China and Germany, as two major manufacturing powerhouses, are increasingly collaborating to enhance their industrial and supply chains through joint efforts in building industrial parks, particularly in the automobile sector.
At the smart vehicle section of the ongoing second China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE), various companies from the industry are exhibiting their innovations, while industrial parks are also highlighting their role in fostering industrial agglomeration.
The Beijing China-Germany Industrial Park, established in 2021, is one of those industrial parks which have set an exhibition booth at the event.
A China Global Television Network (CGTN) reporter paid a visit to the industrial park, where she discovered a range of hidden champion companies across various industries, including German company Vastalta Circular Technology in the circular economy sector.
"Hidden champions" refer to highly successful yet lesser-known small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are global leaders in terms of market share in their respective niches.
Talking to CGTN, Vastalta's CEO Rafael Suchan highlighted the CISCE's global impact and China's central role in global supply chains.
"China accounts for 50 percent of global production of metals, and the recycling activities in metals (are) increasing [the] fastest in China compared to all other countries in the world. The global supply chains are currently impacted by geopolitical topics, and it's important to have events such as the China International Supply Chain Expo, where the players can come together to interact. China, especially being the biggest manufacturing hub in the world, is a key part in not only global supply chains, but also global value chains," said Suchan.
In addition to supporting the supply chain for hardware devices, effectively managing data circulation is equally essential across all industries, according to some CISCE participants.
"At the two editions of the CISCE, we engaged in extensive discussions with many outstanding Chinese companies that are now offering advanced technologies in the supply chains, which were previously hard to access . Through these interactions, we can enhance our own products and solutions," said Ma Zheng, director of business development of Stibo Sytems, a company dedicated to create master data management solutions for customers to enable them to optimize their business, environmental and social performance.
The Beijing China-Germany Industrial Park is the first national-level cooperation park focused on economic and technical collaboration.
"The park is positioned as an important platform of bilateral economic cooperation between China and Germany or Europe, as well as an important gathering place for hidden champions and innovative enterprises from China, Germany, and Europe. So far, over 110 German-funded and affiliated enterprises have settled in the park, with an annual industrial output of approximately 40 billion yuan (about 5.6 billion U.S. dollars)," said Zhou Jinghui, director of the park’s management committee.
By placing a greater emphasis on SMEs that excel in cutting-edge technologies or have achieved significant advancements in their fields, the industrial park aims to enhance the connectivity of the industrial and supply chains.
Themed "Connecting the World for a Shared Future," this year's CISCE runs from Tuesday to Saturday. As the world's first national-level exhibition focusing on supply chains, it has attracted nearly 700 exhibitors from 69 countries and international organizations.
China, Germany join hands to strengthen supply chains through industrial parks
China, Germany join hands to strengthen supply chains through industrial parks
