Mold industry: "Transfer" to the Midwest is the preferred place

At present, the division of labor between the international and domestic industries is profoundly adjusted, and the transfer of industries from the eastern coastal areas to the central and western regions has accelerated. The Midwest region has the advantages of abundant resources, low factor costs, and large market potential. Actively undertaking industrial transfer at home and abroad will not only help speed up the process of new-type industrialization and urbanization in the central and western regions, promote regional coordinated development, but also help promote the eastern coastal areas. The economic transformation and upgrading will optimize the pattern of industrial division of labor throughout the country. In order to further guide the central and western regions in order to undertake industrial transfer, improve the cooperation mechanism, optimize the development environment, and standardize the development order. The State Council recently issued the Guiding Opinions on the Acceptance of Industrial Transfer in the Central and Western Regions, which indicates the direction of China's industrial transfer.

According to relevant responsible persons of the National Development and Reform Commission, the relative saturation of capital in the eastern coastal regions such as the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, and the Bohai Rim, coupled with tighter supply of such factors as land, labor, and energy, will speed up the economic transition and structural upgrading. The vast infrastructure of the central and western regions has been gradually improved, the factor cost advantage is obvious, and the industrial development space is relatively large. In this context, not long ago, the State Council officially issued the Guiding Opinions on the Acceptance of Industrial Transfer in the Central and Western Regions to support and guide the transfer of industries in the central and western regions. The opinion pointed out that the promotion of the transfer of industries in the eastern coastal areas to the central and western regions has been accelerated. It has become a policy orientation and an important task to promote coordinated regional development.

Mold industry transformation and upgrading era background analysis

The mold industry is known as the "mother of all industries." In the current automotive, IT, aviation, building materials, exhibition equipment, medical, sanitary and many other industries, more than 80% of the parts are manufactured by the mold. China's mold industry has developed relatively late and has not formed an industrial scale. After rapid development in the “10th Five-Year Plan” and “Eleventh Five-Year Plan” period, the modern mold industry has entered a fast track on the road to new industrialization. Moulds are an important manufacturing equipment industry. While serving all walks of life, it also directly serves the high-tech industry. The unique importance of molds in the R&D, innovation and production of manufacturing products has made the ability and level of mold manufacturing an important symbol of national innovation capability. . According to Luo Baihui, executive secretary general of International Die & Metal & Plastics Industry Suppliers Association, 2010 is the last year of the “Eleventh Five-Year” development plan for China’s mold industry, and the first year of “Twelfth Five-Year” development. The economy is gradually picking up and improving. As a key support for the transformation of manufacturing industries and the adjustment of industrial structure, it will undoubtedly play a decisive role. The International Mould, Hardware and Plastics Industry Suppliers Association has chosen to land in China at this moment, and will be responsible for communicating the upstream and downstream industries of the manufacturing industry and jointly promoting the manufacturing industry. The important task of development.

In 2009, China's plastic industry sales of 600 billion, driven by 1:100, will have 60 billion mold support. It is predicted that in 2010 China’s domestic demand for auto parts will reach 180 billion yuan, and the mold industry that provides equipment for auto industry parts will also be rapidly developed. At the same time, China’s IT information industry has entered a leap-forward development stage. In 2009, the growth of major products such as mobile phones, color TVs, laser disc players, and notebook computers exceeded 30%, and the information industry will continue to develop rapidly. China’s IT mold will still be in short supply. . In addition, with the rapid development of construction and exhibition industry, a large number of new construction, building materials, and exhibition supplies are in demand, and profile moulds and plastic pipe moulds will also achieve rapid development.

In the first half of 2010, China's equipment manufacturing industry showed a general upward trend, with rapid growth in production and sales, significant economic recovery, steady recovery of imports and exports, continuous income growth in the mold industry, and the gradual rise of the industry. In the international market, due to industrialized countries’ efforts to reduce industrial production costs and China’s molds still have a competitive advantage, foreign trade conditions are also relatively good. According to incomplete statistics, China's total mold sales in the first half of this year increased by about 15% from the same period of last year. According to customs statistics, the total volume of mold imports and exports from January to June 2010 was US$1.993 billion, an increase of 4.18% year-on-year. Of which, imports of 999 billion US dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 3.29%; exports of 994 million US dollars, an increase of 12.92%. The foreign trade deficit was 0.05 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 148 million U.S. dollars, a decrease of 96.73%.

Luo Baihui explained that the current reason why the equipment manufacturing industry has “rebounded and improved” is that the Chinese economy has gradually pushed through the gloom of the financial crisis; on the other hand, it is the implementation of a series of macro-control policies by the central government, and the electronic information industry. The supporting effects of adjustment and revitalization planning, “Home Appliances Going to the Countryside,” “Old-for-new”, and equipment manufacturing and auto industry adjustment and revitalization plans were gradually realized, and the domestic market for machinery and mold products needed to be steadily expanded. The emergence of new blue oceans such as the Internet of Things, cloud computing, and mobile Internet has also created a vast market for the IT mold industry.

Luo Baihui pointed out that, unlike in previous years, the investments made by multinational corporations in China in 2010 have involved increasing investment in R&D and headquarters operations management. The trend of China's rise as a global R&D center today cannot be underestimated. Multinational companies' R&D investment in China is just right in the United States. At the same time, the regional pattern of China's mold industry has also undergone corresponding changes. The role of the coastal area as the main force in the mold manufacturing industry is being diluted. In 2010, after the “multiple jump” incident that shocked the world, the transfer of Foxconn, the world’s largest foundry, from Shenzhen to central Henan, and other provinces in Wuhan fully reflected the gradient transfer trend of mold manufacturing in China.

This trend emerged from last year's Hewlett-Packard investment in Chongqing, the establishment of factories and other events, and further exacerbated this year - October 29, Lenovo Group signed a contract with the Chengdu government, announced the establishment of Lenovo (Western) industrial base in Chengdu; 10 On the 15th, Texas Instruments, a semiconductor manufacturer of analog and embedded processing, announced the establishment of a manufacturing plant in Chengdu; under the background of the country’s continued implementation of the Western Development Policy, adjustment of the global economic structure, and industrial transfer, “Westward” has become a large number of enterprises. consensus. Currently, a large number of IT giants such as Intel, Hewlett-Packard, Foxconn, Dell, Motorola, Siemens, Alcatel, and Microsoft have settled in the west. In undertaking industrial transfer, the International Mould, Hardware and Plastics Industry Suppliers Association will become a bridge for communicating government and supporting enterprises.

In the future, it can be foreseen that the mold industry will become even more prominent as a strategic, fundamental and leading pillar industry of the national economy, and play a greater role in promoting economic transformation and social progress. On October 18th, the Fifth Plenary Session of the 17th CPC Central Committee ended in Beijing. The meeting reviewed and adopted the "Proposal for the CPC Central Committee on Formulating the Twelfth Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development," and determined to take a new generation of information technology, energy conservation and environmental protection. The seven industries of biotechnology, high-end equipment manufacturing, new energy, new materials, and new energy vehicles are the key directions for the development of strategic emerging industries during the 12th Five-Year Plan period, promote the upgrading of industrial structure and transformation of economic development modes, and enhance China's capacity for independent development and international cooperation. Competitiveness, promote economic and social sustainable development. For the mold industry, wisely choosing to use new information technologies, e-commerce, three-dimensional media, exhibition marketing, and promoting and accelerating corporate restructuring will be our historical mission. Under this background, the International Tool & Die & Plastic Industry Suppliers Association's "International Die & Mould Machinery Industry", "International Hardware & Plastics Industry", and International Model Association Network will open the curtain of industrial convergence, regional coordination and common development. .

The mold industry shifts to the central and western regions

According to Luo Baihui, in recent years, with the gradual formation of a unified national market and the overall increase in factor costs, the advantages of the original system and mechanism in the eastern coastal areas have basically disappeared, and the extensive economic development model has been difficult to sustain and the competitive advantage has weakened. At the same time, due to the impact of the international financial crisis, the international market demand has dropped drastically. Orders in the Pearl River Delta, the Yangtze River Delta, and other regions where manufactured goods are highly dependent on exports have significantly reduced their orders. Export growth has declined rapidly, and economic growth has dropped significantly. Under the pressure brought by changes in the economic environment at home and abroad, the mold industry in the eastern coastal areas of China is accelerating the pace of transfer to the central and western regions. This is an inevitable result of the industrial gradient transfer under the influence of market economic laws, and is also driven by the global economic integration. Irreversible economic trend.

The Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and other regions on the east coast are considered as “world manufacturing bases”. However, most of the industries are currently labor-intensive and are at the low end of the product value chain. R&D, design, marketing, and branding are weak. The lack of independent innovation capability mainly relies on low cost and low price to gain competitive advantage, and the homogeneity within and among industries is serious. Only by transferring some industries that are labor-intensive, resource-consuming, and environmentally-friendly, can high-tech and high-level enterprises have greater activity space and stronger factor supply security in their local areas, and accelerate the optimization and upgrading of industrial structure. pace.

Some private mold enterprises with good operating conditions and rapid development in the eastern coastal areas have accumulated considerable funds, technology, and operational management. They have moved to the outside of the region to carry out industrial transfers, and they have obtained greater scale nationwide. Market and economic benefits. In the process of industrial transfer, the most active is the small and medium-sized private mold enterprises. Pursuing the growth of enterprises and promoting external expansion are often the goals of these enterprises for industrial transfer. Especially since 2008, due to changes in the macroeconomic situation, market pressure has increased significantly, forcing companies in the eastern coastal regions to develop markets through industrial transfer. Luo Baihui found in the survey that at present, China's domestic mold industry transfer is at its peak. The transportation, communications, and energy infrastructure in the central and western regions have been gradually improved. The institutional environment, investment environment, and market environment have been greatly improved. Together with low land, labor costs, and abundant resources, it has become an ideal ground for the transfer of the mold industry. In the past, the industry in the Yangtze River Delta shifted mainly to northern Jiangsu and Anhui, and now it has expanded to Henan, Shanxi, and Shaanxi provinces. In recent years, many labor and resource-intensive enterprises in Zhejiang have accelerated their transfer to Jiangxi and other central and western regions. Mold enterprises in the Pearl River Delta region also began to shift to the central and western regions. Foshan's ceramic mold enterprises mainly moved to Jiangxi, Hunan, Sichuan, and Shandong. Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and other provinces have accelerated the transfer of industries in the developed regions of the province to underdeveloped areas in the province. For example, through the use of financial support, comprehensive subsidies for electricity tariffs, and land use plans, Jiangsu Province has implemented north-south linkage assistance and joint development of development zones to vigorously promote the transfer of southern Jiangsu industries to central and southern Jiangsu. According to statistics, from 2001 to 2007, the South Jiangsu Province transferred 10,919 projects with a total value of 5 million yuan or more to the north of the country. The total investment was 382.6 billion yuan, and the actual amount of investment was 170.36 billion yuan. Shanghai is an important source of China's industrial transfer. At present, the local government has stated that industrial transfer does not mean that all production links and enterprises are transferred out. Pearl River Delta companies have also shifted their focus to the east and west wings of the province and the mountains of northern Guangdong.

From the perspective of the related sub-sectors of the transfer, it is mainly labor-intensive and resource-intensive. The industries that have shifted outward from the eastern coastal areas are mainly upstream with strong dependence on resources and energy, such as labor-intensive toy plastic molds, shoe-making molds, and ceramic molds that consume more energy. As the most important source of industrial transfer in the Yangtze River Delta region, Shanghai has shifted mainly to the mold-related industries such as the rubber products industry, plastic products industry, machinery manufacturing industry, culture and sports goods manufacturing industry, and steel processing industry. The industries transferred from Jiangsu and Zhejiang are mainly mechanical manufacturing. The shift in the PRD region is mainly labor-intensive and low value-added manufacturing and processing companies, mainly in the hardware, toys, footwear, plastics, molds and other industries, especially Hong Kong-funded Taiwan-funded enterprises. Services and high-tech industries have also shown a shift.

Undertaking the transfer of industries and the coordinated development of the eastern and western regions across regions

The development of capital and technology-intensive industries in the eastern coastal areas requires large investments and high costs, and it is difficult to obtain benefits in the short term. The continued development of labor-intensive industries is constrained by factors such as rising overall costs and competition from other developing countries. The profit space is gradually compressed. To this end, Luo Baihui proposed that when the innovation mechanism has not yet been established, and emerging industries cannot timely nurture development and form the scale and industrial upgrading technical support has not yet fully formed, the eastern coastal areas will transfer existing industries, especially labor-intensive industries, to the central and western regions. The transfer may lose new economic growth points and the emergence of industrial hollowness, and lead to structural unemployment. Coupled with various reasons such as the fiscal and taxation system and the performance evaluation system, the eastern coastal areas are reluctant to allow large-scale local enterprises to relocate. In order to promote regional development, developed provinces such as Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Fujian have successively introduced a series of policies, including improving infrastructure, improving industrial support, optimizing investment environment, taxation, and land concessions, and encouraging industries to transfer to underdeveloped areas in the province. Although the effect is not as good as expected, it has objectively intercepted the transfer of industrial transfer to other regions. In the central and western regions, part of the problem is that the undertaking environment is not perfect. The central and western regions are far from the ports, with long transportation cycles, high transportation costs, lack of smooth connection with foreign countries, lack of integration of industrial parks and development zones, and lack of advanced technical talents, marketing talents, management talents, and business talents, making the transfer companies face service failures. Problems such as lower operating efficiency and higher transaction costs. The market economy system is still not perfect, and there is a lack of scientific planning and reasonable guidance for undertaking industrial transfer. Compared with the eastern coastal areas, there are large gaps in the concepts of opening up, government effectiveness, legal environment, information systems, social integrity, and market mechanisms. Consumption habits and cultural environments are also different. Often, immigrant enterprises face the dilemma of "imperfections in water and soil" and affect the enthusiasm of enterprises to transfer.

In response to the above problems, Luo Baihui said that governments at all levels in the eastern coastal areas should raise awareness of the importance of industrial transfer, further emancipate the mind, update concepts, and improve the comprehensive evaluation system of government performance. It is necessary to establish high-tech zones, development zones, and industrial parks in the central and western regions as industrial transfer demonstration zones and institutional innovation zones through cooperation with central and western regions to establish industrial transfer parks. . Jointly set up an investment and trade platform, a platform for science and technology and talent exchange, and carry out various forms of economic and trade cooperation activities. To meet the requirements of industrial upgrading and the development of industries in the central and western regions, we must scientifically plan industrial transfer, determine the focus of industrial transfer, and implement the coordinated development and rational division of labor in the eastern, central and western regions in accordance with the principle of complementing each other and mutual benefit.