Constellation of China-developed Jilin-1 satellites showcase the development in evolving region

Jilin-1 - China's first domestically developed set of commercial Earth imaging satellites - connected Jilin province's capital, Changchun, to the recent 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia with lightning fast speed and efficiency.

It depicted, with wonderful clarity, high-definition images of 12 competition venues of the grand global soccer event, including the Luzhniki Stadium.

Workers assemble vehicles on a production line of a China FAW Group plant in Jilin. Provided to China Daily

A Fuxing train made by CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles runs on the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway.

The satellite constellation, which utilizes a total of 10 satellites running in orbit, is the first series of high-resolution remote sensing satellites for commercial use independently developed in China.

Its developer, Chang Guang Satellite Technology, is quite literally a star in the firmament of the country's northeastern industrial center.

The Changchun-based company said it has innovated an Internet-Plus remote sensing applications operation mode in China and with it the company also developed the Luojia-1, the world's first noctilucent - luminous at night - remote sensing satellite, which was sent into a preset orbit on a Long March-2D carrier rocket in June.

In recent years the company has served as an exemplar of Changchun's promotion of intelligent manufacturing and the upgrading of its industrial structure.

The city has reaped the gains of its high-quality economic development in the first half of this year. During that period it began construction on 731 projects, each with an investment worth more than 100 million yuan ($14.67 million). The city's GDP, fixed asset investment and total volume of exports and imports rose by 7.4 percent, 8 percent and 6.9 percent year-on-year.

At an industrial park - focusing on optoelectronics and intelligent equipment manufacturing located in the Changchun New Area, China's 17th State-level new area - 24 related projects have attracted investment funding. These include 10 projects already in operation and another 10 set to go into operation at the end of the year.

Keeping pace with national strategies, the industrial park has to date attracted 17 high-tech companies, four provincial-level technology research centers and three listed firms. Combined, they boast ownership of more than 200 intellectual property rights, covering state-of-the-art technologies in 18 industries.

Knowing that scientific innovation is key to the revitalization of the city's old industrial center and is a new force powering its transformation and upgrading, Changchun has put great store in the importance of its local companies' capacity to innovate and hone their core competitiveness.

The local government has strongly implemented an innovation-driven strategy and promotes the commercialization of the innovations of companies.

The first company to produce industrial robots in Jilin, Jike Modern Robot Manufacturing, plans to develop a complete industrial chain in the sector in three to five years.

The company has innovated a spot welding robot with two welding heads, which it claims is the first of its kind in the world.

"Just like a calligrapher simultaneously inscribing different characters ambidextrously, the robot can wield two welding heads which can work separately, thus doubling its productivity," said Bi Xiaodong, deputy general manager of the company.

Jike Robot will produce 25 versions of high-end industrial robots, which are mainly used in the production of auto parks.

In addition to emerging industries, traditional manufacturers in Changchun have also gained positive momentum in their development due to the city's efforts in unleashing innovation.

"The capacity of our arc furnace transformers keeps getting larger, increasing from 63,000 kilovolt-amperes to 140,000 kVA, " said Liu Gang, deputy engineer-in-chief of Changchun Sanding Transformer Co.

"The latter is also the largest capacity an arc furnace transformer can now load in China," he added.

Sanding Transformer is a leading producer of furnace transformers in China, which has been granted more than 30 national patents.

The company has invested more than 500 million yuan in recent years to build new factories, purchase new equipment, improve techniques and increase production capacity.

Since the beginning of this year, Changchun has carried out a series of activities to attract investment from centrally administered State-owned enterprises, Beijing-based companies and listed companies. It's also explored cooperation with other cities and provinces in China.

In July, the city hosted the third World Conference of Jilin Merchants, where 39 contracts were signed involving industrial transformation and upgrading projects.

These covered such fields as modern services, healthcare, new materials and agricultural product processing.

Contact the writers at haonan@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 09/04/2018 page24)