Equipment making to spur transformation

Northern province keen to move on from heavy industrial past by embracing new technology

CRRC Taiyuan, a major railway equipment manufacturer based in North China's Shanxi province, recently announced the trial operation of its 96-head rail grinder on Oct 23. The announcement shows the company has reached an advanced level in the domestic industrial chain.

The rail grinder is a large-sized rail-borne machine and a crucial piece of equipment for the maintenance of railway lines.

The vehicle made by CRRC Taiyuan is equipped with 96 electric motors and 96 grinding heads. It cost nearly 100 million yuan ($15 million) in research and development and manufacturing processes, according to Jia Fei, a senior engineer in charge of the project.

He said that after about a monthlong trial, the product is expected to be delivered to client by the end of the year.

China uses mostly imported 16-head rail grinders to grind and polish the tracks of the most extensive railway system in the world, according to Jia.

"Compared with the 16-head version, the 96-head machine we produce features a much more powerful performance and much higher efficiency, leading to a longer life cycle of the rails," He said.

With a history of about 120 years, CRRC Taiyuan is one of the leading railway maintenance equipment suppliers in China.

Shi Hongbin, board chairman of the company, said the 96-head rail grinder and other railway equipment like rail ballast wagons and cement hoppers are cutting-edge products the company developed in recent years based on its improved R&D capability.

In cooperation with the CRRC Electrical Locomotive Research Institute based in Zhuzhou, Hunan province, the company founded a branch company in Taiyuan in January 2019 for the R&D of rail construction and maintenance machines. The 96-head grinder is the latest product developed by the branch, according to Shi.

"In addition to large-sized track maintenance equipment, we also offer products and solutions for the maintenance of electrical locomotives and rail-borne vehicles," the executive said.

During the first three quarters of this year, CRRC Taiyuan delivered more than 5,000 units of railway and train maintenance equipment to clients, fulfilling its sales target for the period despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

"As a major player designated by the provincial authorities for Shanxi's recent industrial upgrade and transformation, CRRC Taiyuan will continuously develop more cutting-edge products and solutions to get onto the higher end of the industrial chain," Shi said.

Shanxi is carrying out a huge campaign to shift its coal-reliant economy to one that features diversified sectors and advanced technologies.

Local authorities have pinned hopes on the equipment manufacturing sector to make such a shift possible.

They expect the sector to provide more products, technologies and solutions to upgrade Shanxi's traditional industries and foster new, emerging ones.

They also hope the equipment made in Shanxi will earn greater recognition across China and in the rest of the world.

The Shanxi Transition and Comprehensive Reform Demonstration Zone, which includes four industrial development areas in Taiyuan and its neighboring Jinzhong city, is the major venue that hosts projects relating to industrial transition.

The Shanxi Construction Equipment Manufacturing Base was one of the first projects to be launched in the zone.

"Construction of the project is underway and it is scheduled to be operational in July 2021," said Zhang Zefeng, an executive of the company in charge of construction.

The facility is expected to produce 1,000 cranes and 1,500 construction hoists annually, among other equipment, Zhang said.

Also in the zone is a smart mining equipment project launched by Datong Coal Mine Group. It is the company's latest move to tap into the emerging equipment manufacturing sector.

Datong Coal Mine Group's latest offering is called the "smart, comprehensive coal-mining system". It includes equipment such as drilling machines, mining machines, conveyors, and monitoring and safety devices, as well as central control units that connect all the devices together, according to Chen Yongxin, an executive of the company.

Chen said Datong Coal Mine's manufacturing facility reported a sales revenue of 1 billion yuan last year, marking a breakthrough in the company's efforts in operational transformation.