German car components supplier Wirthwein (Creglingen; www.wirthwein.de) said that in December 2020 it took control of all shares in Shenyang Wirthwein Technology (Shenyang, Liaoning / China), a 50/50 joint venture founded in 2018 with China’s Changshu Automotive Trim (CAIP, Changshu, Jiangsu; www.caip.com.cn).

Lars Lederer, the German supplier’s head of automotive operations, said, “The Wirthwein family company is more flexible and can react more quickly to short-term market changes.” The supplier has been producing window-frame cladding in China since May 2019 for a German automobile manufacturer. Wirthwein said it has created 25 jobs in Shenyang and has completed certification according to the IATF 16949 automotive standard.

In the medium term, the future of the subsidiary is secured, according to Wirthwein’s management, because a follow-on order for cladding was sealed in 2020. Every year, Wirthwein equips around 150,000 vehicles in Shenyang with various product variants. The sales volume of the current order, which runs until 2024, was said to be around EUR 15m. The follow-on deal is expected to run for around seven years, and series production is scheduled to start in May 2023. The company also plans to develop further customer potential in the region.