SECO/WARWICK – a global leader in CAB technology – firmly treads on the Chinese market. Since the beginning of the year, the number of orders for brazing equipment in a protective atmosphere has been growing exponentially.
SECO/WARWICK’s local production facility responds to the growing needs, which results in faster deliveries for CAB lines to the Asian market. The next two lines bearing the SECO/WARWICK brand will go to the SOUZHOU RETEK Chinese plants. These new lines for brazing in a protective atmosphere, intended for the production of oversized battery coolers, will join the machine park where the first SECO/WARWICK CAB line has been operating since last year. The order is the result of the RETEK Management Board noticing the market perspective and dynamic development of the electric vehicle industry. Thanks to the electromobility boom, car batteries intended for electric vehicles, like other parts dedicated to these vehicles, have recorded unflagging production growth.
Retek purchased the first CAB line for large battery coolers from SECO/WARWICK China in 2021.
“It was successful cooperation. As in the case of the previous implementation, the entire process, from ordering to finalization, was carried out in partnership. It was the cooperation and the technology that made the Retek Management Board come back to us and place an order for two more twin lines. As a result, the customer will be able to fulfill orders for the production of oversized battery coolers from global manufacturers. I believe that these CAB lines are milestones in our Partner’s development. It’s an honor to be part of this process,” said Liu Yedong, Managing Director, SECO/WARWICK China.
„Our lines for aluminum brazing in a protective atmosphere are perfect for the production of electric vehicle parts, such as battery coolers. RETEK is another company on the Chinese market that trusted us again and placed this most recent order for the CAB lines. It makes us happy and confirms that we are the first-choice supplier in this sector,” added Piotr Skarbiński, Vice President of the Aluminum and CAB Products Segment at SECO/WARWICK.
The lines ordered by RETEK consists of two furnaces, each fitted with a 1900mm wide conveyor belt. The two continuous CAB lines include radiation pre-heating chambers, radiation brazing furnaces, air jacket cooling chambers, final cooling chambers and a control system. The CAB lines will be used for large-size car battery cooler brazing.
China is driving electric vehicle sales
This is another SECO/WARWICK Group customer from this region who has ordered a CAB line in recent months. This confirms that the interest in electric vehicles in this region, is not a forecast or a trend, but a fact. In 2021 electric cars accounted for 6 percent of global sales. In 2020, the percentage of electric cars accounted for 3.1 percent. According to Bloomberg NEF forecasts, China will be number one on the electric car market, and the market share will be calculated in tens of percent. * The automotive industry has undergone a major change towards electric vehicles over the last decade, and China is at the center of this change. Jato Dynamics, an analytical company that tracks the global vehicle sales market, also reveals the sharp rise in the popularity of electric vehicles in its report. China accounted for roughly half of all global electric vehicles purchased last year and is becoming the number one electric car, user.
5G networks – a new segment for SECO/WARWICK
The key to the SECO/WARWICK CAB line success is the perfect temperature uniformity across the entire belt width – typically, 1.9 meters. The system’s additional innovation is the curtain section and cooling chamber unique design. This successful project is the result of SECO/WARWICK’s cooperation with large automotive industry concerns.
China is the most developed country in the world in terms of 5G infrastructure. The local ministry has recently announced that there are already 1.3 million base stations compliant with the new standard in the country. It is also confirmed that 5G terminals are already used by nearly half a billion people in the Middle Kingdom.
China has been at the forefront of 5G deployment from the very beginning and is second to none around the world in this respect. 497 million people use next-generation networks in this country. The number of phones sold compliant with the new network standard is also growing. At the end of 2021, their market share exceeded 75%. China is still planning large investments related to 5G networks in 2022. There are plans to extend the reach of infrastructure that has already gone beyond the urban area. In addition, investments related to 5G technology will be carried out, which will include data centers, artificial intelligence, and industrial software. This is a good sign for SECO/WARWICK because the CAB lines are perfect for the production of heat exchangers used in 5G base stations.
