Stationery industry gains momentum nationwide as new school year nears

Near the start of the new school year, an office supplies company in Zhukou, Qingyuan county, east China's Zhejiang Province, is running its automated production lines at full speed. Pencils in various styles are packaged and shipped to destinations across the country.

Qingyuan is one of China's largest pencil production bases. It is home to more than 50 pencil manufacturers and supporting processing companies, producing 10 billion pencils a year, or more than 40 percent of the national total. More than 85 percent of its products are exported to over 100 countries and regions, including Europe, the United States and Southeast Asia.

Photo shows pencils manufactured in Qingyuan county, east China's Zhejiang Province. (Photo/Lishui News Media Center)

In the past 40-plus years, Qingyuan has built a complete industrial chain covering pencils, pencil leads, eraser tips, pencil slats, printing and packaging. More than 600 pencil brands are now registered in the county.

In Lai'an county, Chuzhou, east China's Anhui Province, automated production lines are running at a steady pace in the workshop of a local stationery company.

The company now offers more than 2,500 products. It has participated in the formulation and revision of several national and industry standards, and exports its products to more than 100 countries and regions.

Zhao Qiang, head of the company, picked up a magnetic eraser designed to collect shavings and demonstrated how it works. After using one end to erase marks on paper, he brought the other end close to the paper, and the shavings were automatically drawn onto the eraser. A gentle flick over a trash bin sent the shavings into the bin, leaving the eraser clean.

Behind the innovation is a young design team. "In the past, people thought an eraser only needed to erase marks. Now consumers want products that are easy to use, good-looking and fun," said Zhao.

The company has recruited professionals in design and other fields to form a young R&D and design team of more than 30 people. Thanks to this team, the company now holds three invention patents, more than 30 utility model patents and over 100 design patents, and has developed more than 2,500 differentiated eraser products.

At an automated production workshop of a paper company in Gaotang county, Liaocheng, east China's Shandong Province, production lines are running at full capacity.

"We are now at the peak of preparations for the new school term, with several million exercise books shipped from here to destinations across the country every day," said Li Wei, director of the workshop.

Over the decades, Gaotang's exercise book industry has evolved from manual production to automation. It has developed to encompass R&D, manufacturing, distribution and brand management, supported by a complete industrial chain. It now has an annual production capacity of more than 600 million exercise books, with total output exceeding 200 million yuan (about $29.76 million). Its products are exported to more than 10 countries and regions.

In recent years, Gaotang's exercise book industry has integrated online and offline sales and developed both domestic and international markets. While achieving full coverage across major e-commerce platforms, it has also tapped into instant retail, allowing consumers to order exercise books through apps just as they would order food for delivery, with nearby stores providing rapid delivery.