In opening a new office in Jiading / China, Mann+Hummel (Ludwigsburg / Germany; www.mann-hummel.com) hopes to become one of the leading automotive suppliers in the People’s Republic. The new 60,000 m² facility, which came at an investment cost of EUR 40m, was designed as a multifunctional site. Mann+Hummel wants to become a leading regional supplier of its own filtration solutions and also develop high-quality products designed for local Chinese customers.

The Jiading site includes a 38,000 m² facility for the manufacture of entire pallets of filter products, a fully equipped R&D centre as well as a storage facility for spare parts. Mann+Hummel’s China headquarters are located here as well. The site’s ability to offer production, development, sales, logistics and storage facilities gives rise to synergies that allow for “better service quality” for customers in China and Asia, according to Patrick Cudmore, Group VP & CEO Mann+Hummel Asia-Pacific.

The corner stone of the Jiading facility was laid in December 2009. Despite the global economic turmoil, the site was completed according to plans in January 2010. Mann+Hummel has the option of acquiring an additional 30,000 m² of land next to the facility, in line with development phase 2 which foresees an expansion in 2012-2013. Aside from meeting the needs of local Chinese customers, several “Mann-filters” produced in Jiading are also earmarked for the foreign market.