five years. Our new production facilities in Suzhou will help us give our customers in this region the best possible service.

The expanded activities also include a new research and development team. The team will be dedicated to wastewater solutions, aiming to find more new ways to improve wastewater management.

Group Senior Vice President Kim Jensen, who holds the responsibility for Grundfos’s wastewater business area, says,
“We are fully committed to meeting the ever-growing demand for wastewater pumps in China and East Asia. The products in themselves are already much appreciated for their benefits to both infrastructure and the environment, but the future proximity between market and production will add new benefits of customisations to the Asian markets.”

Construction of the new production facilities in Suzhou is already underway. It will be operated by more than 100 employees and the factory’s full production capacity will be reached in 2008.

With the production of wastewater pumps in China, logistics in East Asia becomes simpler. Not only are transportation costs reduced, it also becomes much easier for customers to attend the extensive factory tests that are carried out for all our large sewage pumps and greater production capacity also means faster delivery.

Well-known design
The new factory will manufacture well-known Grundfos designs for the local market. The main focus will be placed on SuperVortex and channel-impeller pumps, initially on models with motors from 20 to 250 kW.

Grundfos’ existing production of the same designs will continue unchanged in Finland, where the factory will continue to make pumps with motors from 2,0 to 520 kW to serve e.g. the expanding Eastern European markets.

Both factories will apply the same stringent quality requirements, ensuring that e.g. the high environmental and quality standards of Grundfos products are upheld everywhere.

New Customer Service Unit
The new production facilities also give rise to the set-up of a new Customer Service Unit in China.

“Good service both before and after the actual sale, is one of Grundfos’ key features. Our Chinese costumers will receive the service you expect from a company like ours. That includes competent advice prior to purchase as well as full commissioning and maintenance service. The new set-up ensures that the total pool of Grundfos experience is placed at the disposal of East Asian clients,” Mr Jensen concludes.