Swedish industrial giant Atlas Copco Group is getting ready for China's next growth phase driven by the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), with continuous dedication to improving energy efficiency and offering cleaner and more reliable energy alternatives in the fast-evolving Chinese market, said a senior executive of the company.

Alain Lefranc, vice-president of Atlas Copco Greater China, made the remarks during an exclusive interview with China Daily on April 22, as the company inaugurated its new Power Technique Wuxi Campus in Jiangsu province.

Beginning with exports to China in the 1920s, the group has been present in the Chinese market for decades, with its trading company launched in Hong Kong in the 1980s and the first production site established in Wuxi in 1994. Staying committed to the dynamic market, the company moved locations eight times in Wuxi, each time expanding its presence.

Currently, the group has 22 factories and 9,000 employees across China, with its local business units covering sales, service and manufacturing. Focusing on four main business areas, namely air compressors, vacuum solutions, industrial automated tools and on-site power solutions, the company develops equipment that supplies energy in the form of air compression or gas compression in a wide range of industries such as food and beverage, marine, electronics and many others.

Lefranc noted that the upgraded campus marks a leap forward and an exciting milestone for the group in China, and a testament to its ongoing commitment to innovation, growth and partnership in this dynamic market. It stands as a high-tech hub for innovation and production, featuring expanded and automated logistics, more production capacity, state-of-the-art laboratories and advanced testing facilities.

"This campus enables us to serve more market functions and customer needs. It covers extensive complexity and will serve both the Chinese and global markets," said Lefranc.

He explained that the upgraded testing facility could expose their products to many different climate situations in China such as freezing and high temperatures, different air pressure at high altitudes, humidity and more.

"This ensures that any product we develop for China can also fulfill the working environment in the rest of the world — and we must do this locally, as our development team needs immediate feedback from testing," he added, describing the campus as a "bridge" that connects local R&D activities with the group's global innovation network.

The global landscape is rapidly changing, bringing growing concerns over energy security and the urgent need to reduce dependence on traditional energy sources. Lefranc shared that Atlas Copco Power Technique solutions, many of which will be developed or manufactured at the new campus, are designed to help Chinese industrial customers improve their energy efficiency and accelerate the transition toward cleaner, more reliable energy alternatives.

"The priorities set by China's latest Five-Year Plan are very important to us because they influence our strategy and growth path. We are very much aligned with them, and we welcome the concept of new quality productive forces," said Lefranc.

As a long-term player in China, Lefranc is impressed by the speed, curiosity, experimental spirit, appetite for taking risks and service excellence in this market. The group is getting ready for its next growth phase driven by the new key plan, where he expects more "sophisticated" customer demands.

"We must anticipate what comes next and be ready — because China moves fast. We have no time to be late."

wangxin2@chinadaily.com.cn