Aveva to invest more in China, tap opportunities in industrial upgrade

Industrial software developer Aveva will continue to increase investments and strengthen its research and development capacities in China, while expanding cooperation with Chinese partners to grasp the abundant opportunities arising from China's emphasis on industrial upgrading and digital transformation.

Sue Quense, chief commercial officer of Aveva, said China plays a pivotal role in global industrial transformation because its economy is so large and the output of the high-tech manufacturing sector grew by 8.9 percent year-on-year in 2024, which is higher than the overall industrial sector.

Quense said China has the largest renewable energy installed capacity in the world, and accounts for about 60 percent of the global electric vehicle sales and EV battery production. It also plays a dominant role in manufacturing solar photovoltaic modules and wind turbines, meaning that China's development in these fields is largely driving a global industrial revolution, she noted.

The United Kingdom-based company will continue to firmly advance its strategy of "in China, for China" to bolster the intelligent, high-end and green transformation of China's manufacturing and industrial digitalization.

China attaches great importance to advanced technologies and focuses on research and development, and companies can rapidly deploy and scale up technologies, Quense said.

"We get to be a part of this sort of scaling of innovation very quickly. Whereas in some other markets, things move a little slow," she added. "China has always been an exciting and important market for us. The focus on innovation is something we'd like to participate in, and we'd like to support our customers in China in doing that because we think we can help. The innovation is really moving fast here."

Aveva recently launched a China intelligent innovation center, its first localized R&D center, and a vital addition to its global R&D innovation network, deepening its "in China, for China" strategy. The establishment of this center is aimed at addressing the urgent demand for digital productivity within China's industrial development.

Chris Lee, the company's senior vice-president and head of Asia-Pacific at Aveva, said China, as a manufacturing-driven economy, continues to play a very critical role in leading industrial development as well as setting the standard in the industry.

"Today, we see China is not only playing the role of the supplier, but also playing the role of setting standards. So that's the big shift that we see in the whole industry and that's where an industrial company like us will look forward to the partnerships that we can establish with companies here to keep our technology relevant to the customers."

In terms of sustainability, China plays a very unique role in renewable energy and the use of EV technology, said Lee, adding that more and more Chinese companies are leveraging overseas direct investments, establishing businesses across the board and promoting the transition toward sustainable development.

Lee emphasized China's significant role in industrial production and energy, and its great contribution to global economic growth, as well as industrial and social transformation.

Bry Dillon, senior vice-president of partners and commercial strategy at Aveva, said, "What gets us so excited about the market here is the speed of transformation that's happening in industry."

He said China provides a great opportunity for Aveva to directly learn from its customers and learn how it can solve their problems better for them by leveraging the decades of knowledge that it has across different disciplines in accordance with their specific needs and requirements in China.

The company will continue to expand its partnership networks in China in a couple of ways to meet the diversified needs of customers, Dillon added. "We are looking to proactively engage with partners and with any organizations that our customers want and need us to partner with."

China will hold a greater appeal for foreign companies, especially those in the manufacturing sector, given the nation's unwavering efforts to expand high-standard opening-up by removing all restrictions on foreign investment access in manufacturing and continuously optimizing its business environment, said Zhang Jianping, deputy director of the academic committee at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.