Quanzhou: A Surge of Momentum in Building a “Smart Manufacturing Powerhouse”

At the testing center of the China Leather and Footwear Industry Research Institute (Jinjiang) Co., Ltd., technicians use advanced instruments to evaluate the slip resistance of shoe soles.

Guided by the spirit of the 13th Municipal Party Congress, Quanzhou is accelerating its efforts to build a “smart manufacturing powerhouse.” Recently, the city held a mobilization conference and a video‑based deployment meeting for a special campaign focused on green and digital technological upgrades and on fostering innovation to drive practical applications. During interviews with businesses, reporters observed that, across areas such as intelligent transformation, green upgrading, digital transformation, and innovations in the science‑and‑technology governance system, a vigorous wave of momentum toward building a “smart manufacturing powerhouse” is sweeping through Quanzhou.

In the smart workshop of Fujian Hua’ang Sporting Goods Co., Ltd., shoe‑making processes that once relied on manual labor—such as heating, glue spraying, and laminating—have all been replaced by intelligent production lines. “We have one workshop with just 11 workers, yet it can produce 3,000 pairs of shoes a day,” says Chairman Huang Jinhuang, highlighting the benefits of smart manufacturing. “The digital transformation has cut our staffing needs for the molding line by 75%, while boosting annual production capacity by 25% and doubling the average order value. This year, even the international luxury brand Versace reached out to collaborate with us.” Having reaped these rewards, Hua’ang Sporting Goods is now building a digital R&D center: “Next year, we’ll be able to transition to fully digital operations, achieving end-to-end visibility across our entire production process.”

Stepping into the testing center of the China Leather and Footwear Industry Research Institute (Jinjiang) Co., Ltd., one finds more than 300 diverse testing instruments distributed across various laboratories. These devices can assess nearly every performance characteristic of a pair of shoes, including abrasion resistance, resistance to damp heat, resistance to water and alkali, slip resistance, and skin‑friendly tactile properties. The reporter observed an apparatus rapidly folding and compressing a series of shoe samples to evaluate flexural durability; according to the staff, the test is conducted until the samples have undergone 50,000 cycles. “Now, footwear and apparel companies in Quanzhou no longer need to travel to Beijing for technical services,” said a responsible official at the institute. The testing center has obtained CNAS and CMA accreditation, enabling it to provide third‑party testing for 96 product categories across seven major textile and footwear segments, covering 244 specific parameters. Last year alone, it delivered technical services to over 520 enterprises.

At the showroom of Xintai (Fujian) Technology Co., Ltd., a pair of digitally enabled athletic shoes leaves visitors in awe. Equipped with an embedded, automatically controlled airbag system, these shoes allow users to adjust their tightness via voice commands through a mobile app. Beyond product development, Xintai has also embarked on a digital transformation on the manufacturing side. According to company staff, its industrial IoT platform enables real-time monitoring and control of every piece of equipment and each production process in the workshop, while simultaneously tracking energy consumption—such as water, electricity, coal, and gas—and leveraging big data to analyze production efficiency. Riding the momentum of the digital economy, Xintai is currently accelerating the construction of its 5G‑enabled smart manufacturing industrial park in Shishi.

At the red‑flag demonstration production line of Fujian Panpan Beverage Co., Ltd., within a sterile workshop spanning several thousand square meters, one can see at a glance a seamless sequence of processes—water treatment, ingredient preparation, cap manufacturing, bottle molding, blow‑molding, filling, label application, wrapping, and palletizing. According to the responsible manager, this Krones aseptic filling machine, sourced from Germany, is among the world’s most advanced automated aseptic filling systems. It features 100 filling heads and 30 capping heads, enabling fully automatic cleaning and sterilization of both bottles and caps, with an hourly capacity of up to 43,200 bottles. “We operate a nationally CNAS‑accredited testing and inspection center, and our facility boasts a Class 100,000 cleanroom environment equipped with three‑stage air filtration and constant temperature and humidity control,” he added.

Reporter Wang Shufan / Text, Chen Xiaoyang / Photos
[Source: Quanzhou Net]