Dana Incorporated inaugurated a facility in Yancheng, China that will manufacture thermal-management products for conventional and new-energy vehicles.

Dana repurposed an 8,000 square-meter (86,000 square-foot) plant with an investment of CNY105 million (US$16.7 million), making it the company's 16th facility in China and the second in Yancheng.

Using automated production processes, advanced manufacturing data collection and analysis, and other intelligent manufacturing practices, Dana's new facility in Yancheng will manufacture thermal-acoustical protective shielding, including direct-insulation heat shields, as well as battery cold plates used in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. 

Dana anticipates producing a total of approximately eight million units at this facility once peak output is achieved.

"China is the leading market in the world for electric vehicle production in a global market that doubled to more than a million vehicles in 2017," said Dwayne Matthews, president of Dana Power Technologies. 

"As the market adoption of hybrid and electric vehicles in China continues to accelerate, Dana is poised to help our customers meet growing demand with local engineering resources, a complete portfolio of advanced technologies, and production facilities located near final vehicle assembly locations."

Dana Innovations for New Energy Vehicles

Reflecting the company's strategic priority on developing vehicle solutions that promote sustainability, Dana offers a wide spectrum of thermal-management products for electric and hybrid vehicles, as well as Spicer^® Electrified™ e-Drive systems, including axles with fully integrated motor, inverter and control technologies. 

"Dana's growing portfolio of electric and hybrid technologies is ideally positioned to support the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's 'Made in China 2025' initiative," said Antonio Valencia, senior vice president of China and Oceania for Dana.  "We are appreciative of the strong support we have received from local government officials as we expand our presence in China with this new facility in Yancheng."

Government authorities currently support the commercialization of new energy vehicles through subsidies for vehicle manufacturers and plans for a nationwide charging-station network.  Officials in the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology expect automakers to produce seven million electric and hybrid vehicles annually by 2025. 

Dana offers an extensive range of highly engineered thermal-management products that improves the performance, durability, and package size of electric and hybrid vehicles.  Dana's engineers custom-design lightweight, ultra-clean cooling solutions, including intercell plate battery cooling, cold-plate battery cooling, battery chillers, and two-sided cooling for insulated gate bipolar transistor chips.

Dana's expertise in developing products for hybrid and electric vehicles has been widely recognized by leading industry organizations.  Over three consecutive years, Dana was recognized by the China Decision Makers Consultancy for its electric and hybrid vehicle solutions. 

In 2017, Dana was named the "Outstanding Power Electronics Solution Provider of the Year," while Dana earned the "Best Battery Solution Provider of the Year" award in 2015 and 2016.  Additionally, Dana's two-sided chip cooling technology was a 2016 Automotive News PACE Award finalist.

Dana's Growing Presence in China 

Since establishing operations in China in 1991, Dana has illustrated the company's commitment to vehicle manufacturers through numerous investments in engineering and manufacturing resources.  In 2017, Dana broke ground on a new 7,500 square-meter (80,000 square-foot) manufacturing and assembly facility in Chongqing, China, that will produce final drive units featuring integrated Spicer^® SmartConnect™ disconnecting all-wheel-drive systems. 

Inaugurated in 2013, the Dana China Technical Center supports new products for all vehicle markets from concept development through launch.  This facility has more than 50 engineers who facilitate the delivery of new product offerings for China and the rest of the region and adapt technologies developed elsewhere in the world for the specific needs of the China market.

Dana serves numerous light-vehicle manufacturers in China, including BMW, Daimler, Ford, VW Group, Nissan, Great Wall, Geely, Volvo, SAIC, SAIC-GM, FAW, Chery, and Foton.

Dana currently has approximately 6,500 employees in China through its wholly owned and joint venture operations.