At the end of 2023, Harbin Electric Machinery Company, China’s market leader for hydropower generators, ordered a complete stamping line for electric motor laminations from Schuler. The new system comprises of a coil line, coil feeder, 630-tonne press, discharge shovel and blank de-stacker as well as a scrap conveyor. The final acceptance is scheduled for May 2025.

Overall, this will be the third Schuler stamping line for Harbin Electric. The first one including a 500-tonne press was delivered in 1986, the second one with a 400-tonne press followed in 2009 and both lines are still operating. The latest investment was made not only because of an expanded production capacity, but also because of the company’s move into smart manufacturing and the resulting need for high-technology equipment.

Harbin Electric was founded in June 1951 and produces large and medium-size power-generating equipment in China and for export. The main business scope covers the design, manufacture, supervision, installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance, upgrade and retrofit. The company has benefitted from the ‘One Belt and One Road’ as well as the ‘Made in China 2025’ strategy, and established cooperative relationships with a number of international enterprises, including GE America, Alston France, ABB Canada, ANDRITZ Austria, and Hitachi Japan. At present, the largest hydropower generating unit supplied in terms of unit capacity is 800MW. A new hydropower generating unit with unit capacity of 1,000MW is under development.