As Shandong Province unveiled its tenth batch of manufacturing single champion enterprises, the Qingdao West Coast New Area has once again demonstrated its industrial prowess by adding seven new provincial-level champions to its roster, accounting for 35% of the city's total selections.
This latest achievement brings the cumulative number of provincial-level and above manufacturing single champion enterprises in the area to 61, comprising 21 national-level and 40 provincial-level champions, with the national-level count representing a substantial 46.7% of the city's total. Notably, in the ninth batch announced at the end of 2025, eight enterprises from the area were recognized, and now, just months later, another seven have secured certification in the tenth batch, showcasing a remarkable frequency of "batch production" on the single champion front.
Manufacturing serves as the bedrock of the real economy, and single champions are the vanguard of high-quality industrial development. The continuous emergence of these champions is not a result of isolated breakthroughs by individual enterprises but rather a systemic achievement of the West Coast New Area's commitment to advanced manufacturing as its primary focus, its ongoing optimization of industrial structure, and its cultivation of new quality productive forces. It also stands as a vivid microcosm of Qingdao's broader efforts to advance new-style industrialization and build a northern advanced manufacturing base.
Closely aligned with the "10+1" innovative industry system, the West Coast New Area adheres to a development path that emphasizes the iteration of traditional industries, breakthroughs in emerging sectors, the strengthening of distinctive industries, and the enhancement of the industrial ecosystem. This approach is driving advanced manufacturing from "single-point breakthroughs" toward "cluster-scale momentum and chain-based ascension," forging a modern manufacturing industry system characterized by a better structure, stronger resilience, and more robust growth drivers.
Where to Begin: Upgrading Traditional Pillar Industries
Traditional industries are not obsolete; when transformed and upgraded, they become advantageous assets. Shunning the path of extensive scale expansion, the West Coast New Area is steering its trillion-yuan advantageous industries, such as smart home appliances and high-end chemical new materials, toward leadership in technology, standards, and branding, thereby consolidating the region's industrial economic foundation.
Among the seven newly recognized enterprises, a significant portion exemplify the concept of "old trees sprouting new shoots." In the smart cold chain sector, Aucma Smart Cold Chain is deeply engaged in the high-end commercial equipment track, persistently overcoming key technologies in energy saving, noise reduction, intelligent temperature control, and industrial AI. Its products have entered the supply chains of over a hundred leading global enterprises, marking a leap from home appliance manufacturing to high-end intelligent equipment.
In the high-end chemical new materials sector, Haiwan Chemical's ethylene-based PVC resin production capacity ranks first domestically, with regional market share leading the province, supporting the green transformation of the regional chemical industry with refined, high-end products. Meanwhile, Jinjing Group is deeply involved in setting industry standards for photovoltaic glass, high-speed rail glass, and patterned glass, with its related product sales volumes consistently ranking among the top in China and the Asia-Pacific region, solidifying its leading position in niche segments through standard-setting influence.
Continuous innovation and relentless progress have ensured that these traditional industry leaders not only keep pace but also secure their positions in a new competitive landscape. For instance, on August 18, Jinjing Group commenced construction on its new Qingdao Jinyi Solar Thermal Storage Substrate New Materials Project. With a total investment of 1 billion yuan, the project focuses on the R&D, production, and sales of solar thermal storage collectors, and upon reaching full capacity, it is expected to generate annual sales revenue of 984 million yuan and annual exports of 140 million yuan, representing a strategic new layout in the green energy sector.
The shipbuilding and marine engineering sector presents an even more typical case. Leveraging its port-side geographical advantages, the West Coast New Area is deepening its focus on this track to create a differentiated competitive edge for Qingdao's advanced manufacturing and continuously strengthen its national-level shipbuilding and marine engineering equipment industry cluster. The newly recognized HIC (Haixi Heavy Industry) produces a wide range of large marine crankshafts, holding international mainstream patent licenses and certifications from multiple classification societies, and shouldering the critical industrial responsibility for domestic high-end marine crankshaft manufacturing.
The progressive development of these single champion enterprises validates the effectiveness of the area's traditional industry transformation. Through sustained technological innovation, quality enhancement, and green renovation, the region's traditional manufacturing has escaped low-end lock-in, successfully embedding itself in the high-value segments of global industrial chains, providing solid support for the robust development of advanced manufacturing clusters.
Breaking New Ground: Fostering Emerging Industries as New Growth Poles
Cultivating and expanding strategic emerging industries is a key lever for reshaping the industrial structure and activating new quality productive forces. The West Coast New Area is focusing on frontier tracks like next-generation information technology, high-end equipment, and green low-carbon development, precisely cultivating tech-innovative, high-growth manufacturing enterprises and accelerating the evolution of emerging industries from point-based breakthroughs to chain-based clusters.
In the semiconductor high-end equipment sector, the newly promoted provincial single champion Sirectifier (Siyi Intelligent) stands out as a typical example of the area's emerging industry breakout. Founded in 2018, Sirectifier focuses on the R&D, production, and sales of key semiconductor front-end process equipment, with core products including Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) and Ion Implantation (IMP) systems, widely used in high-precision fields like integrated circuits and third-generation semiconductors. Within just a few years, the enterprise has joined the ranks of national-level specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative "little giant" enterprises and Qingdao's hidden unicorns. In semiconductor manufacturing, ion implanters are core equipment, with the market share largely dominated by international traditional giants. Sirectifier has precisely entered a high-barrier field with extremely low domestic substitution rates, achieving self-reliance and control over critical equipment and effectively filling a gap in Qingdao's integrated circuit industry chain.
Nitrogen said the new area's IC ecology benefits the firm. "The new area has made the integrated circuit industry a primary focus of the real economy, and has initially formed a relatively complete industrial chain ecosystem. Sirectifier is deeply integrated into and benefits from this ecosystem," said Nie Xiang, Chairman and General Manager of Qingdao Sirectifier Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. "We will continue to focus on breakthroughs in key technologies and serve the integrated circuit industry with higher-reliability products."
The green low-carbon and circular economy track is also accelerating. Huicheng Environmental Protection, focusing on the resource utilization of industrial solid and hazardous waste, has built the world's and China's first benchmark treatment facilities, achieving large-scale, resource-based, and harmless efficient waste disposal. This supports the region's "dual carbon" goals and pushes the circular economy industry from demonstration applications toward industrialization and large-scale development.
The rapid rise of emerging industries has effectively optimized the area's manufacturing structure, creating a favorable pattern for the smooth conversion of old and new growth drivers. In the new energy vehicle sector, local enterprises are seizing the momentum. Huarui Auto Parts is deeply engaged in the R&D and production of core components, with its market share having ranked among the top three nationally and first in the province for many consecutive years. In recent years, the enterprise has deeply aligned with the explosive demand from the new energy vehicle industry, forming a linked and supportive relationship with the area's vehicle manufacturing capacity. This has built a localized, highly collaborative auto parts industry chain system, continuously strengthening Qingdao's supporting advantages for its new energy vehicle industry.
Accelerating the application of key core technologies, infrastructure construction, and application scenario development to drive the pioneering development of leading industries like integrated circuits, new displays, and AI; fostering the integrated and clustered development of emerging industries such as life and health, intelligent connected new energy vehicles, and low-altitude economy; and forward-looking layout of future industries like embodied intelligence and hydrogen energy… the West Coast New Area is welcoming new momentum for high-quality development.
Building the Ecosystem: A Tiered Cultivation System Fosters an Industrial Fertile Ground
Compared to the incremental breakthrough of single enterprise selections, the West Coast New Area's mature and complete tiered cultivation system for champion enterprises is the core confidence for its high-quality manufacturing development. Currently, the area has formed a pyramid-shaped, high-quality enterprise echelon with 21 national-level leaders and 40 provincial-level supporters. The top enterprises have high national recognition, the middle tier has ample reserves, and the backup enterprises exhibit active growth, demonstrating outstanding industrial succession capability.
In terms of cultivation results, the area's ability to continuously output single champion enterprises in batches over a short period highlights the precision, professionalism, and normalization of its cultivation mechanism. Anchored to the city and district industrial planning layout, the area closely binds single champion cultivation with industrial chain building, supplementing, and strengthening. This has driven the 61 champion enterprises to precisely position themselves in key tracks such as smart home appliances, high-end chemicals, shipbuilding and marine engineering, integrated circuits, and green low-carbon development, achieving the goal of "one chain has a leader, one domain has a benchmark" and constructing a regional industrial development pattern characterized by full synergy and multi-point support.
Relying on this complete industrial ecosystem, the area's manufacturing digitalization, intelligentization, and green transformation continue to accelerate. The comprehensive coverage of technological transformation for industrial enterprises above a designated size is steadily advancing, with intelligent production lines and benchmark factories continuously emerging, leading to a steady rise in industrial innovation vitality and cluster competitiveness. The traction and leadership of these single champion enterprises are driving the region's industrial development logic to shift from "individual enterprise growth" to "transformation of the entire industry chain and rise of the entire cluster."
As new-style industrialization advances deeply and regional industrial competition increasingly focuses on niche tracks, core technologies, and cluster ecosystems, the West Coast New Area will continue to use the cultivation of single champion clusters as a crucial lever. It will steadfastly hold its position as the main battlefield for advanced manufacturing, continuously promote the quality improvement of traditional industries, the expansion of emerging industries, and the preparation of future industries. By constantly optimizing the industrial structure, consolidating the industrial foundation, and activating innovation momentum, it strives to build a modern advanced manufacturing industry cluster with higher capacity, better structure, and stronger resilience, persistently contributing to Qingdao's high-quality manufacturing development and the construction of a modern industrial system.