Small innovative firms driving big growth in Jilin

By 2030, a network of 138 satellites will be finished, achieving the goal of revisiting any location in the world within 10 minutes.

Unlike traditional chemical plants, the digital workshops at Changchun Northern Chemical Filling Equipment Co provide a model of intelligent, safe and environmental protection.

Founded in 1996, the company has been focused on automatic filling production lines, three-dimensional intelligent storage, and digital workshop products.

"Traditionally, 90 percent of the chemical ingredients are injected into empty drums by hand with a filling gun, which is dangerous and toxic, but our production line has replaced people with machines," said Qu Hongwei, the company's vice general manager. "Only eight workers can operate well in a workshop that needed around 300 workers in the past."

The company, which has about 100 employees, more than half of whom work in research and development, has achieved rapid growth in sales revenue in past years.

"A number of core technologies we developed have filled the gap in the domestic industry and reached the domestic leading and international advanced technology level," he said.

Jilin province has 389 such "small giants", which have become a new engine for economic growth. In 2018, these firms achieved a total industrial output value of 39.49 billion yuan and a total revenue of 38 billion yuan, including 29 billion yuan from high-tech products and 2.82 billion yuan from taxes paid. These enterprises now have 14,496 personnel engaged in scientific and technological activities, and hold 5,026 valid patents, including 1,064 invention patents.

"Since 2017, the province has formulated and issued a series of support policies to promote the development of science and technology 'small giants'," said Liu Duo, deputy director of the provincial Department of Science and Technology. "These enterprises have been helping to adjust the province's economic structure and add new momentum for economic transformation and high-quality development."