Ningbo facility to produce machines with clamping forces of more than 1,600 tonnes

Ningbo facility to produce machines with clamping forces of more than 1,600 tonnes

Demag Ergotech has revealed more details of its plan to double production at its plants in China and India to 600 machines a year.

At Ningbo in China a production hall is already under construction to allow production of large machines with clamping forces of more than 1,600 tonnes, which is scheduled to start at the end of next year. Also, the three 50 to 150-tonne Dragon models will be joined by 200, 250 and 330-tonne machines.

Chief executive Helmar Franz said of the Chinese market: “There is a big demand for simple parts – it does not mean it is a bad plastics part. Low tech is not derogatory.”

Of the 140 machines sold in China in 1999, 60 were Demag Haitian machines sold to pure Haitian customers, 40 to joint Haitian/Demag Ergotech customers and 40 were machines made in Germany sold to purely Ergotech customers.

Demag expects to sell 500 machines in China in 2003, rising to 900 in 2007. At L&T Demag in Mumbai, India, the company said the Santosh machines in the clamping force range 40 to 500 tonnes would be harmonised with other machines made by the DPG group in the medium term.