Thanks to the universal design of the space, the sensor and automation provider is flexible in terms of which product lines and products are manufactured here in the future. The new premises were opened on July 7. Balluff has invested a total of 50 million RMB (approximately 6.5 million euros) in the project and is creating 300 new jobs.

When planning the new building, it was important to Balluff to ensure a holistic appearance of the entire site and the global Balluff standards for optimal working conditions. For this reason, the existing building complex was also modernized. Particular attention was paid to sustainable solutions that are energy-efficient, especially in the technical infrastructure. Balluff placed a particular focus on the logistics area in the construction project: The previous and new production areas are connected to ensure short internal transportation routes. The introduction of a digital assistance system will make the processes in the high-bay warehouse smarter and faster.

Balluff creates 300 new jobs in Chengdu

© Balluff

The first service branch was established in Shanghai in 1994 and the first sensors were manufactured in Chengdu from 1996 with the help of an external partner. Balluff finally founded a subsidiary in Chengdu in 2004 and opened its own plant three years later. "This was pioneering work. That was the first German production company here at the time," says Frank Nonnenmann, who as Managing Director at Balluff is responsible for setting up the global production and logistics network. With the new building, Balluff is committing itself to its China strategy: "In the long term, China is the world's largest market for production automation with a demand that we believe will continue to grow steadily for a long time to come. In such a market, we must and want to be present with our philosophy of literal customer proximity," explains Nonnenmann. The Managing Director of Balluff Sensors (Chengdu) is Erik Oortwijn.

The plant in Chengdu is one of Balluff's three major production sites alongside the two plants in Veszprém (Hungary) and Aguascalientes (Mexico). In western China alone, the company manufactures more than 3,700,000 inductive and mechanical sensors per year, as well as linear position measuring systems for industrial automation and other products. In the production and logistics network, Chengdu assumes the role of regional supplier for the APAC region and lead factory for inductive sensors.