by FAN Yicheng

Harald Schwager, the newly appointed chief executive of KSB, said the German pump and valve maker is repositioning China from a production base to a global source of innovation, highlighting the market's rising strategic importance.

Speaking in Shanghai on March 31, Schwager said China had become central to KSB's growth and technology development. The company generates more than €3 billion in annual revenue.

He said China was KSB's most important market outside Germany, with North Asia ranking among its top regions in recent years, driven largely by China. Investment in China over the past five years was 4.8 times that of the previous 25 years.

KSB's Shanghai CEP plant, its largest single investment in the city at 150 million yuan, began operations in July 2024 and is expected to serve as a global supply base for petrochemical pumps.

The company is also stepping up its focus on China's nuclear power sector, seen as a key growth area during the 2026–2030 planning period.

KSB was among the earliest foreign entrants to China's nuclear market, supplying main coolant pumps for projects including Qinshan nuclear power plant in eastern China. WANG Ye, general manager of Shanghai Electric KSB Nuclear Pumps & Valves, said the joint venture aimed to raise market share as new projects accelerate and had achieved full localization of key equipment.

KSB supplies two main pump designs in China, covering conventional and Generation III+ reactors, which account for most projects under construction or planning.

Industry data show China had 102 nuclear units in operation, under construction or approved by early 2025, with installed capacity of 113 gigawatts, the largest globally.

China has approved at least 10 new units annually since 2022, supporting supply chain growth. Wang said the company had invested in advanced manufacturing and was preparing for higher volumes, with the ability to respond quickly once demand is clearer.

China is also taking on a larger role in KSB's global R&D, with local teams developing applications such as offshore systems and data centre cooling.

A monitoring system developed in China, KSB Guard, has been adopted globally as part of the company's digital offering.

Schwager said innovation developed in China was increasingly being shared across the group and expected products made in China to gain a larger share of global markets by 2030.