State-of-the-art services boost tech innovation

Proactive approach to enterprise-building is paying rich dividends

Fancy a robot as your restaurant waiter? How about robots that play musical instruments and sing to keep you entertained while you dine? Such things are not in the realm of fantasy, at least not at Guomao Hotel in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province.

Here, technological innovation is ubiquitous.

Eight robot waiters serve guests at Guomao Hotel. Seven other robots play musical instruments and sing. Another five are doormen that welcome diners. The 20 robots are proof that residents get to enjoy the technology that is incubated in their city.

The local authorities in Zhangjiagang champion the cause of technological innovation, said Lu Xiaofeng, director in charge of talent recruitment and scientific and technical project development with Zhangjiagang Shazhou Lake Technological Innovation Park Development Co Ltd, an incubator of innovative enterprises.

Private-sector manufacturing industries have benefited a lot from the city's innovation push. "More than eight enterprises have been incubated within the past two years and have been realizing positive cash flows. They are in sectors ranging from robot production to pharmaceutical-use packaging systems," said Lu.

Alan Ye, general manager with HC SemiTek Limited, a local supplier of light-emitting diode chips, praises the local government's proactive approach to enterprise-building, saying it has helped his company and his employees.

Before HC SemiTek launched its facilities in Zhangjiagang, its productivity was limited because it had few production lines, said Ye. "We had been visiting several cities to find a place to set up new facilities. We decided on Zhangjiagang. The decision proved to be smart as enterprises here are receiving state-of-the-art services."

Such services span help offered to foreign scientists to settle in Zhangjiagang to hiring operators, arranging shuttle buses and securing power supplies. This enables enterprises to focus on innovation and production, said Ye.

His company has already listed on the China Growth Enterprise Market Board, a NASDAQ-like local bourse, and is now among the world's top three LED chip suppliers by sales revenue and market share.

"HC SemiTek has become a showpiece for Zhangjiagang's support of innovative enterprises. A few enterprises have already shown interest in launching new facilities in the city. We are looking forward to more enterprises settling in the sector and forming a complete industry chain," said Ye.

Ye is certainly not alone in praise for Zhangjia-gang. Yin Jinsong, vice-general manager and chief engineer of Zhangjiagang Furui Special Equipment Co Ltd, which is GEM-listed, said innovation is key to success of private enterprises, and Zhangjiagang provides the perfect environment for research and development.

"We started up in Zhangjiagang 12 years ago from scratch, and now we have more than 2,400 employees, including 400 researchers and scientists," said Yin.

The company pioneered innovation in the application of liquefied natural gas. It helped make vehicles hybrid, by enabling petrol- or diesel-powered vehicle engines to also run on natural gas, thanks to its technology. In 2014, the company became one of the world's largest providers of such solutions.

"In order to keep a leading position in the market, a company must always think and act before competitors even realize the importance of an emerging sector. We are now eyeing hydrogen-fuel solutions," said Yin.

(China Daily European Weekly 10/22/2015 page14)