Press Release - Wuhan Grand Opening

Mar, 29, 2017 09:30 AM

Press Release - Wuhan Grand Opening

BONN, Germany, March 29, 2017

Kautex Textron GmbH & Co., KG (Kautex), a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, held a grand opening ceremony for its newest facility in China located in the Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone (WEDZ) in China's Hubei Province.

Kautex will manufacture automotive plastic fuel tanks at the new facility, using its conventional and NGFS® technologies. NGFS® serves as an enabler to produce the lowest hydrocarbon (HC) emission fuel tank systems and to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by reducing the weight of the tank. NGFS® is also the enabler for Kautex's all-plastic, lightweight hybrid fuel tank.

"The light weight and low permeation features of the NGFS® fuel tank help OEMs to meet the future China VI carbon dioxide emissions requirements," said Jörg Rautenstrauch, Kautex's president & CEO. "We see increasing demand from our customers to implement this technology, and we are delighted to further its use in China. Additionally, as NGFS® is the platform for our lightweight hybrid fuel tank, this investment helps ensure Kautex is able to offer the right solutions to meet the long-terms needs of our customers."

Announced in fall 2015, Kautex closely collaborated with the WEDZ in this greenfield development project. The initial facility is 3,800 sq. meters with the option to expand to 7,500 sq. meters. Trial production began in 2016, with formal production scheduled to begin in the near-term.

"Kautex Wuhan is delighted to share this celebratory day with the WEDZ, whose collaboration in this project was instrumental to our success," said Wayne Shen, president, Kautex Asia. "We also want to thank our fellow team members across Kautex for their hard work and dedication – it was truly a global team effort that made this opening day a success."

Founded in 1935, Kautex pioneered plastics processing and blow molding technologies. Today, the company is a Tier One supplier for numerous automotive OEMs worldwide. The company produces fuel systems, selective catalytic reduction systems, clear vision systems and camshafts as well as industrial packaging.

About Kautex

At Kautex, we are innovating the way you move.

As a Tier One automotive supplier with 30 plants in 13 countries, Kautex is a pioneer in the design and manufacture of traditional and hybrid fuel systems, engine camshafts and plastic industrial packaging solutions.

For the era of new mobility, Kautex is also expanding its portfolio to offer thermoplastic composite and composite-metal hybrid battery systems as well as assisted and autonomous drive vehicle cleaning systems.

About Textron Inc.

Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) is one of the world’s best known multi-industry companies, recognized for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, E‑Z‑GO, Arctic Cat and many more. The company leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative products and services. For more information, visit: https://www.textron.com

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements which may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non‑historical matters; these statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward‑looking statements. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward‑looking statements.