Zhuzhou, a city located in central China’s province, has emerged as a manufacturing powerhouse with a thriving economy. The city’s economic aggregate ranks fifth in the province and it boasts the second-highest per capita GDP in the region. Zhuzhou is known for its expertise in manufacturing engines for small and medium aircraft, with nine out of 10 of such engines made in the city. Additionally, rail transit equipment manufacturing is a prominent industry in Zhuzhou.
In line with its objective to transition towards high-end, smart, and green production, the city has 58 specialized and sophisticated small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), 25 of which are national-level key “little giant” enterprises. Zhuzhou has also made significant progress in the area of technological innovation, with 65% of economic growth attributed to it. The city has built a multi-tier innovation system consisting of two national key laboratories, 61 national-level innovation platforms, and 378 provincial-level innovation platforms.
Zhuzhou’s administrative efficiency is also noteworthy, with one-stop services available for over 300 administrative items, and a reduction of more than 80% in the time taken to handle administrative items since 2019. The city’s supply chain is highly efficient, with over 10,000 spare parts needed to build an electric locomotive available within a 5-km radius, according to Chen Yujie, a technical supervisor from the workshop of the urban rail transit department of CRRC Zhuzhou Electric Co., Ltd.
The city’s achievements in manufacturing are not limited to rail transit equipment and engines. Zhuzhou Cemented Carbide Group Co., Ltd., for instance, has developed a carbide drill that can bore 2,500 holes on a printed circuit board the size of a fingernail with remarkable accuracy. Previously, such drills were imported, but the company’s innovation has broken the foreign monopoly on the product after more than 20 years of research.
At the beginning of 2023, CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co., Ltd. started trial operations of subway trains designed and produced in Zhuzhou, on a metro line that connects central Istanbul and the city’s new international airport. With advanced industry-university-research institute synergy and a commitment to innovation, Zhuzhou’s manufacturing sector continues to thrive.
