RICHMOND, VA. — AMF Bakery Systems has expanded its operations in the Asia Pacific market to include sales, parts and services offices in Singapore and Beijing, as well as a manufacturing facility in Tianjin, China.

“We believe that the Asia Pacific market will be the dominant economic story on the planet over the next two decades,” said Ken Newsome, president of AMF. “We realize that to be successful in that region, we must be fully present and engaged in the region. Our manufacturing base will not only help us to be competitive in the region, but will help us to reduce our costs for other markets.”

The 30,000-square-foot facility in Tianjin includes 17 engineering, manufacturing and support personnel.

“We believe that Tianjin is a game changer for us regarding our ability to support customers in this region,” said Colin Powell, general manager for Asia Pacific.

Meanwhile, the Singapore office previously was owned by Kansas City-based Shick Tube-Veyor, a longtime agent for AMF Bakery.

“When it got to the point that the bulk of (Singapore office) work was in support of AMF instead of Shick, we all concurred that it was best that this office be directed by AMF as opposed to a distributor for AMF,” Mr. Newsome said.

AMF Bakery is a manufacturer of bakery equipment for high volume bakeries.