JENA, Germany, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- A joint venture between Chinese company Hengtong and German company Leoni for the manufacture of single-mode optical fibers, a product key to broadband expansion, officially kicked off production here on Friday.
The new company, j-fiber Hengtong GmbH, is the first single-mode optical fiber industrial manufacturer in Germany. The production plant, an expansion of the previous j-fiber production facility, a subsidiary of Leoni Group, attracted a total investment of 15 million euros (16.5 million U.S. dollars), with plans for further investment expected next year.
Broadband expansion in Europe requires an increasing amount of high-performance single-mode fibers as an essential component of optical transmission networks, according to the two companies. Their optical fiber products will be serving telecommunications and data networks for the European market.
Hengtong, based in east China's Suzhou, is a global supplier of cable and system solutions for telecommunications and energy sectors. Leoni, headquartered in Nuremberg, is a global provider of energy and data management solutions in the automotive sector and other industries.
Thanks to the joint effort of entrepreneurs from both countries, the successful opening of the j-fiber Hengtong set a new example for the cooperation between "Made-in China" and "Made-in-Germany", said Wang Weidong, commercial counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Germany, at the opening ceremony.
It is especially important for China and Germany to expand exchanges and deepen cooperation in the face of global economic uncertainty, economic downward pressures, as well as challenges to free trade and multilateral systems, Wang said.
Valentina Kerst, state secretary of the ministry of economy, science, and digital society of Thuringia, in east-central Germany, said she was very pleased to see the two companies' cooperation in the field of optical fibers. It will be conducive to digital development, an important area for future development, in Germany and especially in Thuringia, she said.
After the ceremony, attendees visited the 30-meter-tall fiber drawing towers, with state-of-the-art production line brought from China by Hengtong.
According to Qian Jianlin, executive president of Hengtong Group Co., Ltd, Hengtong and Leoni have had business cooperation for a long time. Hengtong is optimistic about 5G development in Europe, and expects to see a surge of demand in optical fibers, he said.
Christian Spies, senior vice president of Business Group Industrial Solutions at Leoni AG, said Hengtong is an ideal partner in optical fiber manufacturing, and the two companies are combining their strengths to form a strong partnership.
The newly founded j-fiber Hengtong GmbH is expected to create an additional 40 or so jobs at the plant. Enditem
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