December 5 - A joint venture between Chinese automobile manufacturer Dongfeng Motor Group and German trailer manufacturer, Schmitz Cargobull, has broken-ground on a new USD136 million trailer manufacturing plant in Wuhan, China.
The 30,000 sq m production facility will be built on a 150,000 sq m site in Wuhan and, when completed, will have an annual capacity of up to 40,000 semi-trailers.
The first semi-trailers will roll-off the line during the second half of 2014. 2,500 trailers are planned for the first year of production, and the annual production rate will increase to 20,000 semi-trailers over the course of the following three years.
The new semi-trailer configuration has been specially designed for the Chinese market, said Andreas Schmitz, member of the board of Schmitz Cargobull AG and ceo of the joint venture: "The use on unsealed roads is a day-to-day occurrence in China. Despite the regulations, overloading is a common occurrence. That is why the trailers have to be especially robust."
Dongfeng Motor Group will handle trailer sales, customer service and other services through its extensive Chinese network; Schmitz Cargobull will take the lead in terms of design and production.
Managers from Dongfeng and Schmitz Cargobull lay the foundation stone at the site of the new trailer plant.
