SANDVIK OPENS NEW FACTORY IN SHANGHAI
11 March 2003 - Sandvik Materials Technology UK

The move, part of a $3m investment program that sees a number other Sandvik companies opening new facilities at the Xinzhuang Industrial Park, Shanghai, is a clear indication of Sandvik' commitment to the Chinese market.

'We selected Shanghai for this important new operation due to the good infrastructure, reasonable cost and the growth potential of the Chinese market' said Process Systems regional manager Per Linden. 'Of all our markets in Asia, growth rates are highest in China and now is the time to start building the administrative, sales, production and technical foundations from which we can support the whole of Asia.'

Process equipment plant expanded
The move to Xinzhuang has enabled the company to expand its process equipment operation, switching from the assembly of locally produced steel belt coolers to the manufacture of its own systems. As well as enabling the production of high quality machines in a much more modern environment, this move will also result in a significant increase in capacity.

Sandvik's steel belt coolers are used to solidify molten chemicals, such as sulphur, waxes, resins, hot melt adhesives, powder coating and also many food products.

PCB press plate production plant with regrinding service
Another major development has been the installation of a plant for the production of steel press plates for producing printed circuit boards (PCBs) of the type used by the electronics industry.

Production of PCB press plates has been carried out in Germany for more than four decades by Hindrichs-Auffermann. However, recent levels of growth in the Chinese electronics industry convinced Sandvik that the entire production process should be moved to Shanghai.

The equipment used is the most advanced of its kind in the world and the press plates produced will give customers the ability to improve productivity and produce higher quality products, while also lowering their overall manufacturing costs.

The company will also offer a regrinding service for its plates. Normal cleaning and polishing operations inevitably impact on the lifespan of a press plate, eventually resulting in the need for regrinding. Sandvik is the first company in China to be able to offer locally produced press plates and a professional regrinding service.

http://www.smt.sandvik.com/uk

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