Autoneum has opened two new plants in China, in addition to the eight existing ones. The ninth Autoneum production facility was officially opened in Pinghu (Zhejiang Province) on 12 September in the presence of CEO Martin Hirzel. A further plant in the Northeastern city of Shenyang Tiexi (Liaoning Province) is already in the ramp-up phase. The series production of lightweight multifunctional components for noise and heat protection will start at both plants shortly.
The continued strong customer demand for lightweight components for acoustic and thermal management made it necessary to further expand Autoneum’s production capacities in China, the world’s largest automotive market. The company’s Asian production network has been enhanced with a 9,000 sq m plant in the city of Pinghu, located around 100 km Southwest of Shanghai, and a production facility in Shenyang Tiexi in the Northeast of the country.
Using state-of-the-art production processes, Autoneum Pinghu will manufacture underbody systems made of Ultra-Silent for European, US and Chinese customers. According to the company, these textile underbodies will be installed, among others, in various hybrid models and a fully electric vehicle of a new Chinese car manufacturer. When operating at full capacity, around 5.5 million underbody components made of Ultra-Silent will be produced in Pinghu each year and delivered just-in-time to the local production facilities of customers. With Ultra-Silent, Autoneum says it offers the lightest underbody systems for vehicles available on the market. Compared with equivalent components made of plastic they are up to 50% lighter, fully recyclable, reduce noise and, thanks to improved aerodynamics, help to reduce a vehicle’s fuel consumption and emissions.
