TO MAINTAIN ANNUAL sales growth of more than 20 per cent, a top international engineering company is looking to recruit experienced technicians and production managers for its plants in China.
The Sandvik Group, which has its headquarters in Sweden, specialises in hi-tech material engineering. It operates in 130 countries and has about 40,000 employees worldwide. Annual sales last year topped 70billion Swedish kroner (HK$77.7billion).
The core businesses of the ISO-certified group include tooling and mining construction. The former involves the manufacture of cemented-carbide and high-speed tools for metalwork and cutting applications, which are used in the automobile and aviation industries, while the latter produces machinery and equipment for rock excavation.
In addition, a materials technology division makes stainless and high-alloy steels, special metals and resistance materials. These are generally for such products as surgical scalpels, as well as the coloured casings for mobile phones, MP3 players and digital cameras.
Sandvik established its first office in China in 1985 and formed a subsidiary in 1993. Today, there are four wholly owned manufacturing units. The largest of these is located at Langfang, south of Beijing, and produces cemented-carbide tools. A plant in Qingdao produces die-cutting steel for the packaging industry, and two further manufacturing facilities have been set up in Shanghai and Wuxi.
The total workforce employed in these mainland factories grew from 800 to 1,000 last year, and hiring is set to continue at a steady pace.