By Zhuang Guangping, Hu Hongjun, Zheng Yang, Yu Jian and Liu Jia

It is proposed in the government work report that to make equipment manufacture industry stronger and larger, the integrated innovation and localization level in equipment manufacture industry shall be enhanced. "Firm confidence and make China's equipment manufacture industry stronger and larger."

Boost independent innovation

Deputy He Qinghua: independent innovation is the fundamental approach to making China's equipment manufacture stronger and larger.

Presently, there are such problems as "strong processing capability but weak innovative capability" and "strong single machine manufacture capability but weak system integration capability" existing in China's equipment manufacture industry.

"Independent innovation is the fundamental approach to making China's equipment manufacture stronger and larger." He Qinghua, a deputy of CPPCC and Board Chairman of Hunan Sunward Intelligent Machinery Co., Ltd, believed that, "only innovation can realize differentiation competition and obtain opportunities in the crisis." Although Shanhe Machine Co, Ltd is a private enterprise, it will invest 6-7 percent of sales revenue on R&D annually. The skid steer loader developed independently by Shanhe Machine Co, Ltd is small but processing over 70 functions. "Drilling on the ground, moving woods and cutting ground, all of them can be realized." In the beginning of last year resisting the natural disaster of low temperature with freezing, skid steer loaders have become snowplows with the highest efficiency achieving around 3 km snow cleaning per hour averagely.

Yan Lijuan, a deputy of NPC and Deputy Director of Technology Center of Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG) expressed that XCMG has always been increasing investment on independent innovation, and many products including core parts and components own independent intellectual property rights. In 2008, XCMG has achieved 58 technological development projects and has been authorized 111 patents, including 26 invention patents among which 9 innovative achievements have been awarded China's Awards for Science and Technology Progress in Machinery Industry.

Research on basic parts

Deputy Xiang Wenbo: We have found out the potential in the part-and-component market of the upstream industry, so we will focus on researching and developing key parts and components.

"Although lots of large-scale equipments can be manufactured in China, the problem on key parts and components has not been tackled well yet, and some important parts and components need to be imported for a long time." Li Bin, Deputy of NPC and General Technologist of Shanghai Electric Hydraulics and Pneumatics Co., Ltd, introduced that nearly 70 percent profit of China's equipment manufacture industry has spent on importing parts and components annually, which has restricted the rapid development of the industry.

Nowadays, to reinforce independent research and development has become a common view in the industry. Take hydraulic pressure parts and components as an example, in recent years, the R&D team of Shanghai Electric Hydraulics and Pneumatics Co., Ltd led by Li Bin has tackled many technological puzzles, making domestic hydraulic pressure parts and components achieving the world advanced level.

Deputy Yan Lijuan revealed that while consolidating the core advantage of the main construction machines, XCMG is making efforts to break through the core technologies on key parts and components via independent innovation. Presently, the contribution rate of new technologies and products on XCMG's sales revenue has achieved more than 70 percent.

SANY Heavy Industry Co, Ltd has also found out the potential in the part-and-component market of the upstream industry, announcing that they will commit themselves to the research and development on key parts and components of the equipment manufacture industry. "SANY will input 5-7 percent of sales revenue on R&D annually, taking R&D innovative capability as a core competitiveness to cultivate." Xiang Wenbo, a deputy of NPC and President of SANY Heavy Industry Co, Ltd.

Strengthen talent cultivation

Deputy Yan Lijuan: Enterprises shall grasp the opportunity to attract overseas excellent talents actively.

To enhance the innovative competition, Shanhe Machine Co, Ltd has established a "Pyramid"-shaped innovative system internally. "All of our front-line workers are needful in such a R&D system." Commissioner He Qinghua stated that they had played an important role in the enterprise's innovation.

Deputy Yan Lijuan also has a deep feeling on it. In this "two conferences", she has brought the suggestion on cultivating the innovative talents in the field of construction machinery. "Influenced by the international financial crisis, foreign enterprises have decreased input successively, thus domestic enterprises shall grasp the opportunity to attract overseas excellent talents actively."

"Meanwhile, the cooperation with scientific research academies shall be strengthened too to jointly cultivate high-end innovative talents." In January of this year, XCMG has invested RMB434 million yuan on constructing Jiangsu (Xuzhou) Construction Machinery Research Institute, which will become the base for training XCMG's technological talents and researching, incubating, radiating and serving the construction machinery products and component systems.

Deputy Li Bin is full of confidence with the future of China's equipment manufacture industry, "if we can hold such an opportunity to adjust and revitalize the industry, the equipment manufacture industry must be elevated on a new point with a new platform."