Geberit opens head office in Asia Pacific
Some are masculine, giving off a sense of invincible might; some are more delicate with nimble and graceful dancing steps; and there are still others that possess both qualities. I am talking about the Chinese drum, which beat proudly as Geberit’s major powerbrokers gathered in Shanghai to herald in a new era in research and technology in the Asia Pacific region.
The rich array of artistic expressions from the Chinese drum culture gives full expression to the vitality of the Chinese nation. It is an expression that Geberit mirrors; since its birth in Switzerland to its expansion around the globe, Geberit has become a vital player in the sanitary market, particularly in manufacture, technology, research and development.
Geberit has established a new headquarters for the Asia Pacific region in Nanxiang/Shanghai, in order to do justice to its increasing business activities in the region. The facility includes a modern logistics and production infrastructure, new office spaces and a training centre tailored to the needs of the customers. The new buildings also house state-of-the-art development and testing laboratories for the regional Research and Development Competence Centre.
The total investment amounts to approximately US$17.6 million. Occupancy of the newly constructed premises has been proceeding in stages since the beginning of 2010. About 320 employees are now working in the headquarters located in Nanxiang/Shanghai.
Geberit’s investment underlines the importance to the Group of successful further development of the region by 15 sales offices and two production facilities and intends to use its extended infrastructure to exploit long-term growth potential of this area.
When the drumming stopped, official proceedings began. Gunter F Kelm, chairman of the board and Albert M Baehny, CEO of Geberit Group, flew from Switzerland for the gala and were joined by Asia Pacific CEO Michael Schumacher and COO Christian Kober. Also in attendance were Chinese politicians who spoke about the importance of investment of this type into the country. Their presence illustrated the power of the imprint Geberit is making as well as the company’s standing in the market place.
All speeches were translated as guests from around the world sat in awe of the spectacle unfolding. Chinese dragons, the unfurling of the welcome flag and the drum all combined to turn the ceremony itself into a portent for success and prosperity in the region.
Following the ceremony the crowd of over 200 were split into groups and taken on an hour-long tour of the facility. The tour started on the ground floor where many of the new bathroom products and piping systems were on display and we also caught a glimpse and demonstration of the sanitary flow systems used for the different sanitary systems around the world.
We went through the acoustic laboratory, saw how the quality testing is maintained, found out about the GPS (Geberit Production System) and saw the vastness of the warehouse.
The tour provided great insight into how a leading manufacturer goes about its day to day business.
As night followed day, guests were treated to a banquet of great food and excellent wine. A speech by Michael Schumacher set the tone, as we were shown a comical animated video about the history of Geberit in the sanitary sector. The event concluded with a spectacular fireworks display.
If the detail that went into putting the day’s event together is an indication of the capabilities of Geberit management staff, then it would seem the Asia Pacific region will benefit enormously from having a large scale manufacturing and research facility in the area.
In China, red drums have always been a symbol of the power of the ruler and the destiny of the army. It seems Geberit’s Asia Pacific destiny is beating to the sound of its own powerful drum.