Chinese mainland logistics and energy equipment maker China International Marine Containers Group (CIMC) said it has made significant strides in technological innovation over the past years to drive transformation and upgrade the manufacturing industry.
According to the white paper released by the Shenzhen-based company on Monday, the group’s research and development expenditure has grown at a compound annual growth rate of 18.2 percent since 2018.
It has built over 10 joint research platforms with prestigious universities and research institutions including Tsinghua University and South China University of Technology, and set up 20 overseas R&D centers and research institutes in regions like North America and Europe.
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“These developments have enabled us to establish a globalized innovation network and strengthen our position in global high-end equipment manufacturing,” said Li Yinhui, vice-president of the group.
The company’s efforts are in line with the country’s push to drive transformation and upgrade the manufacturing sector to achieve technological self-sufficiency, with remarkable progress being made.
Official data showed that the value-added of China’s high-tech manufacturing business had increased by 42 percent last year, compared with the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), accounting for 16.3 percent of the value-added of industrial enterprises above designated size.
“Technological innovation has played the role as a core driver in China’s process of becoming a manufacturing powerhouse,” said Hao Lulu, an analyst with market research company, CCID Consulting.
By breaking through key technological bottlenecks, advancing industrial upgrading and building a modern industrial system, the mainland’s manufacturing sector is transforming from “scale advantage” to “quality advantage”, she said.
According to CIMC’s white paper, the group is now home to 16 national-level “little giant” enterprises -- specialized and sophisticated small and medium-sized firms producing novel and unique goods and services.
It has also nurtured eight national-level “champion enterprises or products” in a single segment of manufacturing, including refrigerated containers, semi-trailers and passenger boarding bridges.
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The achievements have delivered significant real-world results. For example, driverless passenger boarding bridges have used machine vision technology to achieve fully automated and precise docking with aircraft doors. The 86 driverless passenger boarding bridges deployed at Lanzhou Airport have saved an average of 450 minutes for flights daily, enhancing efficiency by 65 percent, the report said.
Contact the writer at sally@chinadailyhk.com
