SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2008 Germany S3 Sponsored section in co-operation with Discovery Reports Chinese shipyards ELG brings an innovative build ultra-modern recycling tradition to China vessels for carrier Ranked No 1worldwide in the niche and told the workers that in the next 10 Reports by Pamela Sun, reduces the need to mine nickel to make market of heavy-lift ships, years they would build at least 30 ships Michelle Titus, Elizabeth Denworth stainless steel.” Germany’s Beluga Shipping began for Beluga which will make them very and Veena Padmanabhan Stainless steel preserves its basic building ultra-modern vessels in China in famous around the world. It’s important to properties and values at each stage of 1997. The company operates 54 convince people in order to win their he need to protect the production and consumption. Recycling multipurpose heavy lift project carriers trust.” environment and the earth’s actually restores stainless steel to its that transport large modules often Mr Stolberg believes that reinvesting dwindling natural resources has original quality without any degradation. weighing more than 200 to 400 tonnes his company’s profits to build new ships made stainless steel one of the “Stainless steel has a long service life including power plant equipment, and train personnel are key factors for world’s most recycled materials and contains valuable raw materials windmills and cement-coated pipes for future growth: “Through motivation you –T even more than paper and glass. which are 100 per cent recyclable,” Mr multinationals such as Alstom, GE, raise productivity.” Germany’s ELG is at the forefront of Späker said. “Our specialised expertise Siemens and Vestas. Beluga is the biggest apprentice recycling materials for the stainless steel and advanced technology recover and Beluga plans to increase its fleet to shipping company in Germany. It industry. ELG is part of the international prepare the alloys for remelting.” 75 ships by 2011and is working in designates six vessels with extra Haniel Group, one of the largest privately- Stainless steel production worldwide partnership with shipyards in Jiangzhou, equipment for training as well as a whole owned companies in Germany with a has grown rapidly in the past two Qingshan and Jiangdong to construct fleet of special vessels for this purpose. It tradition of more than 250 years in the centuries. Production was 10 million in next-generation vessels fitted with also works closely with the University of steel industry. 1990 and had reached around 30 million in adjustable ’tween decks and high- Applied Sciences of in designing ELG has the industry’s most extensive 2007. The industry has been growing at an performance cranes that carry greater a shipping and chartering course for networks in close proximity to its 4,000 average of 5 to 8 per cent annually, thanks tonnage while consuming less fuel. potential employees of Beluga’s suppliers and more than 50 customers to demand from China which has evolved The recently launched MV Beluga chartering department. “It is important to worldwide. Stainless steel scrap is from being a net importer of stainless SkySails is the first ship of its kind to use cultivate a ‘Beluga mentality’ and to collected, analysed and fragmentised in A freight ship is loaded with scrap metal. ELG sees great potential in scrap processing in China. steel to the world’s largest producer. a revolutionary towing-kite propulsion develop professionalism.” one of 37 ELG yards located in 17 countries Growing demand from the mainland has system which uses offshore wind power Beluga’s state-of-the-art vessels in Europe, the United States, Asia and Thailand and China since 1999. ELG sees professionally processed by ELG and sold structural alloys in the aerospace, pushed up global nickel and chrome to cut fuel consumption by 10 to 20 per serve the booming trade between Asia Australia. great potential in scrap processing in as secondary raw materials like chrome- automotive, construction, energy and prices. cent and reduce emissions. and Africa where Asian companies have “There are many recycling companies China and wants to become a high quality cobalt alloy, carbide metal, cobalt, nickel- shipping sectors. “By this year China will produce Beluga’s locations in 11strategic been successfully installing power around the world but only few of them scrap recycler for the domestic stainless copper, molybdenum, nickel alloy, nickel, ELG handles a volume of 1.6 million almost 9 million tonnes of stainless steel. cities including , and its infrastructure. Its E3 Ice class ship produce on an international scale like us. steel industry. niobium, tantalum, titanium, vanadium, tonnes of stainless steel scrap per year The country is importing raw materials like Bremen headquarters have been key to equipped with the highest capability in ELG has grown in the handling of stainless ELG has been serving China’s biggest tool steel and tungsten. which contains approximately 130,000 nickel which is expensive and the company’s success since its ice breaking are ideal for the northwest steel scrap from 600,000 tonnes in 1992 up steel producers Baosteel, Lianzhong Iron Stainless steel is largely composed of tonnes of nickel units. unsustainable. Even the price of chrome establishment in 1995. “With such a big passage to Japan as it shortens travel to 1.6 million tonnes today, with an annual & Steel (LISCO), Taiyuan Iron & Steel iron, 8 per cent nickel and 18 per cent “We are number four in the world in has gone up from US$0.28 in 2001to more fleet it is necessary to have an extensive time by 35 per cent. turnover exceeding US$5 billion and (TISCO) and Jiuquan Iron and Steel chromium which give the metal its anti- terms of nickel production,” Mr Späker than US$1in 2007. So China needs to global network and localised markets,” “Beluga invests in growing markets at around a thousand employees,” said ELG (JISCO) through its Shanghai rust and corrosion-resistant qualities. It is said. “Our scrap already contains the secure raw materials for future said Niels Stolberg, the charismatic an early stage. It is necessary to find chairman Norbert Späker. representative office established in 2001. used for a host of commercial and exact analysis of chrome, nickel and iron production. We provide cheaper, high- founder and chief executive of Beluga partners worldwide and develop good Asia accounts for 34 per cent of ELG’s The company purchases different industrial applications such as cookware, needed by the mills to produce stainless quality alternatives,” Mr Späker said. who has a knack for inspiring people. relationships in order to have mutual exports. It has supplied scrap products to types of stainless steel scrap, ferro-alloys cutlery, hardware, surgical instruments, steel. So our process of recycling is more ELG is also seeking partners for future “I went to the Jiangdong shipyard success,” Mr Stolberg said. steel mills in Japan, South Korea, India, and special alloys which are jewellery, industrial equipment, and as economically viable, energy-efficient and expansion in China. Loba remains on top of developments Environmentally-safe products are high-quality products for the preservation Twenty per cent of Loba’s employees in Xian since 2001. The company has also gaining importance in China’s of parquet and hardwood floors in work on developing cutting-edge been working with distribution partners construction sector. Germany’s Loba has Germany in 1995. It transformed the solutions from Ditzingen near Stuttgart in Shanghai, Beijing and Xian and plans supplied the mainland environmentally market with the breakthrough two- where new products undergo rigid to expand distribution nationwide. It friendly water-based solutions for component water-based varnish. Loba abrasion, scratching and staining supports distributors with technical surface treatment of hardwood floors to promotes a widely diversified line of resistance tests. expertise, training and seminars, the Four Seasons Hotel in Shanghai, the water-based floor-finishing products that Loba launched a revolutionary marketing, logistics and participation in Olympic 2008 Laoshan velodrome, suit a variety of wood species worldwide. system which reduces the application trade shows. Shanghai Luwan Gymnasium, and the “We are fully-focused on bringing period from three days to one day at this “There are many property projects Beijing University of Technology to the market,” managing year’s Domotex floor exhibition in under construction in China, but Gymnasium – the badminton and director Michael Fischer said. “We give a Hannover and Shanghai. renovation of old wood floors will be the rhythmic gymnastics venue for the 2008 complete package of premium primers Loba opened a representative office market in the future,” said China country Olympics. and top finishes including treatment, care in Pudong and a bonded warehouse in manager Rahel Baumgärtner. The Loba has been a technology leader and maintenance of hardwood and cork Shanghai in 2005. It has been providing mainland is Loba’s third biggest export Michael Fischer, managing director and pioneer since 1922. It introduced floors.” water-based finishes for cork tiles made market. Niels Stolberg says it is necessary to find partners worldwide. Dörken seeks China springboard into Asia

About six years since it made a processability. We have to make sure breakthrough in Shanghai as the only that each customer buys the right approved source of fasteners for coating equipment and the right quality Volkswagen, Dörken sees the country management systems,” Dr Reusmann as the takeoff point for its expansion in said. Asia. Dörken enjoys 80 per cent of sales in “We are a specified market leader in the automotive industry and counts on the German car industry and this car giants such as Volkswagen, FAW, automatically means a good reference Bosch, Audi, MAN, Tata and BMW as for us in Asia. We plan to expand in the trusted partners. It is optimistic about north and south of China as the capturing a bigger chunk of the Asian automotive industry demands,” said region, with expected growth in Asia-Pacific head of business turnover placed at 20 to 25 per cent in development, Hans-Jörg Minas. the next three to five years. For 25 years and with professional As part of its aggressive stance, experience from four generations as a plans are underway for Dörken to build family business, Dörken has set the a modern technology centre for global industry benchmark in the We are a specified simulation and testing of new products production and configuration of in Shanghai. It will serve as the extremely effective surface protection market leader in the landmark to train Asian coating with its DELTA-MKS systems for the German car industry companies to supply to American automotive, electrical, construction and automotive industry standards. aviation sectors. Hans-Jörg Minas To lessen product costs while “Automotive suppliers don’t scrimp Asia-Pacific head of maintaining optimum quality, Dörken when it comes to quality, they all take business development also invests a significant amount to the highest quality level and we are the continuing research and development. market leader in this respect. We are Concrete proof of Dörken’s veritable the only company in the field that can The company dedicates itself to high achievements and non-stop growth in guarantee high performance corrosion, quality and environmentally- Asia in recent years include the opening microlayer protection and correct friendly chromium 6-free products. of a subsidiary in Shanghai in 2006 in friction value of the coating for the car “Our coatings are highly technical. addition to offices in India, Taiwan and industry,” Dörken general manager We combine corrosion protection with South Korea. It also expanded Gerhard Reusmann said. chemical resistance, colours and operations in Japan last year. German machining company Chiron-Werke ‘seconds ahead’

No other global machining company has solutions,” said sales director Gerhard beaten Chiron-Werke in terms of fast Böhm. component output – whether small, Dr Winkler said: “Machining centres medium or large volume production for ‘Made by Chiron’ are the first choice in all the automotive, surgical parts, metalworking trades for companies aerospace, watch or jewellery industry. looking for high-quality machining. We “We like to be the fastest in any are in a market niche, doing vertical CNC respect – fast service, fast engineering controlled machining centres only.” support and so forth. We put our clients Next to Europe, Chiron considers in a situation where they are seconds China an increasingly significant market ahead of their competitors,” said the in Asia. It entered the mainland 15 years company’s president Hans-Henning ago and established Chiron China in Winkler. Beijing and Shanghai in 2005. Since 1921, Chiron has established “Three-quarters of our business is in and expanded its market position in Europe and a quarter outside – that is the Europe, the United States, Asia and United States and Asia. In Asia, the Australia. It has been a market leader for Chinese market is of utmost importance,” more than 49 years, producing said Dr Winkler. standardised machines in Germany and Part of the grand plan is to open shipping these to subsidiaries worldwide offices in Dalian as well as to do for customisation. customisation through Chiron China. “The key to success is our speed. Our “The automotive industry makes up motto ‘seconds ahead’ refers to how we 50 per cent of Chiron’s business and this exchange tools in just 0.5 seconds. We is the No 1sector in China. We are Hans-Henning Winkler says sell the latest technology and turnkey building on that,” Mr Böhm said. Chiron enjoys being the fastest.