Chinese firms maximizing advanced manufacturing for global success

At an exhibition zone for sports products inside the Pazhou Complex in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province, Liang Yiwei, general manager of Guangzhou Vanguard Watersports Products Co, was busy introducing the company's new swimming and diving products to foreign buyers.

"Innovative and green water sports products have become hot purchasing items for foreign buyers," Liang said.

Liang made the remarks during the third phase of the 140th session of the China Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Fair. The fair, held twice a year in spring and autumn, respectively, has three five-day phases in each session.

The fair's third phase, under the theme of "Better Life", has 21 exhibition zones across five major categories, including toys and maternity, baby and children's products, fashion, home textiles, health and leisure, and stationery.

READ MORE: Overseas buyer attendance at first phase of Canton Fair hits record high

"The Philippines, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea in Asia have become the largest markets for our swimming and diving products," said Liang.

In Europe, key markets for the company's business are Italy, Germany, Spain and the Netherlands, with Germany becoming the most traditional transit country for its overseas business, according to Liang.

In response to the increased overseas demand, the company, established in 1987 in Guangzhou, introduces its functional and innovative products in swimming and diving categories every season, said Liang.

"The overseas market for swimming-related products is now more dynamic and youthful than before," said Liang.

To cope with the new trend, the company has to accelerate the updating pace of its products — from a major overhaul every five years to now having significant updates every one to two years. The range of their color options has also expanded from two in the previous years to more than 10, according to Liang.

"The biggest change is in the consumer groups, with a growing number of female participants, especially in the overseas market, taking part in such sports," said Liang.

Snorkeling products, for example, have noticeably shifted toward more female-oriented designs, said Liang, adding that the market change has driven adjustments in the company's research and development of new products.

When developing entry-level products, the company's focus is on making it easier and more enjoyable for female participants to get started, ensuring they can take selfies and share plenty of photos.

"It helps female beginners have fun and develop an interest in such sports," he said.

Additionally, when developing professional products, the company categorizes them based on usage scenarios — such as for competition, personal improvement and training.

"We usually develop three to four parallel product lines to cater to these different needs," he said.

More importantly, environmentally friendly designs have become priorities in the development of new products.

"Making green products is a form of visual transformation that allows customers to easily see and feel the concept of caring for the ocean and the environment," he said.

The fair aligns with new trends in foreign trade, with 64 percent of the 32,000 participating companies utilizing new technologies such as artificial intelligence and industrial internet to develop new and green products, according to the organizers.

The proportion of new and green products exhibited reached 23.2 percent and 26 percent, respectively, both setting records, the organizers said.

"We are currently exploring how to integrate AI into our products, aiming to make them more competitive in the global market," Liang said.

The company, which has two manufacturing bases in Huadu district of Guangzhou, and Qingyuan in northern Guangdong, aims to develop valuable and affordable sports products to bring to the market, with the goal of launching a product with AI capabilities by 2028.

"The fair brought us clients from various countries, including some lesser-known island nations, providing many new opportunities in business expansion in the global market," he said.

Liang believes the global water sports industry is definitely on an upward trajectory. "Healthy living has become a lifestyle, as the new generation wants to enjoy their weekends, engage in sports, and spend time at the beach and swimming," he said.

Like Liang's company, an increasing number of Chinese exporters have prioritized development of new, green and innovative products to tap more business opportunities globally.

The fair, which concluded its 140th session on Nov 4 and marked its 70th anniversary, highlighted this trend as it highly features innovation, intelligence, greater specialization and higher quality.

The first phase, which ended on Oct 19, electronic components, industrial robots, 3D printers and new energy vehicles performed exceptionally well, underscoring their role as new drivers of foreign trade momentum, the organizers said.

Domestically produced high-tech products like exoskeleton robotic devices were highly favored by foreign buyers.

RoboCT Technology, a Chinese company dedicated to the development and application of exoskeleton robotics, sells its products to more than 50 countries and regions.

"We have developed intelligent products that help people with walking disabilities walk again and better," said Zhang Jiyu, co-founder and chief operating officer of RoboCT, during the fair.

On the fair's opening day, the company's exhibition booth attracted a large number of foreign buyers from the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe, Japan and South Korea.

The company displayed its new rehabilitation service of mind-driven exoskeletons powered by brainwave signals and its GoGo-H Pro climbing series — a consumer-grade assistive exoskeleton for daily mobility.

"We brought a comprehensive product lineup covering medical rehabilitation, daily mobility assistance and industry support, aiming to showcase to our global partners the full-spectrum of application capabilities of Chinese exoskeleton technology," Zhang said.

The company, based in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, realized a year-on-year increase of 46.22 percent in overseas sales last year. In the first eight months, its exports sales increased about 149.76 percent year-on-year.

At the booth of Hangzhou Taixi Intelligent Technology Co, buyers lined up to try out a consumer waist-assist exoskeleton, with many overseas buyers holding the handrail and shuffling forward, to feel how the device relieves pressure on their lower limbs.

ALSO READ: AI plays bigger role in business deals at Canton Fair

It is the first flagship product to integrate its human-oriented physical AI technology roadmap, according to the company.

The device uses waist motors and sensors to detect movement and assist lower-limb mobility. Its weight has been cut to about 2 kilograms, and alongside a refined appearance, algorithms and gait plans tailored to elderly people and hemiplegic patients have been added.

In addition to exoskeleton robotics, logistics robots, drink-making robots and pet-companion robots also crowded the intelligent robotics area at the fair.

The cluster of cutting-edge smart equipment, seen as a barometer of China's foreign trade, reflects a broader push toward industrial innovation.

China's manufacturing sector has been continuously transforming and upgrading, leading to an optimized foreign trade structure and a steady increase in the technological content of import and export products.

The technology-driven products are reflected in the latest trade data. In the first three quarters, China's total imports and exports of industrial robots, electronic components, computer parts and electrical equipment exceeded 10 trillion yuan ($1.49 trillion), up 58.9 percent year-on-year, according to customs statistics.

Contact the writers at qiuquanlin@chinadaily.com.cn