Product category:
Manufacturing dealerships, agencies and acquisitions
News Release from: Keronite
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 28 April 2006
Surface treatment production to start in
China
Innovative surface treatment technology company, Keronite International, with strategic business partner, ShanHsin Chemical Co is preparing to start volume production in China.
Leader in innovative surface treatment technology, Keronite International of Cambridge, UK, is preparing to start volume production in China Together with strategic business partner, ShanHsin Chemical Co, Keronite has selected KunShan in JiangSu province as the location for its first surface treatment facility in China
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 20 Mar 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Electrolytic surface preparation is ISO approved
Keronite International has achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification for the application of advanced surface treatments using the Keronite Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation process.
Plasma process decreases magnesium corrosion
Plasma electrolytic oxidation process gives magnesium alloys as much as 1,000 hours of corrosion resistance in the extreme environment of a salt spray test.
ShanHsin Chemical was established in 1950 in Taiwan and has over five decades of valuable experience in technical cooperation and general trading with a number of well-known Western multinationals.
In 1993, ShanHsin Chemical (KunShan) Co was set up specifically for the production of high quality, environmentally-friendly chemicals for the surface treatment industry.
Today, the company is known not only for the import and distribution of chemicals in China and Taiwan, but also for its wide range of surface treatment services for both metals and plastics.
Further reading
Magnesium to grow in manufactured products
The market for cast magnesium components has been growing at around 15% p a in recent years and forecasts for the next decade - especially from the automotive industry - are even more bullish.
Process hardens and protects magnesium, aluminium
Surface treatment process is building quite a reputation as the preferred treatment for magnesium and aluminium alloys, providing the hardest and most corrosion resistant surfaces.
Surface treatment toughens non-ferrous metals
Patented surface treatment technology allows automotive companies to use lighter metals to reduce vehicle weight, thereby saving fuel and decreasing emissions.
ShanHsin also has a sales office in Guangdong and already employs around 300 people in the China market.
Established in 2000, Keronite has developed a unique form of Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO), a chrome-free process which transforms the surface of light alloys such as aluminium and magnesium into a dense, hard ceramic with outstanding resistance to corrosion and wear.
Working hand in hand with a growing number of blue chip companies around the world, Keronite exploits its technology in the development of new applications for light alloys where conventional coating techniques have failed to meet customer requirements.
It has been successful across a variety of industries ranging from automotive and aerospace to electronics, oil and gas, textile machinery, tooling and moulding, architecture and consumer products.
Early in 2005, Keronite set up a representative office in Shanghai and soon afterwards, formed a partnership with ShanHsin.
The unique Keronite technology fits perfectly with ShanHsin's strategy for China: it is not only a very green and sustainable process, but is at the very forefront of technology, offering hi-tech innovative solutions to a variety of industries.
The two companies immediately started working together to explore the enormous potential for the unique Keronite technology in eastern China.
The partners found rapid success, developing sales in JiangSu, Zojiang and Fuchen provinces, and in November last year, the first Keronite production line was installed.
Commissioning was completed in February 2006 and a number of professional operators were trained on site by a team of scientists from Cambridge, UK.
Jimmy Chien, manager of ShanHsin's Foreign Trade Department is delighted with the progress.
"All is going according to plan and we expect to see the first mass production of Keronite coatings in China very soon.
Both partners appreciate that it will take time to convert wider sectors of the market to such ground-breaking technology, but we firmly believe that this can be achieved if we work together in the spirit of close cooperation and mutual support." General manager of Keronite in China, Connie Chenu, firmly believes that the new facility will provide the impetus for many more companies to make the switch to Keronite.
"Production in China is essential if we are to deliver our services quickly and cost-effectively.
Local companies are becoming more and more demanding but the professionalism of our partners at ShanHsin combined with the infrastructure and state-of-the-art facilities provided by the KunShan Economic and Technological Development Zone (KETD) give us every confidence that we will satisfy our customers time after time.
This will quickly give us a world-class reputation upon which we can build a strong future for Keronite in China." The idea of working in partnership with others is fundamental to the Keronite business model.
The company already has partners operating its process across Western Europe, the US and other parts of East Asia.
To further strengthen its position, Keronite has formed global alliances with companies throughout the light metal supply chain.
These range from global casting companies such as Meridian, Timminco and Thixomat to suppliers of metal finishing processes such as Powdertech in the UK and Gramm Oberflaechentechnik in Germany.
This growing network has real expertise in delivering cost-effective system solutions for high quality, high volume production of light metal components.
Keronite CEO, Lars Olrik, is thrilled that everything has got off to such a good start with ShanHsin.
"The growth in demand from the domestic market alone is exciting, but add to that the strengthening position of China as a world leader in light alloy production and component manufacturing, and the potential for our unique enabling technology is quite staggering.
We are looking forward to working very closely with our partners in KunShan over the coming months, monitoring developments in the market place and ensuring that we are well-placed to respond quickly to our growing list of customers in China.".
• Keronite: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
