An electric locomotive from CRRC Corporation Limited (CRRC) runs on a railway in South Africa. (Photo / CRRC)

CRRC Corporation Limited, a major manufacturer of rail transit equipment in China, has sharpened its competitive edge in the global market.

As a key exporter of the country's high-end equipment, the company has exported products and services to more than 100 countries and regions, including key markets including Europe, North America and Australia.

In recent years, it has firmly grasped the opportunities of the Belt and Road Initiative, actively expanding its international market. Until now, it has taken root in more countries along the Belt and Road such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Indonesia and Malaysia. It gives the "domestic time-honored brand" new vitality.

CRRC's advantages derive from its high-quality products and technical standards. In 2016, the SDA1 diesel locomotive manufactured by the company's Ziyang branch passed a test needed for its operation in Australia. The test, known as "devil's corner" due to its difficulties, was carried out on the railway from Hawkesbury River to the Cowan Bank. The length of the railway is about 8.6 km with an average slope of more than 25 thousandths. Moreover, it is a continuous S-shaped section. The locomotive passed the certification test in the third trial, overtaking its U.S. rival.

Since 2013, CRRC has issued 89 international standards, 239 domestic standards and 703 industrial standards currently in effect, boosting exports of China's locomotives.

The company's success overseas also lies in its localization strategy, including hiring local employees. It has 215 local employees at its North American branch in Massachusetts as of April 2017, CRRC had hired nearly 400 employees in Malaysia, 80 percent of whom were locals.

According to SCI Verkehr, an independent, globally active consulting company for the mobility industry, CRRC ranked first in annual revenue among all rail transit equipment enterprises in the world in 2018, outweighing the following Western heavyweights Bombardier and Alstom combined.

Serving as the epitome of rail transit equipment enterprises, CRRC fully demonstrates the competitive edge of Chinese railway vehicles on a global level.