Krones opens second Taicang Plant to expand packaging machinery output

CHINA – Krones has inaugurated a second plant in Taicang , expanding manufacturing, bottling engineering, testing and service capabilities for the packaging industry and forming the company’s largest production site outside Germany.

The newly opened facility covers a site area of approximately 120,000 square metres, with total building area of around 74,000 square metres. 

The first phase of construction comprised approximately 59,000 square metres of floor space. 

Representatives from the Taicang Municipal government, customers and partners, suppliers, construction companies and Krones employees attended the opening ceremony, followed by an on-site visit forming part of a series of Krones events held in China this month.

Expansion Covers Assembly, Testing and Automated Warehousing

The expansion focuses on key packaging production areas including module assembly, complete machine assembly, machine testing and automated warehousing and logistics systems produced by System Logistics, a member of the Krones Group. 

According to Krones, shortened coordination paths can increase flexibility and enhance collaboration with customers. 

An aseptic laboratory advances the site’s quality assurance capabilities and can validate sterilisation processes for packaging materials, enabling key validation steps for customer projects to be supported locally in China. 

The expansion has been designed with an intelligent production layout aligning material, production and information flows, while automated high-bay warehouse systems support efficient and flexible supply of manufacturing operations.

Leadership Cites Long-Term Development in China

Ralf Goldbrunner, member of the executive board at Krones, said that with the expansion in Taicang, the company was investing in the long-term development of Krones in China. 

He added that the company was systematically expanding capabilities in manufacturing, engineering and service, enabling it to support customers in the Chinese market more comprehensively and flexibly.

Sustainability Features and Broader Asian Expansion

The Taicang production site operates in accordance with Krones’ globally standardised quality requirements, providing inspections from incoming goods through every production stage to final acceptance testing. 

The new plant incorporates a rainwater collection system developed to cut freshwater consumption, alongside intelligent building management systems designed to support efficient energy use. 

Krones continues expanding across Asian markets, having announced in 2025 the construction of a plant for processing, filling and packaging of food and beverage products in Vemgal, India.

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