20 years of EBNER China

/ HICON JOURNAL 2023-01 EN

EBNER.blog | Jiasheng Wang, EBNER

20 years of EBNER China.

Looking back at a successful past and looking forward to an exciting future.

In 2001, following China’s admission to the WTO, EBNER decided to invest in China in anticipation of the development of the Chinese market.

On August 22, 2001 the head of the development zone received our business license from the Industrial and Commercial Bureau and personally delivered it to the temporary office we had rented in the Xiangtang Building on Chaoyang Road, Taicang City. That was the start of EBNER China.

Since then, EBNER Taicang has grown to incorporate five companies: EBNER Industrial Furnaces, EBNER Trading, EED Industrial Furnaces, Gautschi Industrial Equipment and Hazelett Trading. The location employs nearly 250 people, who represent six well-known brands of industrial furnaces used for the heat treatment of metals

At present, EBNER China’s plant in Taicang, located at Beijing East Road 82, covers an area of 66,600 square meters and includes buildings with an area of 40,000 square meters. Of the 250 employees, around 2/3 are technicians and engineers, of whom around 60 % have over 10 years of experience with EBNER.

Highlights of the last 20 years of EBNER China’s history include:

2003

Our first manufacturing order came from overseas - a bell annealer furnace (BAF) was fabricated and exported to Japan. Another milestone was met in this year: a bell annealer project with a private company located in Wu Xi, Xi Cheng Steel, was acquired. This was the first project which EBNER China participated in the bidding process.

2004

In 2004, we completed the first phase of the construction of the Chaoyang Road factory, and started production in our own workshop.

2005

EBNER Trading Company was established in November 2005 to simplify the importing and exporting of goods.

2006

From 2002 to 2008, the company had a significant share of the Chinese market, with EBNER holding two-thirds of the domestic market. In 2006, our domestic order volume rose to 127 bell annealers.

2007

In 2007, the company started with a second brand, which later became EED, to develop the mid-range market in China.

2009

City expansion and new planning in the spring of 2009 led to the project to relocate the factory to Taicang with the support of the government.

2011

In early 2011, EED was founded in Wuhan.

2012

At the end of 2011, the company moved to the new Beijing Road plant in Taicang and celebrated its 10th anniversary on September 28, 2012. 2012 saw the peak of EBNER China's production and volume of operations with the Tianjin Zhongwang project. This was the largest single project ever for aluminum strip processing, not just in China but in the world. EBNER China provided all melting and holding furnaces, pusher furnaces, roller-hearth furnaces, aging furnaces and continuous floater (air cushion) furnace facilities, thus establishing EBNER as the dominant supplier of industrial furnaces for aluminum strip processing globally.

2017

After several difficult years, EED was successfully established as another EBNER brand in China and in 2017 EED also relocated to Taicang. EED has a good technical team and has gained a number of solid customers in the domestic industry. Notably, it has brought a stable manufacturing workload to EBNER Taicang and has contributed significantly to the company’s success in China.

2022

20 years of EBNER China

NEW STRATEGIC GOALS

During the last 20 years EBNER China has been confronted with several challenges such as the SARS crisis in 2003, the global financial crisis in 2008, the US-China trade war starting in 2018 and the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in 2020. The last crisis resulted in an increased atmosphere of anti-globalization sentiment, making it necessary to adjust our business strategy.

In line with this new strategy, we have been focusing our efforts on developing and cultivating our own products that are suitable for the Chinese market, such as press hardening furnaces (PH), while at the same time striving to maintain the export market.

For a long time, our core business mainly comprised the production of complete sets of equipment, as directed by the headquarters in Leonding, Austria. However, press hardening furnaces for the Chinese automotive industry became an exception. Due to market demands, press hardening furnace projects are run completely by EBNER China, including product marketing, design, manufacturing, installation, commissioning and start-up, as well as improvement, adaptation and development.

Our success is evident, as we have sold 23 press hardening furnaces to date, covering about half of EBNER China’s manufacturing volume. We have decided to make BAF furnaces and FAST continuous annealing furnaces the next products we produce independently, and are investing considerable resources into developing these products, optimizing the cost structure and developing the market ourselves.

The 20 years of EBNER China are a testament to enduring effort and a dedication to a long-term approach. At the same time, EBNER China is able to recognize and actively react to change, responds to trends, is consistently innovative and is constantly striving to provide exceptional service to our market sector.

“On the occasion of our 20th anniversary, I would like to express my thanks and appreciation to all the people with whom I have enjoyed two decades of successful teamwork. I look forward to the next 20 years of success! – Jiasheng Wang (Managing Director, EBNER Taicang)

EBNER press hardening furnace