Three years after announcing plans to invest in two new production facilities in China, Hempel has officially started operations at Zhangjiagang to begin servicing customers in the region.
The inauguration ceremony featured the involvement of Jiangsu province government officials, representatives from the Danish General Consulate in Shanghai, as well as customers, suppliers and members of Hempel’s senior management.
“Today is truly a day to celebrate. Our teams, both here in Zhangjiagang and in Yantai, have put in a massive effort to make this happen and I am very proud of the results,” explained Katarina Lindstroem, Hempel’s Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President.
“Getting Zhangjiagang online is a major step towards better serving our customers in the Marine, Energy and Infrastructure sectors. This new location will significantly improve ‘time to market’ of both products and services – especially at the shipyards along the Yangtze,” adds Katarina.
With the majority of the world’s marine newbuild business located in China, and over 50% of Chinese shipyards situated within a 200km radius around Zhangjiagang, antifouling coatings are in high demand. Shipowners and charterers around the world are in constant pursuit of fuel efficiency, leading to an exponential growth in sales of silicone-based, antifouling coatings like Hempel’s Hempaguard.
The Zhangjiagang factory will gradually increase capacity to reach 100 million litres annually in 2025, with the potential to further increase production to meet future demand.
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