Export market could become cutthroat

The use of automatic production lines may intensify competition in the export market for fireworks, according to industry insiders.

Traditionally, the stricter standards overseas meant high-quality personnel were required to conduct business, so a large number of companies preferred to concentrate on the domestic market, according to Liu Yan, general manager of Xinghe Fireworks Manufacturing in Pingxiang, Jiangxi province. The company, which was founded in 1997, does not sell its products on the domestic market; instead, it exports goods worth more than 70 million yuan ($10.5 million) a year.

However, in 2013, the government began tightening both production safety and quality standards in the domestic market, which led to falling sales and prompted many companies to eye the lucrative export market, she said. The number of factories engaged in exports in Tongmu, the township in which the company is based, has risen to 15 in recent years.