Scale of knife and scissor industry exceeds 55 billion yuan in Yangjiang, S China's Guangdong

Common tools like knives and scissors are familiar to every household. In China, there's a city where the knife and scissors production accounts for 75 percent of the national output and 85 percent of the national export volume. With an industry scale exceeding 55 billion yuan (about $7.52 billion), this city is Yangjiang city, south China's Guangdong Province.

Thanks to years of efforts, Yangjiang has established a complete industrial chain in the knife and scissor industry. The city now houses over 2,000 hardware knife and scissor manufacturers and more than 8,500 related business entities. These manufacturers produce over 5,000 types of products, which are sold to more than 130 countries and regions.

In recent years, knife and scissor companies in Yangjiang have embraced innovation to meet market demands. Yangjiang Smart Wife Kitchenware Manufacturing Co., Ltd. developed a smart disinfection set combining chopping boards, knives, scissors, and knife sharpeners with one-touch drying and sterilization features. The company also incorporated Chinese design elements to meet customer preferences.

The city has established two industry-academia-research alliances, several new-type research and development institutions, and multiple research centers for the hardware knife and scissor industry to support technological innovation. As a result, the total output value of the city's hardware knife and scissor industry exceeded 55 billion yuan in 2024, and 200,000 people were directly or indirectly involved in the sector.

Many knife and scissor firms in Yangjiang have pursued digital transformation. For instance, Yangjiang Shibazi Group Co., Ltd., a leading kitchen knife brand in the city, has developed automated heat treatment and polishing equipment. The company has comprehensive technical improvement plans and collaborates with research institutions and suppliers to overcome technical challenges.

"Digital transformation has helped us reduce costs and improve efficiency. It has become the prevailing trend," said Li Zexin, production director of the company.

Guangdong Tuobituo Technology Co., Ltd. has attached great importance to independent research and development to improve product quality, conducted market research overseas to seek new opportunities, and explored suitable models to go global. The company has also signed contracts with over 100 designers across the world, boosting product innovation.

"The collaborative effort of our diverse design team has helped meet consumers' personalized needs, making our products popular both at home and abroad," said Zhou Hongfeng, founder of Guangdong Tuobituo Technology Co., Ltd. Zhou added that greater achievements in brand building can be made by staying market-oriented and creating globally competitive core products.

Since 2002, Yangjiang has hosted 23 sessions of the China (Yangjiang) International Hardware Knives and Scissors Fair, creating opportunities for brand building and cooperation in the industry. According to statistics, exports of Yangjiang's hardware knives and scissors surged by 10.6 percent in the first 11 months of 2024.