The world’s leading manufacturer of fans and motors has inaugurated its new local headquarters in China. The 33,000 m² building complex brings together ebm‑papst’s previous four locations in Shanghai.
To ensure sustainable growth in the Chinese market and offer an attractive location, ebm‑papst commissioned the construction of a new local headquarters in 2021.
Previously, ebm‑papst China was spread across four locations in Shanghai. In addition to a headquarters with the administrative departments, there was a separate production plant and two external warehouses. In the new local headquarters “ONE Shanghai”, all locations are combined under one roof.
Thomas Nürnberger, CSO of the ebm‑papst Group and CEO Air Technology APAC & MEA, explains: “With the new headquarters, we have laid the foundation for the further expansion of our business in China. For years, the ebm‑papst Group has been pursuing the ‘local for local’ strategy to respond to customer needs and local market requirements in the best possible way, as well as to establish independent supply chains. The new location enables us to achieve efficient and agile collaboration between all employees and offers us an attractive working environment.”
The building was custom-built by the Shanghai Jingiao Group to meet the needs of the fan manufacturer. “ONE Shanghai” covers more than 33,000 m², consisting of a logistics center and a 4-storey building for production, research and development laboratories, offices, and a canteen. Around 900 employees work at “ONE Shanghai”.
The move to the new headquarters was carried out in stages to minimize the impact on the production of energy-efficient fans.
“We think globally and act locally – this is how we are continuously expanding our sites in the Asia-Pacific, Americas and Europe regions and focusing on local markets. In the Asia-Pacific region, we are currently investing in Singapore as well as China and further expanding our production capacities in India. Our ‘local for local’ strategy has three clear advantages for us: Customer proximity, independence in the supply chain and the reduction of emissions,” says Dr. Klaus Geißdörfer, CEO of the ebm‑papst Group.
The opening ceremony was attended by representatives from politics and industry, ebm‑papst shareholders and top management. The shareholders Jan Philippiak and Ralf Sturm welcome the local investment: “This is another milestone in the success story of the ebm‑papst Group and our long-standing commitment in China. We can reflect on almost 30 years of successful cooperation between our German and Chinese teams. With this investment, we are further expanding our innovation leadership and our long-term development in the Chinese market.”
In China, the company is also investing in the continuous expansion of its local development areas to be able to optimally adapt products and new developments to regionally varying market requirements. ebm‑papst China employs around 80 engineers at its own research and development center.
There are also plans to expand the production area at the Xi’an site.
ebm‑papst has been represented in China since 1996 and currently employs around 1,900 people at locations across China including Shanghai, Qingdao, Xi’an, Beijing and Hong Kong, with a turnover of around 380 million EUR (fiscal year 2022/2023). In China and the Asia-Pacific region, the cleanroom, renewable energy, and data center sectors are important markets for ebm‑papst.
