Bosch Packaging Technology Hangzhou Plant, China

Bosch Packaging Technology's plant in Hangzhou is located in the Economic and Technological Development Zone in Zhejiang province, China. The plant is owned by Bosch Packaging Technology (Hangzhou), a Chinese subsidiary of the Germany-based packaging and process technology major.

The plant manufactures packaging machinery, 80% of which is sold in the Chinese market and the rest in Southeast Asia. It caters to the pharmaceutical, food and confectionary industries.

The plant covers 3,000m2 and employs nearly 390 workers. Producing 400 machines a year, it is the largest factory owned by Bosch in Asia.

Background of the Hangzhou plant

Bosch Packaging Technology (Hangzhou) was founded in 2001 with 14 employees. The assembly line was opened in January 2002 with the first machinery assembled for the pharmaceutical industry.

The production line began operations in June 2003; a sales, marketing and after-sales office was opened in September 2003. Production of packaging machinery for the confectionery industry began in 2005.

In October 2006, the factory was shifted to its current premises in the Hangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone to facilitate expansions.

Expansion plans for Bosch's Chinese plant

Bosch embarked on an expansion of the plant in May 2011. It will be opened in October, to coincide with ten years of the plant's operations and 125th anniversary of the Bosch Group.

The expansion will add a third floor to the building with 1,400m2 space. It will accommodate 120 new employees. The company has invested CNY9.6m (€1.1m) in the expansion.

So far, CNY87 million (€10m) has been invested in the expansion. The 2011 expansion is the second one since the facility has been shifted to the economic zone. The previous expansion was undertaken in 2010 at an investment of CNY8m (€927,000). It has doubled the shop floor area to 9,000m2.

The company is planning another expansion in 2012 to increase the shop floor by 5,000m2. It says there will be future expansions too.

Site of Bosch Packaging Technology's Hangzhou facility

The plant was shifted to the Hangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone from its previous location, to cater for the expanding production plans of the company. In addition to tax concessions, the site provides the advantage of proximity to the market.

The facility is strategically located near the pharmaceutical and food industry hubs which it caters to. The zone has five pillar industries: biology and pharmaceutical, food processing, machinery and electronics, high-tech chemistry, textiles and chemical fibre.
The zone is located on the banks of the Qiantang River and is 20km from Hangzhou city.

Plant details

Bosch's Hangzhou plant is a two-storey building, with the third being constructed under the 2011 expansion. It houses an R&D facility in addition to the machine manufacturing space.

Packaging systems and technology manufactured at the complex

The Hangzhou facility manufactures the complete production line for the pharmaceutical industry.

Its product line includes pure steam generators, water stills and autoclaves, capsule filling and closing machines and filling and sealing machines for vials and infusion bottles, along with presterilised syringes.

The GKF series capsule filling and closing machines were the first to be manufactured at the plant.

To the food industry it supplies food wrapper machines and fill-and-seal machines. The plant produces high capacity candy production lines, beaters, belt coaters, extruders, automatic forming machines for filled and unfilled high boiled sweets, flow packers and mini-bag form fill-and-seal machines for the confectionary industry.

Bosch Packaging in China

Bosch established its packaging machinery manufacturing business in China in April 2001. It claims to be the largest local supplier of packaging machinery in the country, with an annual growth rate of 15%.

Pharmaceutical machinery has always been its main area of business, with nearly 50% of the sales coming from this industry. Food and confectionary industries are the other two core areas.