Editor's note:

The first China International Import Expo will kick off in Shanghai on Nov. 5. It is not just another expo in an ordinary sense, but a major policy initiative and commitment taken of our own accord to open up the Chinese market.

Reform and opening-up policies have pushed China to become a “world factory”, and “Made in China” has greatly benefited consumers around the world. The Chinese market has created a huge space for global economic development and provided a strong impetus for world economic growth.

This unusual expo has also attracted unusual exhibitors. As of now, the registration for the enterprise exhibition of the first CIIE has been completed with the results far beyond expectation. These companies will present the world’s cutting-edge innovative technologies and quality brand products to Chinese consumers. The program, CIIE Now · Dialogue with Executives, hopes to glimpse expo highlights through the conversations with executives from these exhibitors.

Today’s guest:

Ronde, CEO of EMAG (China) Machinery Co., Ltd.

EMAG: We can go further from product communication to trade exchange

Headquartered in Germany, EMAG Group is the third largest manufacturer of high-end numerically-controlled machine tools in Europe and enjoys a history of 150 years. With over 200 international patent programs, it is recognized as a pioneer of leading techniques and quality.

As a well-known manufacturer of inverted vertical machine tools, EMAG is the “hidden champion” in the machine tool industry in Germany. Its products are mainly found in industries such as automobile manufacturing and its associated sectors, machine manufacturing, aerospace, renewable energy, electricity, and oil.

Q: What is the expectation of EMAG for the China International Import Expo?

A: EMAG is a company of globalization, and we have been investing and developing business in China for many years. In addition to presenting high-grade, precision and advanced products like equipment and intelligent machine tools in exhibitions, we also focus on the cooperation and expansion of international trade. Through the import expo, we hope to deepen international cooperation, especially trade exchanges between China and Germany.

Q: What will EMAG do to reflect the intelligence, digitalization, and network-based features of its products at this import expo?

A: For this expo, we not only aim to showcase our machine tools but also to let Chinese customers see our intelligence solutions. EMAG is positioned to be a solution provider, more than a pure manufacturer of machine tools. That is to say, if customers ask us to process any part, we will provide efficient, reliable, and professional technical proposal.

We also showcase our machine tools since they are an essential carrier of the related solutions. In the production process, many links are about production and manufacturing, such as labor and equipment.

So through the import expo, we hope to help visitors understand how to realize the ideal combination of machine tools and solutions, which is consistent with the transformation and upgrading of China's manufacturing industry and the concept of “industry 4.0” in Germany and Europe. Our theme for the exhibition is “Intelligent Manufacturing”.

Q: What challenges has EMAG met since it entered the Chinese market? And how did it cope with?

A: Asian countries are developing their industries in a fast way and intensifying the modernization of enterprises, thus enlarging the demands for mechanical products. Among them, China has become the largest single market for the mechanical industry of Germany.

With the transforming and upgrading of the automobile enterprises of China, EMAG, as a supplier, is facing significant challenges in transforming from “batch production” to “lean production”.

We designed a brand new lean production process at the beginning of building our processing plant in Changzhou, Jiangsu. Currently, the entire production, assembly, and operation processes of the factory can adequately meet the requirements of lean production. We believe that Chinese plant will be the best manufacturing plant for us in the future.