Ground-breaking ceremony for greenfield project in China

Suzhou, China, is the site where the ifm group of companies will construct their new plant and therefore the place where the ground-breaking ceremony took place. On the 40,000 square metre site, a sustainable production facility will be built in compliance with the DGNB Gold standard. With China being the third largest sales market for the ifm group of companies, the country is of strategic importance.

ifm celebrated the start of the construction phase for the greenfield project in the metropolis of Suzhou, China, with a symbolic ground-breaking ceremony on 15 April 2025. The first steps towards establishing the production facility were already taken two years ago. The plant was registered under the name ifm Technology Suzhou. Its purpose is to produce mainly for the Chinese market. "The building will be about 19,500 square metres in size and include production, storage and office space. We have worked out the exact design together with architects and construction planners," says Andrzej Durdyn, Managing Director of ifm Technology Suzhou. The symbolic ground-breaking ceremony marks the start of construction, with completion being scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026. In total, the building will accommodate up to 1,000 employees. However, the increase in personnel will be gradual, depending on the economic situation.

Suzhou is located about one hundred kilometres west of Shanghai and offers ideal conditions for the ifm group’s greenfield project. In this metropolis of ten million inhabitants with its strategically favourable location, state-of-the-art industrial structures have been established, which provide a suitable framework for innovative and sustainable projects such as the planned production facility. ifm has designed the building in compliance with the criteria for sustainable construction of the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB e.V.) and will also have it certified by the latter. Ecologically, economically and socio-culturally, the overall performance of the new building will therefore meet the strict criteria of the Gold standard.

The greenfield project also offers a unique opportunity for the employees of the ifm group. Last summer, and for the first time in the company’s history, HR managers launched a call for participation in the construction of the new plant to the staff at all ifm locations worldwide. There was a great deal of interest from employees from a wide range of professional backgrounds and regions. Many are keen to take advantage of the opportunity to gain valuable experience abroad in Suzhou and to improve their cultural and language skills.