Another prestigious project for our company! SIMON PROtec is supplying a total of almost 8,000 chain actuators, fittings and control units for Hefei Xinqiao Airport in the metropolis of Hefei, located in eastern China with over 9 million inhabitants. Spread over three construction phases, the first actuators for Terminal 1 left our production for the Far East at the end of 2024. Orders for the second and third construction phases followed in the course of this year, with delivery scheduled to continue until mid-2026.
Looking at the vast dimensions of this project displays the superlatives of infrastructure projects in China. The total construction volume of the three terminals amounts to over 3.9 billion yuan (470 million euros), with Terminal 2 alone covering an area of around 370,000 m². Once completed, the airport is expected to handle up to 11 million passengers and 150,000 tonnes of freight annually. The total construction time is three years, which is utopian by our european standards. This makes us even more proud to supply high-quality products for such a huge construction project.
"The required lead time of 100 days for all the components requires excellent coordination between all areas of the company."
One of the main challenges we had to overcome in this project was to provide a suitable actuator for the large tilt windows on the building facade. The actuator had to provide both the necessary force to open and close the heavy window elements and achieve the required opening width at high speed. It was also necessary to synchronise several actuators on one window in combination with a concealed, profile-integrated fitting.
It was with good reasons that we were able to win the contract with our EA-K-65 chain actuators. The actuators not only impress with their technical specifications, but also integrate perfectly into the facade. Thanks to their modern synchronisation technology, up to three actuators can be operated in combination with a fitting. The control technology also comes from SIMON PROtec and provides the necessary power supply for the actuators.
A fundamental condition for the successful implementation of the project was the approval of the compenents for the Chinese market, which SIMON PROtec, as one of the few European manufacturers, can demonstrate for many of its products.
"New representative office in China plays key role in successful project management"
For such projects, clients in China demand delivery times of less than 100 days. Therefore, planning and executing such a large-scale project requires smooth coordination between all areas of the company, as well as sophisticated and efficient project management, which SIMON PROtec could demonstrate with this project.
Our newly established representative office in Shanghai, which we officially opened in spring 2025, provided significant support in this regard. From now on, our Chinese customers now have a direct local contact at all times, and enquiries and projects can be processed more quickly and efficiently.
We are looking forward to our next project in the Far East!