High Quality Development Research Tour | "Making Enterprises Come Home Like Going Home" Qingyuan enhances industrial attractiveness → Total Area | City | Enterprises
Qingyuan City in Guangdong Province is a city with a history of only 35 years. Although its total area accounts for more than 10% of the total land area of Guangdong Province, its industrial foundation is weak, and many people here have been living a slow life in small cities.
However, in recent years, there have been new changes in "small" cities, and many large enterprises have come here. Why did they come to Qingyuan? What changes have been brought to people's lives here?
"Small" City Comes with "Big" Enterprises
Oupai Integrated Home Furnishings was one of the first companies to arrive in Qingyuan from Guangzhou. When the reporter arrived here, it was in time for the factory to finish work. The workshop temporarily quieted down, and the company manager enthusiastically led the reporter to the employee's living area.
Zhong Bo, Secretary of the Party Branch of Qingyuan Oupai Integrated Home Furnishings Co., Ltd.: This is the cafeteria in our eastern living area, catering to the difficult situation of our employees. The taste of Cantonese people is relatively light, and the window here is to meet the relatively spicy needs.
Featuring unique scenery, various cuisines, and even a relaxing singing space, it creates a completely different environment from the imagined factory area.
For the city of Qingyuan, companies like Oupai are truly a novelty.
In 2014, due to the gradual rise of the concept of "large home furnishings", which refers to full category customization, the originally dispersed production model can no longer meet the needs of the market. To integrate the production of various product categories, at least six to seven hundred acres of factory land are needed, which is not realistic in a place like Guangzhou where every inch of land is worth every penny. Qingyuan, the closest city to Guangzhou, has entered the sight of enterprises.
Zhong Bo, Party Branch Secretary of Qingyuan Oupai Integrated Home Furnishings Co., Ltd.: Not only in terms of land price, but also in terms of water, electricity, and other necessary supporting facilities, there are many advantages, and transportation is also relatively convenient.
If there are leading enterprises in Guangzhou willing to come, of course, Qingyuan should fully support them. In order for enterprises to feel the same business environment as Guangzhou, all service standards of Qingyuan are benchmarking against Guangzhou.
In the government service hall, the reporter saw that real estate registration, tax approval, and environmental protection assessment, which should have been completed by different local government departments, can all be handled in a one-stop manner in the hall.
Zhong Bo, Secretary of the Party Branch of Qingyuan Oupai Integrated Home Furnishings Co., Ltd.: The procedures for our company's establishment were completed in half a day. I can't imagine this is Qingyuan, I feel like I've enjoyed the service in Guangzhou.
Chu Dajun, Secretary of the Party Working Committee of Guangqing Industrial Park in Guangqing Special Economic Cooperation Zone: As we later wrote, "Everything is for investors, everything is for enterprises." The Qingyuan Municipal Government has authorized the administrative approval authority of the park management committee for 74 items, which can be completed without leaving the park.
Not only has Guangzhou introduced advanced service concepts, but the governments of Guangzhou and Qingyuan are also cooperating to improve the surrounding supporting facilities. Now, commuting buses directly from the park to Guangzhou Huadu can achieve a one hour living circle between the two places; The accelerated construction of Guangdong Vocational Education City has now become one of the three largest vocational education parks in China, continuously filling the gap of local skilled talents.
With advantages in transportation, services, and talent, a group of advanced enterprises in Guangzhou have begun to take the initiative to focus on Qingyuan, forming a series of cooperation models such as "Guangzhou headquarters+Qingyuan base", "Guangzhou R&D+Qingyuan manufacturing", "Guangzhou incubation+Qingyuan industrialization", and so on.
Nowadays, advanced production lines are driving the leapfrog development of Qingyuan's industry. In 2021, Qingyuan became the first city in northern Guangdong to surpass the 200 billion yuan mark in GDP. This small town, which used to have weak industries, also has the industrial appeal of a big city.
"Small" cities also have high precision and cutting-edge technology
The arrival of large enterprises has brought about a qualitative leap in Qingyuan's manufacturing industry. However, during the investigation, the reporter found that the high-quality development of industry in this city not only relies on external forces, but also has its own perseverance and innovation.
CCTV reporter Wang Shiyu: There is a very famous tea called Yinghong No. 9 in Yinghong Town, Qingyuan City. In such a green land, there is a national high-tech enterprise, whose product is called aerogel, which is internationally recognized as a high-tech material. What level of new materials can be developed from such a remote town?
Some of the products in front of us look like foam boards, while others look like ordinary cotton cloth. Where are they?
Zheng Yali, assistant general manager of Guangdong Ellison Company: Aerogel has a very good heat insulation performance and will not have any toxic smoke. This spray gun has a flame temperature of over 1200 degrees. The burnt part appears in a red or yellow state, but on the back, it can be touched directly with your hand without any problems.
A thin layer of material can isolate high temperatures of over 1200 degrees. According to the person in charge, aerogel has 14 records, including the lowest density of solid, the lowest thermal conductivity, and the highest acoustic impedance. It is not only not afraid of burning, but also afraid of cold. It can withstand a low temperature of minus 2 degrees centigrade, and can also be waterproof. It can be used in aerospace, power, construction and other industries. However, the difficulty from research and development to achieving mass production is extremely high, and it was once monopolized by foreign countries for a long time.
Lai Yuanxiang, Assistant Manager of the Production Department of Guangdong Elison Company: The things in the laboratory are quite idealized, but there are many changes during the production process. For example, the thermal conductivity may be very low in the laboratory, but when it comes to the workshop, the environment, and suddenly magnified by many times, it will undergo drastic changes.
Aiming at the gap of domestic aerogel products, the company was established in Qingyuan in 2007. I initially chose this place because the land resources were abundant and the price was cheap, making it affordable for start-up companies. But surrounded by mountains, there are not many companies in total, let alone technology companies. They not only need to overcome environmental shortcomings, but also overcome psychological difficulties.
Zhang Qiuhua, Technical Director of Guangdong Elison Company: Every researcher should have the courage and determination to tolerate loneliness. Everyone thinks this is difficult, your industry is weak, or your unit is small. Can we become stronger through self-reliance and self-improvement.
Zhang Qiuhua has been here since graduating from graduate school, and this year is already the 14th year. She said she was doing scientific research in the mountains, but it only made her calm down. In order to overcome the difficulties of mass production, enterprises continuously increase research and development investment while updating their production lines. Only by narrowing the gap between laboratory data and workshop data can accuracy improve.
Lai Yuanxiang, Assistant Manager of the Production Department of Guangdong Elison Company: The earliest workshops were relatively rudimentary, and many things were made by hand. After being automated, as long as the parameters are set, it will automatically help me adjust them. It has become more precise, and now the error will be smaller and smaller.
After more than ten years of technological breakthroughs, the thinnest aerogel products produced by the enterprise are only a few tenths of a millimeter, which can be used as thermal insulation materials for power batteries of new energy vehicles; And large-scale products are applied in a series of major projects, including the roof system and curved curtain wall system of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics speed skating rink. The technical level is internationally leading, with a domestic market share of over one-third.
Zheng Yali, assistant general manager of Guangdong Ellison Company: After the expansion at the end of this year, we can achieve a capacity of 70000 cubic meters, and will become the largest aerogel material manufacturer in the world.
How can the industries of "small" cities continue to develop?
With star enterprises and independent innovation, it seems that Qingyuan's path to high-quality industrial development should be smooth. However, during the investigation by the reporter, the local person in charge said that they have also taken many detours in the development of the industry. What kind of difficulties did you encounter and how did you solve them?
When visiting multiple government departments, when asked about the biggest advantage of Qingyuan's industrial development, several officials gave the answer "location advantage". Indeed, the distance from Qingyuan City to Guangzhou and Foshan does not exceed 100 kilometers. It's not difficult to attract companies to come at such a close distance as long as enough favorable conditions are given.
Chen Jianwen, Deputy Director of the Management Committee of Qingyuan High tech Zone: Our land resource factor cost is still relatively low. The second cost of living is also relatively low. The third transportation location is very prominent. In the field of investment attraction back then, no matter what project came, we would introduce it and develop it in an extensive manner.
Based on its location advantage and relatively extensive investment attraction, Qingyuan's industry has indeed experienced rapid development, with GDP growth rate ranking first in the province for seven consecutive years. But the problem is gradually becoming apparent. Speed does not necessarily mean high quality, and attracting more industries does not necessarily mean long-term cultivation.
In the latest industrial layout introduced by the National High tech Zone in Qingyuan City, the former new energy and modern service industries are no longer present. Chen Jianwen told reporters that there is no new energy foundation or industrial support in the local area, and for over a decade, the high-tech zone has only attracted two new energy enterprises.
Chen Jianwen, Deputy Director of the Management Committee of Qingyuan High tech Zone: New energy, the enterprise we have recently attracted, is indeed very difficult. I remember signing a contract with us in 2012, and construction only began last year. Industry development emphasizes agglomeration effects. Based on our actual situation, we consider that materials are one of our main strengths and have a history of over 20 years of development. Our leading enterprises are influential in terms of technology and scale output value within the industry, and they have formed a cluster.
Not all industries are suitable for development. After realizing this issue, the industrial layout of the high-tech zone has changed from the original "5+1" to "3+1", with new materials as the leading industry, starting to upgrade towards high-end and comprehensive industrial chains. In the latest investment projects, the proportion of industries related to new materials has reached 62%. On this list, the progress and implementation of the project, as well as the problems encountered, are all clearly visible.
Originally, a list and a ledger were already detailed enough, but Chen Jianwen took out another pocket book from his pocket, on which he knew every project very well. Chen Jianwen said that Qingyuan's industry started relatively late and did not have any more advantages. Therefore, it needs to provide better services than others, making the company feel like going home. Over time, the quality of enterprises attracting investment will improve, and local enterprises will also be nurtured and grown stronger.
Chen Jianwen, Deputy Director of the Management Committee of Qingyuan High tech Zone: Development cannot do without a good business environment. If the business environment is not good, your reputation will definitely not be good, and some projects will be lost. So when we serve home, for example, if this place involves sewage issues or loans, I have to help him go. This is what we are asking for ourselves to do, so we have a clear understanding.
It is under such careful cultivation that Qingyuan's new materials industry continues to grow. In 2022, the total industrial output value of the advanced materials industry in the city is about 140 billion yuan, accounting for over 50% of the city's total. The industrial chain is constantly improving, and a number of national level specialized and innovative "little giants" and "single champion" enterprises have emerged upstream and downstream. They have broken through technologies such as semiconductor research and development, ultra-fine glass fiber industrialization, and formed an industrial cluster of cutting-edge new materials such as high-end aluminum profiles, rare metals, and advanced modified plastics, driving the sustained high-quality development of Qingyuan's industry.
Research Notes
In terms of area, Qingyuan is not considered a small city, but if we consider the development history and size of the manufacturing industry, it is indeed an industrial "small" city. However, in our research, we have seen that a weak foundation does not mean that one cannot catch up from behind. As long as entrepreneurs have the entrepreneurial spirit, the government has the determination to cultivate, and is firmly committed to the path of high-quality development, "small" cities also have large industries and great development.
