The Frankfurt RheinMain region is further expanding its role as one of Europe’s leading locations for Asian companies. The Chinese company Tongwei Solar has opened a branch in Frankfurt am Main, thereby strengthening its position in the European market. The site is initially intended as a sales office and will eventually be expanded into a European headquarters. Up to 150 jobs are set to be created across Europe in the coming years.
Tongwei Solar’s establishment was supported by FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH International Marketing of the Region (FRM GmbH). Wirtschaftsförderung Frankfurt GmbH will be responsible for providing further support to the company.
Mike Josef, Lord Mayor of Frankfurt am Main and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of FRM GmbH: “Tongwei Solar’s decision to establish a presence here underlines just how attractive Frankfurt has now become for companies in the renewable energy sector. Together with the wider region, the location offers a strong industrial and international environment, as well as excellent links to European markets. By choosing Frankfurt as its first European location, Tongwei Solar confirms the city’s growing importance in the field of sustainable future technologies.”
Tongwei Co., Ltd. is an international group headquartered in Chengdu, China, which operates in the fields of sustainable agriculture and renewable energy. The company’s solar division is managed from Hefei. Tongwei is one of the world’s leading companies in the photovoltaic industry. The company is both the largest producer of polysilicon – the key raw material for solar cells – and one of the leading manufacturers of solar cells. Furthermore, Tongwei is one of the world’s largest module producers and ranks among the international leaders in this segment. Tongwei is also the only photovoltaic company listed in the Fortune Global 500.
Levin Wang, Senior Sales Manager for Central Europe at Tongwei Solar: “With our new office in Frankfurt am Main, we are laying the foundations for our further expansion in Europe. The region offers us the ideal conditions for expanding our sales structures and being closer to our customers and partners. Our aim is to develop Frankfurt into our European headquarters and to expand our business sustainably from here.”
Tongwei Solar is centralising its European sales activities at the Frankfurt branch. The focus is on establishing and strengthening customer and partner relationships, as well as further developing the market strategy in the field of photovoltaics and renewable energies.
“Frankfurt RheinMain is one of the leading locations for Asian companies in Europe. The firms already operating in our region benefit from its central location within the European single market, excellent international connections and proximity to key markets, as well as a strong industrial and economic infrastructure. Tongwei Solar’s establishment fits seamlessly into this environment and underlines the region’s importance as a leading location for investment and expansion by Asian companies in Europe,” explains Eric Menges, CEO FRM GmbH.
FRM GmbH facilitated the initial contact and connected the company with local stakeholders such as Frankfurt Economic Development, the Frankfurt Chamber of Industry and Commerce, LEA Hessen and Goethe University. It also helped to arrange suitable service providers and provided support with administrative matters – including liaising with the Immigration Office.