CBBC Member Company Weir Opens New Foundry in Xuzhou, China
The opening ceremony was hosted by Weir’s CEO Jon Stanton and attended by a Senior Leadership Team from Xuzhou Hi-Tech Industry Zone and other members of Weir and its ESCO division from China and across the globe.
Tom Simpson, Managing Director, China, China-Britain Business Council attended the opening ceremony.
"It was great to be in Xuzhou to take part in this important milestone for Weir in China. The investment by Weir into their new foundry demonstrates their continued commitment to the market, both as a source of demand but also a base for production.
Although business still faces a number of headwinds, we are seeing a wide range of new activity by our members in China, whether new investments, partnerships, or opportunities. CBBC will do what we can to support our members and ensure British business continues to be successful here," Tom said.
Jon Stanton, CEO of Weir said:
"The opening of our new foundry in Xuzhou is a significant strategic milestone for Weir. I’d like to congratulate our project team in Xuzhou who have designed and built what we expect to be the safest, most efficient, most sustainable, most advanced foundry within our global network. I’d also like to thank our partners throughout the Xuzhou government for their time and experience to help deliver this important project.
This investment demonstrates our commitment to long-term presence and economic contribution in Xuzhou, ensuring Weir drives further efficiency and sustainability in our operations while supporting our continued growth as supplier of premium mining GET technology to customers worldwide.”
Occupying a 16.5-acre site in Xuzhou’s High-Tech Industrial Zone, the new foundry features the very latest technology and equipment, incorporating high levels of automation.
The new foundry represents a $60m investment and will replace Weir’s existing foundry that is located close by. Staying in Xuzhou allows Weir to capitalise on their culture of continuous improvement and sustainability, resulting in consistently high performance in process control, safety, employee engagement and on time delivery.
The new foundry has been designed to produce a wider range of Weir’s proprietary GET products, including larger sized components, enabling the manufacture of more product types in a more cost-effective way. It expands Weir’s foundry capacity in China by over 30% and provides additional flexibility across our global network to best serve customers around the world.