Sometimes called the “Venice of China,” because of its system of canals and waterways, Suzhou, China is a fascinating city. It’s located about 62 miles northwest of Shanghai, in the eastern part of China. Founded in 514 B.C.E., Suzhou is known historically for high culture, elegance, and the royal silk trade. The city is home to over 60 classical gardens, which collectively form a UNESCO World Heritage site. Popular with tourists, visitors flock to the many ancient temples, palaces, and fortifications. Since the late 1970s, Suzhou has become one of the fastest growing major cities in the world. Suzhou is a major economic center and the world’s largest producer of laptop computers.
Suzhou is also the home to KEMET Electronics. Located at the Yangtze River delta, in the middle of China’s coastline, the KEMET manufacturing facility is the workplace of 1300 employees. Established in 2003, Suzhou is the first manufacturing site KEMET directly opened in Asia and is now part of a larger KEMET presence throughout the region. The team at Suzhou is comprised of a diverse array of departments, but one major focus is the development and manufacture of Polymer Tantalum (KO-CAP) and Polymer Aluminum capacitors. These components are used in many different products, like automobiles, display screens, and laptops. Additionally, these electronic components help make the world a better, safer, more connected place to live. For example, KO-CAPs are not only used in cars, but in air travel as well. You can also find KO-CAPs computer networks/infrastructure as well as helping to keep our data safe in the cloud with solid-state drives (SSDs), which are found inside of computers and servers. Polymer Aluminum capacitors help regulate power in DC/DC converters, helping to keep power cleanly delivered to a device. They are found in laptop PCs, telecommunications, monitors, and televisions. These capacitors are used in automation systems inside of industrial plants that produce consumer goods.
Locally, the KEMET Suzhou facility stands out as a great place to work. In fact, the facility won the “Best Employer of Great Suzhou” award in 2018. As General Manager of Suzhou plant, Felix Fan puts it, “The Suzhou team is eager to learn, striving for continuous improvement and excellence. We have a Reading Club and an English Club, both of which are regularly attended. And not only do we get along, we perform well! Our goal is to continuously make the Suzhou plant a unique and cool place to work.” At Suzhou and so many KEMET locations around the world, our culture shines through. Teams become like family, creating a unique culture centered around the common goal of excellence.