By Gabby Chen

(JW Insights) Mar 21 -- BorgWarner, an American automotive supplier, started operation of its new R&D center and Phase II production site in the Suzhou Industrial Park in eastern China's Jiangsu Province on March 14, the industrial park announced.

The new facility covers a total area of 22,000 square meters and comprises a four-story R&D center that will accommodate approximately 450 people as well as a two-story production workshop. It will reach an annual production capacity of 1.8 million inverters, making Suzhou BorgWarner's second largest global Viper production site after its Singapore plant.

The R&D center will focus on the full range of electronics design and development, including power electronics, inverters and DC/DC converters. It will be in conjunction with the development of local Viper module (Si IGBT and SiC MOSFET) fabrication. The site's level of automation will achieve over 90%, while the equipment is 100% network connected.

Founded in 1928 and headquartered in Michigan, US, BorgWarner is a global leader in delivering clean and efficient mobility solutions for the vehicle market. The company mainly offers electric motors, starters, hybrid power technology systems, light duty equipment, and alternators.