The China Trip of Ralf Kannefass, CSO & Executive Director of KSB Group

Beijing

On April 25, 2023, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the cooperation between the KSB Group and China National Nuclear Corporation, and to mark the start of a new chapter of cooperation with the RCP supply of Sanmen 5&6, an event titled "40 Years of Weathering the Storm, a New Chapter of Win-Win Cooperation - Celebrating 40 Years of Cooperation between the KSB Group and China National Nuclear Corporation" was held at the foot of Xiangshan in Beijing.

The event was attended not only by the relevant leaders of the KSB Group and Shanghai Electric, but also representatives from various design institutes and government experts in related professional fields. At the beginning of the event, the participating leaders delivered passionate speeches, reviewing the history, envisioning the future, and planning for further cooperation and development.

Finally, under the witness of the leaders and experts present, Chen Xueying, Deputy General Manager of China National Nuclear Corporation, and Zhu Xiangdong, General Manager of SEC-KSB Nuclear Pumps & Valves Co., Ltd., signed the RCP supply contract for Sanmen 5&6, marking the start of a new chapter of cooperation between the two parties.

Tianjin

On April 27, Mr. Kannefass visited the KSB Pump & Valve Technology Service (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., which is located in the Wuqing Development Zone in Tianjin, and has been in operation for many years, with a turnover of 800 million RMB and a total tax contribution of nearly 55 million RMB. This year, two new production lines will be put into use, making the company a benchmark for intelligent manufacturing in the Wuqing District.

The successful cooperation is the result of the "mutual pursuit" between the government and the enterprise. This year, the company's two new production lines in the Wuqing Development Zone will focus on automated machinery and intelligent product manufacturing. Since the proposal of the company's digitalization development strategy, we have added more and more digital services and digital products. In the future, KSB will also continue to explore and further optimize and upgrade to bring customers a better experience and make them truly enjoy KSB's "SupremeServ".

Finally, Mr. Kannefass also participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new premises of the KSB Tianjin Company's Tianjin Service Center, and expressed his gratitude to the relevant departments of the Wuqing Development Zone for their strong support for the KSB Tianjin Company, and expressed his full confidence in the company's continued efforts to write a new chapter of high-quality development in the manufacturing industry.

Shanghai

On April 27, 2023, KSB Pumps (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and Wison (Nantong) Heavy Industry held a centrifugal pumps of F445-Marine XII Offshore FLNG signing ceremony, and the leaders of both parties expressed high attention and support for the signing of this contract, which will also become a landmark project for KSB in the global petrochemical business.

The project has an annual FLNG production capacity of 2.4 million tons, a length of 380 meters, a width of 60 meters, a depth of 35 meters, and a total weight of the upper modules of over 40,000 tons, using an underwater soft steel arm system for fixation, and is expected to achieve LNG production in the early second quarter of 2026. According to global statistics, the EPCI contract value of global floating liquefied natural gas facilities (FLNG) is expected to reach $35 billion by the end of 2027, highlighting the role of the global floating liquefied natural gas industry in the transition to a low-carbon future.

Mr. Ralf Kannefass first warmly welcomed and sincerely thanked the visiting delegation from WIsion, and reviewed and looked forward to the cooperation between the two parties. This signing marks the beginning of a new chapter in the cooperation between the two parties. Mr. Bernd Hoffmann, Global Petrochemicals President of KSB group, stated in his speech that this signing has pointed the way for long-term cooperation between the two parties, giving them a broader scope, areas, and prospects for cooperation. Mr. He Jun, Executive President of KSB North Asia, stated during the signing that KSB will further promote its leading advantages in digitalization, improve its digital products, markets and services, and allow customers to experience the German quality of KSB, the speed of Chinese manufacturing, and the service system of Shanghai.

The successful signing of this project contract is both an affirmation of Huishan's past cooperation with KSB and a common vision for the future cooperation direction of the two companies. The two parties will deepen their cooperation model on the basis of good cooperation and work together!

Afterwards on the 28th, Mr. Kannefass participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for “KSB Chemical Pump Capacity Expansion Project” in Shanghai, which is one of the largest single investments in the history of KSB's Shanghai company, representing KSB's efforts to build a green, digitalized, and fully integrated chemical process pump factory, continuing to provide better products and services to local and international customers.

This visit by Mr. Kannefass fully demonstrates the importance KSB's headquarters attaches to the Chinese market and its recognition of the achievements made in the Chinese market. Mr. Kannefass not only had extensive exchanges and discussions with the management, but also met with some key partners of the Chinese local companies, working together to expand the market, promote the development of "digitalization" and innovation for KSB. At the same time, the KSB headquarters in Germany will further strengthen its cooperation with Chinese brunch to jointly advance the future progress of KSB!