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Innovation Revitalizing China's Traditional Industries
The Yanzhou Coal Mining Group in east China's Shandong Province, which lost about 20 million yuan (about 2.4 million) annually two decades ago, has ranked first in the country's coal industry in terms of sales, profits, and taxes for four consecutive years.
It has also become China's largest coal exporter.
Zhao Jingche, chairman of the group, attributes this success to the development and application of advanced mining technology. "By using this technology, one coal face can now produce five million tons of raw coal a year, five times the pre-1994 figure," Zhao said, adding that the new technology will soon be exported to Australia.
China's traditional industries, including coal mining, textiles, and automobiles, which face both challenges and opportunities at a time of economic globalization and worldwide scientific and technological development, have entered the critical stage of restructuring and upgrading with new and high technologies, said Sheng Huaren, Minister in charge of China's State Economic and Trade Commission, while attending the China Technological Innovation Achievements Fair held on May 27-29.
According to Sheng, these industries, stricken with problems of outdated equipment, inefficiency, and widespread losses over the past decades, have shown signs of revitalizing thanks to nationwide efforts to boost innovation in recent years. The more than 900 enterprises at the fair, including Hai'er, Chunlan, and Lucky, which inked a total of 2,500 deals, are all beneficiaries of the innovation efforts.
The China Lucky Group Corporation, a major color film producer, was almost put out of business by Kodak and Fuji products in the 1980s.
However, in 1990 the group began to devote itself to improving its product mix and quality, and has since launched five generations of color film, photographic paper, copy paper, and several other new products.
The group has now captured a 24 percent share of the Chinese color film market while extending exports to more than 40 countries.
With annual sales of 778 million yuan (about US$93.73 million), the group is currently busy building a state-level sensitive material research center.
"Propelled by innovation, Lucky must be able to secure a larger share of the international market," said Xu Yanfang, vice director of the group's scientific research office.
China's national technological innovation system is scheduled to come about in the new century. At that time, analysts say, enterprises in traditional industries will be armed with the means to compete more effectively.
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