Chinese Construction Machinery Manufacturer Sany To İnvest 100 Million Euros İn North Rhine-Westphalia

SANY Heavy Industry is one of the world's largest manufacturers of concrete pumps. SANY is a globally operating company which at present generates 20 percent of its sales outside China. New plants are currently being built in Pune/India and Atlanta, Georgia/USA. The company now employs more than 28,000 people and generated sales of around 1.35 billion euros in 2007. The company from Changsha, Hunan Province, has been listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange since 2003.

The Chinese construction machinery manufacturer SANY Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. opened its European headquarters in Cologne in May 2008. By establishing Sany Germany GmbH and setting up its head office in Cologne, the Chinese construction machinery manufacturer took its first steps into the European market.

SANY is now consistently expanding its commitment in Europe by investing 60 million euros in the new location in North Rhine-Westphalia in a first step. By doing so, the company is creating several hundred jobs in the coming years. After intensive negotiations between the investor, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the towns of Bedburg and Bergheim and the commercial zone owner, RWE Power AG, NRW.INVEST succeeded in winning the Chinese investor for the attractive location Bedburg/Bergheim Mühlenerft in the city triangle Cologne – Düsseldorf – Aachen.

The planned investment will become one of the largest new business establishments of a Chinese company in Germany and in Europe. Besides production, a research and development center is to be built, as well as a training facility for newly arrived SANY employees, mainly from Europe.

"With the settlement of SANY we can continue to increase the attractiveness of North Rhine-Westphalia for major Chinese investments," stressed Economics Minister Christa Thoben. "We will do everything to ensure that North Rhine-Westphalia becomes the top location for Chinese companies in Europe in the medium term."

NRW.INVEST has been supporting the settlement of the Chinese investor since May 2007. "With our continuous service and the quality of our location we were able to assert ourselves in the face of strong competition from all over Europe and other locations in Germany", explained Petra Wassner, Managing Director of NRW.INVEST.

"The key factors influencing our decision in favor of the 'Mühlenerft' commercial zone were its proximity to Cologne, the excellent connections to the seaports, the sufficient supply of qualified staff, the professional and personal commitment in the town administrations of Bedburg and Bergheim, and the outstanding service of the state agency NRW.INVEST. Negotiations with all those involved have shown that we are very welcome in this region", said Xingliang Feng, Managing Director of Sany Germany GmbH, explaining the decision. He added: "We continue to welcome applications from engineers for our research and development."