On Friday, August 30, 2024, Saint-Gobain Abrasives China hosted a magnificent celebration in the Minhang District of Shanghai. The event commemorated the Company’s 30th anniversary, a significant milestone, in the presence of leaders from the Saint-Gobain Group and Minhang Industrial Park. Since the establishment of its first bonded abrasives production facility in Shanghai in 1994, Saint-Gobain Abrasives has invested and constructed five advanced manufacturing plants across China. These facilities are equipped with dedicated abrasives R&D teams and a grinding technology center, all committed to delivering highly efficient, precise, and sustainable grinding solutions to China’s manufacturing industry.
Zeng Lingling, Vice-president of Abrasives China and North Asia
Feng Xiaoming, Executive Director of Shanghai Land Minhong (Group) Co., Ltd.
Abrasives is widely utilized in the manufacturing process and plays a crucial role. As China’s manufacturing industry advances, it places increasingly higher demands on grinding processes. Over the past three decades, Saint-Gobain Abrasives China has been a witness and active contributor to the remarkable transformation and upgrading of China’s manufacturing sector. In the 1990s, many of our customers were in labor-intensive industries. Post-2000, we began offering more precise and efficient grinding products to high value-added industries such as automotive parts, stainless steel, and high-speed railway rails. Today, we provide innovative grinding solutions to strategic emerging industries like wind power, semiconductors, new-energy vehicles, aerospace, and robotics. Saint-Gobain Abrasives has consistently kept pace with industry developments, continuously launching high-quality and innovative products to meet the evolving needs of various industries. For instance, in the new energy vehicle sector, the requirements for gears surpass those of traditional fuel vehicles, with significantly increased performance demands for high rotational speed, load-bearing capacity, and meshing precision. Saint-Gobain Abrasives China has developed the latest series of high-precision worm grinding wheels and honing wheels, which enhance gear grinding precision and contribute to improvements in NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness). In the wind industry, bearings are vital components of wind turbines. With the rapid growth of large-scale wind turbines and offshore wind power, there is a heightened need for precision and extended processing times in wind turbine bearings. Manufacturers are in urgent need of high-precision and high-efficiency grinding solutions. Saint-Gobain Abrasives China has introduced a new generation of ALTOS series grinding wheels, which meet the stringent requirements of machining accuracy and offer over 30% improved grinding efficiency compared to ordinary ceramic abrasive wheels, assisting manufacturers in overcoming production bottlenecks and enhancing product quality.
Ludovic Weber, CEO of Asia-Pacific Region
Jean-Claude Lasserre, CEO of Surface Solutions BU
Emmanuelle Allain-Mouradian, CFO of Surface Solutions BU
China’s manufacturing industry has experienced transformation towards green and intelligent manufacturing over the past 30 years. Saint-Gobain Abrasives China has been actively reducing carbon emissions from its operations while launching innovative abrasive products that last longer and cut sharper, helping customers reduce energy consumption, carbon emissions, and pollutants. In 2022, the Suzhou coated abrasives plant received the “Carbon Neutral Achievement” certificate from TUV, a recognized certification authority, officially announcing our achievement of carbon neutrality (Scope 2) in our electricity supply—a significant milestone in our journey towards net-zero carbon emissions. We have introduced several innovative products, many of which offer over 30% longer service life compared to conventional alternatives and reduce the power consumption of machine tools, aiding production enterprises in greening their manufacturing processes. In 2024, several of our locally developed products were selected as “China’s Technology Trade Innovation Practice Cases,” highlighting our R&D team’s outstanding contribution to technological advancement and low-carbon development in China’s steel, high-speed rail, and electric vehicle industries. For instance, we have launched a new generation of roll grinding wheels for the steel industry, which have significantly improved product performance and extended wheel life by 40%, thereby reducing solid waste from roll grinding. Additionally, due to the sharper grinding wheels, the power requirement for grinding is reduced, leading to lower carbon emissions during the process. Furthermore, with the shift from ‘Made in China’ to ‘Innovated in China,’ Saint-Gobain Abrasives China is actively exploring robot grinding applications and collaborating closely with manufacturing customers and partners to enhance the automation and intelligence levels of grinding processes through innovation.
Ms. Lingling Zeng, Vice President of Saint-Gobain Abrasives China and North Asia, stated, “Reflecting on the past 30 years, we are proud to have been companions and contributors to the transformation and upgrading of China’s manufacturing industry through relentless innovation. Looking ahead, Saint-Gobain Abrasives China will continue to uphold the spirit of innovation and dedication to the steady progress of China’s manufacturing industry towards high-end, green, and smart manufacturing. We look forward to collaborating with all partners in writing a new chapter for the future.”
