How Agratas Corp UK built its China procurement team without a local entity

About

Agratas is a global battery manufacturing business within the Tata Group dedicated to pioneering the future of energy storage. The company designs and produces next-generation battery technologies built for both electric mobility (like cars) and broader clean energy applications

Agratas is powering the energy transition , not just by making batteries, but by driving momentum for a better tomorrow. Whether it’s for electric vehicles or energy storage, our technology is designed to move people, industries, and ideas forward. We believe the energy revolution should be shaped by people, for people – and that’s exactly what we’re building.

The Challenge

‍Six hires in China. No entity. A team to build from scratch.

Agratas Corp UK needed to set up a procurement team in China, targeting six employees. With no local entity in place, they had no way to hire directly in the country, process payroll, or take on the statutory obligations that come with employment in China.

China added further difficulty. Statutory contributions vary by city, employment contract requirements are specific, and getting the offer structure wrong at the start can affect both candidate decisions and compliance standing. Agratas needed someone who understood the local rules well enough to help put together terms that would hold up and attract the right people.

The Solution

‍EOR support, with local market knowledge applied from the first hire.

Gloroots acted as the legal employer in China for all six hires through its EOR model, covering compliant employment contracts, full payroll processing, and reimbursement handling for each team member.

Where Gloroots added particular value was before the contracts were even signed. Using in-country knowledge of Chinese statutory requirements, payroll norms, and employment laws, Gloroots helped Agratas structure offer packages and work through employment terms with candidates. This meant the company could move quickly and put together offers that were both competitive and compliant in a market they had not hired in before.

The Results

Six-person procurement team. Built and running.

✶  Full 6-person procurement team hired and onboarded in China

✶  Employment terms structured with local statutory knowledge at the offer stage

✶  Payroll and reimbursements were processed accurately across all six employees

✶  Statutory compliance (social insurance, housing fund, IIT) handled end-to-end

✶  Roles, including Project Manager, were placed in complete documentation order