Dana Inc. yesterday inaugurated a facility in Yancheng, China, that will manufacture thermal-management products for conventional and new-energy vehicles.
Dana repurposed an 8,000-square-meter (86,000-square-foot) plant with an investment of CNY105 million ($16.7 million USD), making it the company’s 16th facility in China and its second in Yancheng.
Using automated production processes, advanced manufacturing data collection and analysis and other intelligent manufacturing practices, Dana’s new facility in Yancheng will manufacture thermal-acoustical protective shielding, including direct-insulation heat shields and battery cold plates used in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Once peak output is achieved, Dana anticipates producing a total of approximately 8 million units.
“China is the leading market in the world for electric vehicle production in a global market that doubled to more than 1 million vehicles in 2017,” said Dwayne Matthews, president of Dana Power Technologies. “As the market adoption of hybrid and electric vehicles in China continues to accelerate, Dana is poised to help our customers meet growing demand with local engineering resources, a complete portfolio of advanced technologies and production facilities located near final vehicle assembly locations.”
Dana Innovations for New Energy Vehicles
Reflecting the company’s strategic priority on developing vehicle solutions that promote sustainability, Dana offers a wide spectrum of thermal-management products for electric and hybrid vehicles, as well as Spicer Electrified e-Drive systems, including axles with fully integrated motor, inverter and control technologies.
“Dana’s growing portfolio of electric and hybrid technologies is ideally positioned to support the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s ‘Made in China 2025’ initiative,” said Antonio Valencia, senior vice president of China and Oceania for Dana. “We are appreciative of the strong support we have received from local government officials as we expand our presence in China with this new facility in Yancheng.”
Government authorities in China currently support the commercialization of new energy vehicles through subsidies for vehicle manufacturers and plans for a nationwide charging-station network. Officials in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology expect automakers to produce 7 million electric and hybrid vehicles annually by 2025.
Over three consecutive years, Dana was recognized by the China Decision Makers Consultancy for its electric and hybrid vehicle solutions. In 2017, Dana was named the “Outstanding Power Electronics Solution Provider of the Year,” while earning the “Best Battery Solution Provider of the Year” award in 2015 and 2016. In addition, Dana’s two-sided chip cooling technology was a 2016 Automotive News PACE Award finalist.
Dana serves numerous light vehicle manufacturers in China, including BMW, Daimler, Ford, VW Group, Nissan, Great Wall, Geely, Volvo, SAIC, SAIC-GM, FAW, Chery and Foton. The company currently has approximately 6,500 employees in China through both its wholly owned and joint venture operations.
