Where Innovation Meets Imagination
GreenMart, an unmanned supermarket established by the strategic partnership between Panasonic and the Greentown Group, has opened at Hangzhou Panasonic Industrial Park.
‘GreenMart plus’ is the first unmanned general shop to have opened in Hangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone.
The shop sells about 500 kinds of foods and includes a Light Kitchen experience zone, complete with a line of Panasonic products, such as steam ovens, induction heaters, and dishwashers.
Magna is to form two new joint ventures with Beijing Electric Vehicle Co. Ltd (BJEV) for complete vehicle manufacturing as well as engineering of electric vehicles.
BJEV, a subsidiary of the BAIC Group for electric cars, and Magna, a global automotive supplier and the world’s leading brand-independent vehicle contract manufacturer, have signed term sheets for the new joint ventures.
Over the coming months, Magna and BJEV will work with authorities to implement legally binding joint-venture agreements which will govern the operations of these two joint ventures.
Apple claims its company runs on 100 percent clean energy, and now, the tech giant has agreed a partnership with 10 suppliers to jointly invest in climate change solutions in China.
Apple says this is a “new, first-of-its-kind investment fund in China” to connect suppliers with renewable energy sources.
The company says that, as part of its “commitment to address climate change and increase the use of renewable energy” within its supply chain, 10 initial suppliers and Apple will jointly invest nearly $300 million over the next four years into the China Clean Energy Fund. [Read more…] about Apple launches new $300 million clean energy fund in China
The BMW Group and the Chinese manufacturer Great Wall Motor have signed an agreement to produce Mini electric vehicles through a new 50:50 joint venture based in China.
During a recent event for autonomous and connected driving attended by China’s Premier Li Keqiang and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, the BMW Group and Great Wall Motor committed to founding a new joint venture, “Spotlight Automotive Limited”, for the development and production of electric vehicles in China.
As well as Mini electric vehicles, the joint venture will also produce electric vehicles for Great Wall Motor. [Read more…] about BMW and Great Wall Motor establish joint venture to build Mini electric vehicles in China
The industrial robotics and automation sector is continuing to grow fast in China.
The latest report to confirm this trend comes from the communist Chinese government propaganda outlet Xhinua.
China has been the world’s biggest buyer of industrial robots for several years now. [Read more…] about Sales and production of industrial robots in China continues to grow apace
Chinese companies bought a record number of robots in 2017, according to the country’s main robotics association, as reported on the Sputnik website.
Sputnik, which is a media outlet of the formerly communist country of Russia, says China purchased 141,000 industrial robots in 2017, which is an increase of 58 per cent compared with 2016.
Foreign industrial robot makers accounted for nearly three-quarters of the sales figure, but an increasing number of Chinese robot makers are emerging. [Read more…] about Record sales of industrial robots in China reported
JOT Automation has sold its capital stock sold to Victory Precision. The companies say this is a sign of their further development heading towards globalization, and prepares for the next “quantum leap”.
Suzhou Victory Precision Manufacture Company, headquartered in Suzhou, China, purchased the entire capital stock of JOT Automation, with Finnish family company Head Invest as the main seller.
According to Petri Halonen, JOT Automation CEO, the additional engineering and production resources provided by Victory Precision will significantly help JOT to pursue the opportunities of the fast-developing market and modern technologies. [Read more…] about JOT Automation’s capital stock sold to Victory Precision
It could be time for international carmakers to consider changing partners in China. While the Chinese government has encouraged partnerships in the hope that local companies will learn and become global, new electric and autonomous technologies seem to offer better opportunities. Article by Edward Tse, Gao Feng Advisory
On April 17th China’s National Development and Reform Commission announced the elimination of foreign equity restrictions on special-purpose vehicles and new energy vehicles in 2018, on commercial vehicles in 2020 and on passenger vehicles in 2022.
In addition to the opportunity to own their own manufacturing ventures, foreign automakers are no longer restricted to having only two joint ventures in China.
The 50:50 joint venture equity rule dates back to 1994. The government hoped a domestic industry would emerge whereby the Chinese domestic companies would learn from their partners and eventually emerge as successful global automakers in their own right. [Read more…] about Opinion: Chinese automakers are better off innovating in electric and autonomous technology
A huge amount has been written already about the so-called Belt and Road initiative or project, but it looks like this is just the beginning.
On the face of it, the Belt and Road refers to a plan to create a logistics network that brings together Europe and Asia with road, rail, and sea routes.
It’s an idea China came up with, and its leaders have made enthusiastic pronouncements about it, even though the project will cost an estimated $1 trillion over the next decade or two. But it’s an open-ended, complex project, so such estimates could just be Communist Chinese propaganda. [Read more…] about Belt & Road: Much more than a revival of the ancient Silk Road
Siemens has entered into more than 10 agreements with Chinese partners relating to opportunities arising from the Belt and Road Initiative, which is a plan to build a giant transport network linking Asia to Europe.
A recent conference called the Belt and Road International Summit, held by Siemens, brought together more than 1,000 leaders and executive representatives from governments, enterprises, investors, financing institutions and think tanks from more than 30 countries and regions. [Read more…] about Belt and Road: Siemens partners with Chinese companies on giant Eurasian transportation network
