Looking at the transformation and upgrading of China's manufacturing from two bearings - a manufacturing power is accelerating its move towards a manufacturing powerhouse

Manufacturing is the foundation of a country and the basis of a strong country. Riding on the "number" and moving towards the "new", China's manufacturing transformation and upgrading steps are firm.

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized that "China cannot lack manufacturing at any time", "we must unswervingly strengthen, optimize and expand the manufacturing industry and the real economy", and "accelerate the construction of a manufacturing power".

Bearings are the "joints" of industry.

In June this year, the 16MW wind turbine units equipped with domestic main shaft bearings at Liuao Offshore Wind Farm in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province achieved batch operation and full capacity grid connection.

On Line 6 of Suzhou Metro in Jiangsu Province, the "China Railway 872" shield machine equipped with domestic 3-meter main bearings has made new contributions.

The two bearings, from nothing to something, and from something to excellence, reflect the solid pace of Chinese manufacturing from small to large, and from large to strong in the 75 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China.

China has the most complete industrial system in the world, with the overall scale of its manufacturing industry ranking first in the world for 14 consecutive years, and the output of more than 220 products ranking first in the world... The solid confidence, innovative momentum and surging vitality demonstrated by China's manufacturing provide strong support for advancing China's modernization.

The solid foundation of China's manufacturing industry can be seen from the complete industrial system

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "Manufacturing is the lifeline of the national economy" and "my country is a big country and must develop the real economy, continuously promote industrial modernization and improve the level of manufacturing."

Luoyang Bearing Group is a manufacturer of main shaft bearings for 16MW wind turbines. Wang Xinying, secretary of the Party Committee and chairman of the group, said frankly: "More than 10 years ago, we could not even 'touch' high-end bearings, but we had to bite this 'hard bone' no matter how difficult it was."

"Strengthen internal strength" and set up innovation platforms such as national key laboratories; "borrow external forces" and work closely with universities and institutes such as Tsinghua University. From new energy vehicle bearings to wind turbine main shaft bearings, to rail transit bearings, Luoyang Bearing's new products have been launched one after another and applied to major equipment such as "Chang'e", "Tiangong" and "China Sky Eye".

Luoyang Bearing has made "a type of product" to the extreme, and China Railway Construction Heavy Industry specializes in "a product" for shield machines.

Research and develop main bearings to fill in the "last piece of the puzzle" for the localization of the shield machine industry chain. In 2019, China Railway Construction Heavy Industry established a research and design institute, and after more than 1,000 days and nights, it finally successfully developed a 9-meter-class shield machine main bearing.

"This is the world's largest diameter and highest load-bearing shield machine main bearing, which can be used for the world's largest shield machine." Liu Feixiang, chief scientist of China Railway Construction Heavy Industry, said with emotion, "In the past, we did whatever work we had with the equipment, but now we can make whatever equipment we need."

Behind the two bearings is the solid confidence demonstrated by China's complete manufacturing industry system.

In 1949, the first furnace of molten iron in New China rushed out of Anshan Iron and Steel. Today, my country has been the world's largest steel producer for 28 consecutive years, and "hand-torn steel" has continuously broken world records; in 1956, the first Jiefang truck drove off the FAW production line. Today, my country's automobile production and sales have ranked first in the world for 15 consecutive years, and the production and sales of new energy vehicles have ranked first in the world for 9 consecutive years.

From "cannot make" to "can make" and then to "make well", we have completed the industrialization process of developed countries in hundreds of years in a few decades. The manufacturing industry has 31 major categories, 179 medium categories and 609 small categories. The world's most complete industrial categories and industrial systems, the resilience and competitiveness of the industrial chain and supply chain continue to improve. In 2023, the added value of manufacturing will account for 26.2% of GDP and about 30% of the world.

With a strong physique and strong muscles, today's Made in China has a rock-solid foundation and confidence.

Looking at the innovative momentum of China's manufacturing from the perspective of industrial chain collaboration.

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: "The core of manufacturing is innovation, that is, mastering key core technologies. We must rely on self-reliance and strive for independent innovation." Behind the breakthrough of the main bearing of the 9-meter shield machine is an innovative "relay" involving raw materials, industrial mother machines, engineering applications and other links-"unbreakable and unbreakable", the material must be hard enough first. Taking the inner gear ring of the main bearing as an example, the 8 mm thick ring layer needs to have a Rockwell hardness greater than 58, and conventional medium-carbon bearing steel is far from meeting the standard. What to do? China Railway Construction Heavy Industry cooperated with universities and selected the best steel element ratio after more than 2 years, more than 30 groups of tests, and millions of fatigue tests. Many steel companies have gone through dozens of technical discussions and tests to turn the formula into a product. With materials, precision processing is also required. The domestically produced 9-meter high-speed CNC gear milling machine tool jointly developed by China Railway Construction Heavy Industry and its partners will start research and development in 2020, roll off the product line in 2022, and the localization rate will exceed 90%, helping the main bearing to roll off the line smoothly. The research and development of 16MW wind turbine main shaft bearings is also inseparable from the "group operations" of relevant parties.

"There are no relevant reference materials for large-megawatt wind turbine main shaft bearings. At the critical moment, the host manufacturer Goldwind Technology sent the operation data of various types of wind turbines, which solved the "urgent need." Yao Dong, director of the wind power department of Luoyang Axle Sales Corporation, said with emotion, "With solidarity and collaborative innovation, China's manufacturing has unlimited possibilities."

Large, medium and small enterprises integrate innovation, and all parties in industry, academia and research work together. Large aircraft soar in the blue sky, high-speed maglev flies close to the ground, and domestic large cruise ships are put into commercial use... A large number of major landmark innovative achievements lead China's manufacturing to continue to climb to new heights. In 2023, the added value of high-tech manufacturing will account for 15.7% of the added value of industrial enterprises above designated size, an increase of 6.3 percentage points from 2012.

Upgrading traditional industries by introducing the new; keeping up with the times and strengthening emerging industries; focusing on the forefront and laying out future industries... my country develops new quality productivity according to local conditions and constantly creates new momentum and new advantages for development. At present, strategic emerging industries account for about 13% of GDP, and the number of high-tech enterprises in the country has reached 463,000.

With the spirit of self-improvement, China's manufacturing is full of innovations.

The surging vitality of Chinese manufacturing from the perspective of high-end, intelligent and green development.

General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized, "Promote the high-end, intelligent and green development of manufacturing."

Comprehensively upgrade, layout high-end, bearing products continue to "update":

On March 10, the bearing of the 40-meter-diameter radio telescope in Changbai Mountain developed by Luoyang Bearing passed the acceptance. In the future, the radio telescope will accurately "guide" the lunar probe.

On March 14, the world's first 25-megawatt wind turbine main shaft bearing was successfully rolled off the production line at Luoyang Bearing Research Technology, breaking the global record for the largest single-unit capacity of wind turbine bearings.

Products are more high-end, and production must be more intelligent. Walking into the assembly plant of the Second Industrial Park of China Railway Construction Heavy Industry in Changsha, there is a real workshop and a digital workshop, online and offline, and real-time synchronization.

"Look, this is a set of digital twin images of the front of the shield machine cutter head. The different shades of color represent the force and wear of the blade." Wang Yongsheng, deputy director of the Digital Twin Research Institute of China Railway Construction Heavy Industry, said that by analyzing these data in real time, engineers can optimize the next generation of products in a targeted manner.

"Two bearings" is a microcosm. Continuously promote industrial optimization and upgrading, and Made in China has achieved fruitful results.

Climbing to both ends of the "smile curve". The energy density of mass-produced power battery cells reached 300 watt-hours per kilogram, which is at the international leading level; the efficiency of crystalline silicon-perovskite stacked batteries reached 34.6%, repeatedly breaking world records; the annual export of the "new three" of new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products exceeded the trillion yuan mark... Made in China is accelerating its move towards the middle and high end of the global industry.

Deeply advancing into the "integration of digital and real". The penetration rate of digital R&D and design tools in key industrial enterprises reached 80.1%, the CNC rate of key processes reached 62.9%, and the industrial Internet achieved full coverage of major industrial categories... The pace of industrial digitalization and digital industrialization is accelerating.

Continue to make efforts towards "green and low-carbon". Promote green and low-carbon transformation, build a green manufacturing system, and cultivate and expand green industries... In the first two years of the "14th Five-Year Plan", the energy consumption per unit of added value of industrial enterprises above designated size has decreased by 6.8%.

Aiming at "high technology", pursuing "high efficiency", and moving towards "high quality", today's Made in China has shown a new look, opened up new space, and stimulated new vitality.

"We will focus on promoting new industrialization, developing new quality productivity, maintaining a reasonable proportion of manufacturing, organically combining the construction of a manufacturing power with the development of the digital economy and industrial informatization, and accelerate the construction of a modern industrial system with advanced manufacturing as the backbone." said Jin Zhuanglong, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.