The ebm-papst Group has offi­cially opened its plant in Xi’an, China. With the comple­tion of the third expan­sion phase, the company is sending a strong signal of its long-term growth strategy in China, under­scoring the impor­tance of this market for the group. ebm-papst began oper­a­tions in Xi’an in 2019 and has been contin­u­ously devel­oping the site ever since. The plant covers an area of approx­i­mately 60,000 m² and employs around 1,000 people. The latest expan­sion, which cost around 30 million euros, will create around 500 jobs. The comple­tion of the plant marks another mile­stone in the group’s “Local for Local” strategy.

In Xi’an, the industry leader produces energy-effi­cient fan solu­tions for impor­tant busi­ness areas such as data centers and clean rooms. (Image | ebm-papst)

ebm-papst began oper­a­tions in Xi’an back in 2019 and has been contin­u­ously devel­oping the site ever since. The site covers an area of around 60,000 m². (Image | ebm-papst)

Thinking glob­ally, acting locally

“With our ‘Local for Local’ glocal­iza­tion strategy, which has been in place since 2017, we are locally and inde­pen­dently posi­tioned in the regions of Europe, Asia-Pacific and MEA, as well as the Amer­icas. The Chinese market has always been of great impor­tance to ebm-papst, and we already have a local­iza­tion rate of around 90 percent in China. ‘Local for Local’ has three clear advan­tages for us: customer prox­imity, inde­pen­dence in the supply chain, and the reduc­tion of emis­sions,” says Dr. Klaus Geißdörfer, CEO of the ebm-papst Group.

The site combines compre­hen­sive func­tions under one roof, including produc­tion, logis­tics, research and devel­op­ment, quality assur­ance, and procure­ment. This ensures effi­cient processes and optimal align­ment with regional market require­ments. In Xi’an, the industry leader produces energy-effi­cient fan solu­tions for impor­tant busi­ness areas such as data centers and clean­rooms. A partic­ular focus is on the contin­uous expan­sion of local devel­op­ment activ­i­ties. “The inter­ac­tion between the local R&D depart­ments at our two Chinese loca­tions – Shanghai and Xi’an – enables us to serve our customers in China in the best and most flex­ible way possible,” empha­sizes Thomas Nürn­berger, CSO ebm-papst Group and CEO Air Tech­nology APAC & MEA.

Dr. Klaus Geißdörfer, CEO of the ebm-papst Group (Image | ebm-papst)

Inno­v­a­tive strength and promoting young talent

“Xi’an in partic­ular strengthens our inno­v­a­tive power. With a compre­hen­sive R&D labo­ra­tory focused on product reli­a­bility, dura­bility, and adapt­ability in a wide range of appli­ca­tion scenarios, we are specif­i­cally driving forward the devel­op­ment of energy-effi­cient EC fans, digital venti­lation solu­tions, and retrofit concepts there. Close coop­er­a­tion with local univer­si­ties also creates a strong basis for pioneering tech­nolo­gies and the promo­tion of young talent”, says Thomas Nürn­berger.

The new plant is also a show­case project for respon­sible indus­trial construc­tion. Energy-effi­cient glazing, LED lighting, a geot­hermal heat pump, and a large-scale photo­voltaic system contribute to reducing its CO₂ foot­print. Reusable pack­aging and a fully elec­tri­fied shuttle bus service comple­ment the sustain­ability concept. In recog­ni­tion of these efforts, ebm-papst Xi’an was certi­fied as a National Green Factory by China’s Ministry of Industry and Infor­ma­tion Tech­nology (MIIT) in January 2025.

The inter­ac­tion between the local R&D depart­ments at our two Chinese loca­tions – Shanghai and Xi’an – enables us to serve our customers in China in the best and most flex­ible way possible.

Thomas Nürn­berger, CSO ebm-papst Group and CEO Air Tech­nology APAC & MEA

ebm-papst welcomed repre­sen­ta­tives from poli­tics and busi­ness as well as the Xi’an city admin­is­tra­tion to the grand opening. The latter praised the project as an impor­tant contri­bu­tion to local economic growth. ebm-papst share­holder Jan Philip­piak, as well as the group’s top manage­ment, were also present. “Since 1996, ebm-papst has consis­tently expanded its pres­ence in China,” explained Jan Philip­piak on the behalf of the share­holder fami­lies. “The offi­cial opening of our plant in Xi’an marks a signif­i­cant step in the further devel­op­ment of our activ­i­ties and lays the foun­da­tion for sustain­able growth and tech­no­log­ical excel­lence. This invest­ment is further proof of our strong commit­ment to the Chinese market – an impor­tant region for ebm-papst.”

ebm-papst has been active in China since 1996 and today employs around 1,700 people at loca­tions such as Shanghai, Xi’an, Qingdao, Beijing, Shen­zhen and Hong Kong. In the 2024/2025 fiscal year, the company gener­ated sales of around 360 million euros in China. Impor­tant markets include fan solu­tions for clean­rooms, renew­able ener­gies, and data centers.