Die neue Fabrik in Yangzhou übertrifft die Kapazitäten des alten Standorts bei Weitem.
A ‘super plant’ for the future
GF Piping Systems has been represented in China since 1997. The old factory in Shanghai had become too small, so production was moved 280 kilometers away to a site in Yangzhou, one of the most beautiful cities in the country. "On Site" gives us the full scoop.
At the tower of the Yellow Crane in the west, my old friend takes his leave / in the mist and flowers of spring, he sails down to Yangzhou / lonely sails, distant shadows, disappear into the blue void / all I see is the Yangtze River flowing into the distant horizon.”
With these lines, about 1’300 years ago, the famous Chinese poet Li Bai bid farewell to a friend who was traveling to Yangzhou. The city was one of the most beautiful and prosperous places in ancient China, and Bai‘s lines are still so famous today that people visit the city in eastern China just because of them. But for Yafeng He, who came to Yangzhou in the summer of 2022 as quality assurance manager China and interim plant manager Yangzhou, it’s about much more than just visiting the area.
A new “Super Plant” had just been built in Yangzhou, with state-of-the-art production facilities and some of the most advanced energy-saving installations. Yafeng He‘s job is to get the production on track as early as possible. The plant is now GF Piping System’s largest and most efficient in Asia and will be able to supply GF customers in the Asia-Pacific region with a wide range of products, including a variety of PPH and PVC pipes and steel-reinforced plastic flanges. The factory is already in operation, and its capacity is to be gradually increased.
A tradition of growth
The previous location in Shanghai had witnessed the constant growth of GF’s largest division in China, but it had reached its limits over the course of a quarter of a century and has since ceased operations. The size of about 5,000 square meters, with eight extrusion lines, nine injection machines and a rented warehouse of 8,000 square meters was not sufficient to meet the growing demand. The Yangzhou plant is 31,800 square meters and with 15 extrusion lines and 30 injection machines has nearly doubled the old plant’s capacity. It also has a 24-meter-high warehouse with automated systems that reduce the physical workload of employees. This will enable it to handle the huge production capacity with the same number of people. “We are hiring more skilled workers and providing them with several months of training because they have to operate more machines. This helps build a workforce for the future,“ he says.
© Michael RyanYafeng He
Position: Quality Assurance Manager GFPS China and interim Plant Manager of the Yangzhou plant
Division: GF Piping Systems
Location: Yangzhou (China)
Joined GF in: 2011
“The Yangzhou plant is a true testament to GF‘s global commitment to sustainability.“
Yafeng He
Quality Assurance Manager GFPS China and interim Plant Manager of the Yangzhou plant
© Michael Ryan
© Michael Ryan‘Super’ in every respect
The plant fully embodies the GF Strategy 2025. With a new, advanced 2’000-square-meter prefabrication workshop including a 500-square-meter clean room, the plant can also produce more complex and customized products, such as fabricated PVDF units. These products are often used by semiconductor manufacturers and in the energy industry. “In Yangzhou, we can now also manufacture piping systems with diameters between 8mm to 400mm for industrial and commercial applications,“ proudly explains Yafeng. Previously, it was not possible to manufacture products in some diameters. “This will allow us to enter a higher value- added segment in China and differentiate ourselves from many local competitors,“ he says.
Equipped for the next decades
GF Piping Systems has applied for National Green Building Level 2 for both construction and operation. This is the highest rating for industrial buildings in China. For example, the air compressor heat recovery system uses air compression to heat the shower water, reducing energy consumption by up to 90%. The rainwater collection system also helps to reduce consumption. From toilet flushing to irrigation, 80% of the water used for these purposes can be saved, which is equivalent to 6’900 tons of water per year. Overall, the plant is expected to reduce its carbon footprint by more than 700 tons in 2022. “The Yangzhou plant is a true testament to GF’s global commitment to sustainability.“ says Yafeng.
Yafeng believes this positions the business unit well for the coming decades. “During the design process, we learned so much from our colleagues in Europe and the US,“ he says. “Seeing the plant improve throughout the process and ultimately be built before our eyes was a great experience.“
Further impressions:
© Michael Ryan
© Michael Ryan
© Michael Ryan