CAREL celebrates its first 10 years in China: success stories and new ideas

CAREL celebrates its first 10 years in China: success stories and new ideas

The CAREL subsidiary in Suzhou, China, opened in 2005, is this year celebrating its first 10 years of business. "We started from nothing, with just a couple of staff", commented Andrea Veneziani, current managing director. "Today we employ 273 people, have a manufacturing area of 4,000 sq.m, a hardware and software R&D centre with 45 people, and a thermodynamic research centre with the task of certifying compressor-inverter combinations".

The subsidiary was opened for the purpose of being closer to the needs of the Asian market, not only regarding sales, but also product development. Some of CAREL's solutions are in fact customized to respond to the needs of East Asian users, adding essential features for local applications. Over these last ten years, the subsidiary has expanded its operations with four commercial offices in Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing and Chengdu, which also provide technical support. Home offices in Shenzhen and Yantai have also been opened in order to be nearer to customers in such a vast country as China.

Despite the geographic distance and the cultural divide, the Suzhou subsidiary has taken on the same production processes, Lean methodology, investments in training and Research & Development and a focus on high-efficiency solutions as CAREL Headquarters: the distinctive features of CAREL style are equally present at the China site. It is the same method that is exported all over the world. This means having identical standards to comply with in different geographical contexts. Diversity thus becomes an asset and a stimulus, and not a barrier to development.

The tenth anniversary represents an opportunity to celebrate together with customers and suppliers an important milestone in the subsidiary's development. A key moment to both look back on its successes, and look to the future with new ideas and input for continual improvement.