Taihu Lake, Wuxi

Siemens will help Wuxi City in East China’s Jiangsu Province recover the water quality of the Taihu Lake.

Siemens plans to supply a Membrane Bio-Reactor (MBR) system to the sewage treatment plants at Wuxi New Zone, an industrial development area, to expand its waste treatment capacity.

The MBR system is scheduled for trial run by the end of 2008. By then, 30,000 cubic meters of sewage will be disposed every day, thus helping Wuxi heighten urban centralized sewage treatment ratio to 90% by 2010.

As an important water source for a population of 30 million, Taihu Lake was once fouled by industrial wastewater. To clean Taihu Lake, Jiangsu Province is now upgrading the sewage treatment plants.
Source: Trading Markets

Roewe 550 looking very desirable

SAIC Motor Corp has opened a 150,000-unit production facility in Shanghai as part of an effort to lead China’s self-branded vehicle market.

Chen Zhixin, executive vice president of SAIC Motor said the 1.2 million-square-meter factory is located in Lingang Industrial Zone, 75 kilometers south of downtown Shanghai, and cost RMB2.9 billion ($424.2 million). The first phase will cover around 670,000 square meters.

It will be the nation’s largest auto maker’s third passenger car plant, enabling SAIC to have a total capacity of 300,000 self-branded cars a year in full operation.
Source: China Trade Information

Xinbei Industrial Park

This month a ground breaking ceremony for Changzhou Xinri Chemicals was held in Xinbei Industrial Park.  It is said to be a new important measure to implement the strategy of ‘chemical industry development with priorities based on environment protection’ by Changzhou National Hi-tech District.

Changzhou Xinri Chemicals was set up by the Macau Xinyang Group, which is a world-famous manufacturer of unsaturated polyester resin.  The new plant covers a land area of 266 thousand square meters, and has a registered capital of $49.98 million and a total investment of $99.98 million.

Zhang Wenjun, chairman of the board of Changzhou Xinri Chemicals said, ”This company will treat environment protection seriously, invest a large sum of money to set up perfect facilities for environment protection and ensure that they operate properly to reach the set standard of emissions.’

After the establishment of the management committee of Xinbei Industrial Park, the management members believe that the park can only be saved through development of green chemicals and substitution of small chemicals with large chemicals. The results are seen in the illustration.
More on this HERE.
Source: The Earth Times

Scene from a TAL promotional video

TAL Apparel’s new $70 million factory in  Dongguan, a manufacturing zone two hours’ drive from Hong Kong, shows how manufacturing is changing in  China.

The factory’s pristine white floors and brightly lit aisles look more like a modern office suite than a clothing factory. In one corner, automated cutting machines slice out fabric for men’s trousers, a process that wastes less material and requires only about half the staff needed to cut patterns by hand. In another section of the plant, a computerized system of ceiling tracks ferries the pants on hangers. At the end of the assembly line, the high-quality garments emerge sporting brand names like L.L. Bean and Dockers.

S.N. Yip, a director at TAL, says that only the most modern, efficient factories can thrive in today’s China. He said, ‘If you want to run a sweatshop, this isn’t the place.’

The average monthly pay of China’s factory workers increased 66% between 2004 and 2007 to $234, an amount that is well above the wages earned in other Asian countries.

However businessmen say that clusters of factories in similar industries in the zones that have formed along the mainland’s coast create a ready supply chain for important raw materials and components, while China’s superior infrastructure makes shipping products overseas extremely efficient. These factors have convinced many industrialists to stay put.

Much more HERE.
Source: Time

GM's new Cadillac which is built in China.

US car maker General Motors has announced the start of the construction  of its Chinese industrial park in Shanghai.

The park, located at Jinqiao Export Processing Zone of the Pudong New Area, covers a land area of 120,00 square meters and will be completed in two phases with a total investment of $250 million.

The first phase of the project, including buildings and facilities for the car giant’s Asia-Pacific headquarters, Chinese headquarters and other local operational institutions, is expected to be completed in October 2009.

The second phase will house one of its scientific research centers.

The park will accommodate 2,500 employees including 300 researchers.
Source: Trading Markets

Chongqing

Chongqing’s New North Zone, a modern industrial base and the economic growth core in the economic circle of Chongqing Municipality, has announced three Chinese steel giants will be setting up plants there —  Baosteel, Wuhan Iron & Steel and Panzhihua Iron & Steel.

Baosteel has reportedly invested RMB 700 million to establish an auto steel structure processing facility, which is designed to have a capacity of 30,000 tons of rolled steel per year.

Wuhan Iron & Steel plans to invest RMB 100 million to build a process and distribution center in CNNZ with a capacity of processing 200,000 tons of steel per year.

Panzhihua Iron & Steel will set up a new auto steel production base with two of the world’s top 500 firms including the Japan-based Marubeni-Itochu Steel. The project, when completed, will turn over RMB 1.2 billion annually.

The astounding illustration of Chongqing can be seen HERE in all its glory.
Source: AliBaba.com

Songshan Lake Science & Technology Industry Park

The Scientific business of Thomson Reuters and the Investment Promotion Agency of Ministry of Commerce, P. R. China (CIPA), have announced a partnership to create a ‘World Innovation and Investment Promotion Platform’ that aims to boost the soft infrastructure of China’s hi-tech zones.

The idea is  to foster innovation, and promote bilateral hi-tech related investment between China and USA.

Scientific also signed understandings with the Songshan Lake Science & Technology Industry Park Administrative Committee of Dongguan, Guangdong province, and the Changsha National Hi-Tech Industry Development Zone Administration of Hunan province.

These two hi-tech zones, as designated by CIPA, will be the pioneers in implementing the WII promotion platform locally.

Much, much more on this HERE.
Source: PR Newswire

Wuxi Little Swan

Washing machine maker Wuxi Little Swan will move its offices and production facilities from the urban district to Wuxi High-tech Development Zone before June 2009.

The company is applying to three banks for RMB700 million credit lines to enlarge its capital base and ensure normal operation and production. The three banks are China Merchants Bank, CITIC Industrial Bank and China Minsheng Banking Corporation.

Jiangsu Little Swan Group has 33 subsidiary companies.

Wuxi Little Swan is the largest domestic producer of washing machines and the group also produces air conditioners, refrigerators, dishwashers, dryers and industrial washing machines.
Source: Trading Markets

Solar energy panels

That is a grabber of a headline and cries out for explanation. So CTDC is China Technology Development Group and works in solar energy and is starting to make important parts.

The company’s first volume manufacturing line is located in the China Merchants Zhangzhou Development Zone near Xiamen.

It will have an annual run rate of 70,000–80,000 plates when it reaches full capacity and there is an intent to expand that capacity. The key to these solar devices is to increase their efficiency and lower their cost of manufacturing.

This development in Zhangzhou is designed to do just that.
Source: PV Tech

Quanzhou Export Processing Zone

The 12th China International Fair for Investment and Trade was held in Xiamen City.

During the Fair, the Quanzhou Export Processing Zone signed an agreement on September 8 with Silan Achievement Chemplex for a large-sized petrochemical plant, which will be one of Fujian Province’s key promotion projects.

The plant, which is expected to generate RMB3 billion in annual output value and sell 200,000t of petrochemical products, has already been registered with the relevant industrial and commercial authorities and negotiations with the Zone are now under way so that the land plot transfer agreement may be signed.
Source: China Information Explorer