 The workshop in Pyroban Suzhou. |
Explosion protection specialist Pyroban has made new investments in China to keep up with demand from the Chinese domestic market.
"Pyroban's sustained growth in China over the last seven years has been faster than we had expected," says Max Goh, regional general manager of Pyroban Suzhou.
"At the beginning of 2013, we made further investments in our facilities and staffing levels to help meet existing and anticipated domestic Chinese demand," Goh adds.
He sees an increased focus on safety policies as a key reason for the growth in demand, also citing raised awareness of supply chain security and brand reputation.
Pyroban opened its first factory in China in 2006 - a state-of-the-art 1,300 sqm (13,993 sqft.) facility in the Suzhou Industrial Park, about 80 mi. (219 km) from Shanghai. The factory was originally designed to undertake explosion-proof conversions of forklifts and mobile equipment according to local standards.
"With recent investments, we have expanded, with double the space, and now operate a 2,600 sqm (27,986 sqft.) facility that has helped to increase capacity and reduce lead times. We have also improved productivity, optimised our quality control systems and reduced waste as a result," Goh says.
The Suzhou plant's local fabrication capability has been increased with new machines and improved welding bays, a new paint spray booth, oven and dynamometer. More space is also available on the production line, in the warehouse and in support of other business activities, particularly for the manufacture of explosion-proof engines for the surface and underground mining industries in China.
"With these investments, we are now shipping up to 30 explosion-proof trucks per month to customers across the region. This is a high number in our niche area of highly specialist engineering," Goh explains, suggesting that the factory now contributes to over 40% of the Pyroban Group's total volume of forklift conversions.
Recent orders have included a fleet of 15 Nichiyu forklifts for international paint and coatings brand Valspar, and 16 Toyota forklifts for Bauhinia Shanghai, another large coatings manufacturer.
Pyroban says its conversions in China are of the same Pyroban quality found in Europe, but the design and specification have some differences to meet the local standard, GB19845-2010.
In 2011, Pyroban opened a "Tech Centre" in Southern China to offer fast and professional service to customers of the Pearl River Delta region and Guangdong province. The centre is located in Huangpu Economic Development Zone, Guangzhou city and offers a complete explosion protection service with support from Pyroban Suzhou.
"We are in the business of safety and it is important, as a global company, to provide a sustained local service in the local language," adds Goh. "Our business model is clearly working in China."
Pyroban Group Ltd was founded in 1972 with manufacturing facilities in the UK, the Netherlands, the Asia Pacific and China, with regional sales and service centres.