Siemens AG signed a contract with the Heibei Tangshan Iron and Steel Group, on July 10, to supply a cold rolling production line, worth €100 million ($130.57 million). There is expected to be a test run in December 2014, with the line to go into operation, in 2015, producing 1.6 million tons of high-quality steel, annually, for the automobile industry.

Kenneth Hsu, the vice president of Siemens Ltd China introduces the project cooperating with Hebei province.(Photo by Liu Xiang)

Siemens has had a ranging of cooperation with Hebei province in recent years, according to Kenneth Hsu, the vice president of Siemens Ltd China and head of Corporate Communications Department of?Siemens North East Asia. A dry dust removal system (DDS) Siemens provided for the Hebei Iron and Steel Group in December 2012 is now in operation and Siemens has cooperated in other areas, such as infrastructure, energy, healthcare, and financial services. In April 2012, the Tangshan Railway Vehicle Co signed a 91-million-yuan ($14.8 million) contract to supply major components for Siemens Velaro trains, the first time for China to export major high-speed train components to Europe. Tangshan Railway has become a strategic supplier for Siemens.

Siemens has also signed contracts with the city of Qian'an's people's hospital and other provincial hospitals for MRIs, CTs, and an angiography system. In 2012, it provided a 10-million-yuan financing for the Handan Jinsaibo Co to purchase production lines for its Kashi branch, in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

By Liu Xiang