The coolness of autumn cannot stop the progress of Hanshan, Anhui Province, the “hometown of foundry”.
No, in the factory of Shuaiyichi (Anhui) New Materials Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Shuaiyichi”) located in Hanshan Economic and Technological Development Zone, huge “insulation barrels” are being loaded onto trucks and ready to be shipped to customers.
“What is stored in the barrel is the liquid aluminum alloy that has just been smelted. We adopt this 'liquid aluminum direct supply' model, so that customers within 200 kilometers of the surrounding area can receive the raw materials and put them into production in about three hours, thereby eliminating the need for secondary melting of aluminum ingots.” Seeing the reporter's curiosity, the company's general manager Ying Hui said.
Shuai Yichi, which is deeply involved in the field of recycled aluminum, has accurately anchored the advantages of the local new energy vehicle industry cluster since settling in Hanshan in 2023. Through its “direct supply of liquid aluminum” model, it has reduced costs and energy consumption for customers. “The company currently produces 200,000 tons of recycled aluminum annually, most of which is supplied to the market through this model, which can save customers six to seven hundred yuan per ton.” Ying Hui said.
Not only that, Shuaiyichi will also directly embed the integrated melting and protection furnace into downstream enterprises, allowing the scrap aluminum materials generated during the production process to be reused directly on site, further saving costs. This “central boiler room” with worry-free supply in the foundry industry allows downstream production capacity to be fully occupied.
The “insulation bucket” in Shuaiyichi's workshop. Photo courtesy of Hanshan County Party Committee Propaganda DepartmentEchoing Shuaiyichi’s “ground breakthrough” is the low-altitude economic “answer sheet” being written by Anhui Zhiou Drive Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Zhiou Drive”). This company, founded in 2021 by young people chasing dreams, has now grown into the “leader” in domestic large-load UAV power systems.
Walking into the 5,000-square-meter standardized factory of Zhiou Drive, technicians are assembling and debugging the “Lingyue No. 1” eVTOL aircraft. This manned equipment is inspired by the Lingjiatan Jade Edition. It uses 800VDC high-voltage tethered direct drive technology to solve the battery life anxiety of similar products. It has a payload of 450kg and can carry 4 people for cultural and tourism purposes.
“We have overcome the problems of insulation and heat dissipation under high voltage and high power density through the self-developed 'three electrics' system, and have achieved localization and autonomy of the core technology of the power system of large-load drones.” Ji Ziqiang, the company's general manager, said that currently, 80% of domestic drones weighing more than 200 kilograms use power solutions provided by Zhiou Drive.
In the new factory of Zhiou Drive, engineers are assembling the “Lingyue No. 1” eVTOL aircraft. Photo by People.com reporter Li XimengAt present, the company has formed an integrated structure of R&D, production, testing and sales, and its output value continues to grow.
Being asset-light and focusing on R&D is a major feature of Zhiou Drive. This young team, with more than 45% of R&D personnel, has allowed the company to double its output value for two consecutive years. “As a native of Hanshan, I hope that in the future my hometown will not only be able to take the lead in the low-altitude economic track, but also create an agglomeration effect to drive the common development of upstream and downstream industries,” said Ji Ziqiang.
The rapid growth of the two companies is inseparable from Hanshan's precise services of “building a nest to attract phoenixes”. Zhiou Drive was once trapped in a small factory and a shortage of talents. The government not only coordinated new standardized factories, but also introduced and cultivated talents through special recruitment and school-enterprise cooperation. Shuaiyichi relied on the location advantages of industrial clusters to achieve efficient collaboration in the supply chain.
From the green upgrade of recycled aluminum to the technological breakthrough of low-altitude aircraft, the practices driven by Shuaiyichi and Zhiou outline a clear path for Hanshan's industry to move toward “newness”.
“In recent years, Hanshan County has adhered to the innovation-driven development strategy, focused on the first industry of lightweight new materials, based on its own foundation, identified comparative advantages, promoted the transformation and upgrading of the traditional foundry industry in the direction of green, intelligent, and digital, and strived to build county-specific industrial clusters, which has achieved positive results. In the future, we will persist in leading the development of new productivity with scientific and technological innovation, and more We should pay more attention to giving full play to the main role of enterprises in innovation, actively build a 'government + technology + finance + talent' platform, establish a multi-level fund system, build multi-regional R&D enclaves and young talent workstations, promote the transformation and implementation of more scientific and technological achievements in Hanshan, and enable more young talents to start businesses and find employment in Hanshan, and continue to accelerate the pace of building an innovative city,” said Qian Jun, secretary of the Hanshan County Party Committee.
From the “hometown of foundry” to the “new city of intelligent manufacturing”, Hanshan is using technological innovation as a pen to write a new chapter of high-quality development on the blueprint of advanced manufacturing.
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