Heavy industrial enterprises eye green, innovative shift

TIANJIN, June 6 (Xinhua) -- It only took a few years for a private company in north China's Tianjin Municipality to make the transition from the steel industry to the big data sector. This transformation stands as an example of the city's heavy industrial sector embracing a green revolution.

"Faced with challenges including the steel overcapacity and environmental protection pressure, we made up our mind to change our business," said Zhang Jian, general manager of the Tianjin GiantDC Data Technology Co., Ltd.

Founded in 2019, the company's predecessor is a steel enterprise with decades of history in the Beichen District. Both the steel and big data industries demand high in the supporting electricity facilities, making the shift possible.

In recent years, the district, a traditional industrial hub of Tianjin, has been looking for eco-friendly innovative upgrades, especially in its private sector, in a bid to respond to China's top design of sustainable development and to attract more investors.

In the first quarter of this year, Beichen's private sector posted more than 9 billion yuan (about 1.27 billion U.S. dollars) in output value, accounting for 55 percent of the district's total GDP in the period.

At the production workshop of the Masterwork Group Co., Ltd., a world-leading die-cutting machine, newly developed by the company, can make 9,000 sheets of products per hour. The equipment was packed up, ready to be delivered to Europe.

"More than 20 high-end die-cutters of the same model have been sold in the past few months. There are even more new orders placed by overseas clients, a growing demand almost hard to meet," said Zhang Zishen, vice president of the company.

Last year, the company, among the district's other companies which also take a lead in industrial innovations, was listed in the seventh batch of individual champion enterprises in the manufacturing sector by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

These enterprises have focused on specific products in the sector, which has resulted in the development of cutting-edge production technologies. It has also allowed them to win large market shares over the globe.

The leading role of such enterprises is prominent, which has encouraged other private companies to make more innovations, according to Yin Jihui, head of Tianjin's industry and information technology bureau.

Another steel manufacturer based in the district, Silver Dragon Prestressed Materials Co., Ltd., has also carved out its own eco-friendly, high-tech way to save energy costs during its daily production.

In 2022, the company invested nearly 10 million yuan on its 2,000 kilowatt photovoltaic power generation project. The project makes good use of the company's rooftops, with nearly 4,000 photovoltaic power generation panels installed on the rooftops of its workshops and office buildings and the like.

"It is expected to help save 2 million yuan annually with regard to our energy cost," said Xie Zhifeng, the company's chairman.

With their industrial layout optimized, better integration with intelligent technologies as well as greener production models, private companies in Beichen have explored their own high-quality development path over the years, said Xu Wei, deputy head of the district.

By the end of last year, the output value of Beichen's strategic emerging industries accounted for 47.9 percent of its total GDP. This stunning figure ranked among the best compared with Tianjin's other districts, Xu added.

"The new development path of the private sector in Beichen has injected more vitality into the industries and helped form a benign industrial structure," the official said.