Independent development does not mean isolation; instrument and meter companies should focus on competition and learning*

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　　In recent years, with the gradual advancement of automation and digital technologies, the overall development of research in instrumentation has been quite promising. The achievements in this field in our country have gained international recognition, which brings us a sense of pride. Currently, instrument and meter enterprises in our country can be roughly divided into three categories: technology-innovation-driven enterprises, import agency enterprises, and comprehensive enterprises. And no matter what type of enterprise it is, it faces one question: should it develop independently and rely on its own innovation, or should it work together for mutual benefit? http://www.jiweimeter.com/uploads/image/20180824/1535109484.jpg However, independent development and cooperation are not contradictory to each other; it’s just a matter of balance. In other words, working together does not mean over-reliance; developing independently does not equate to isolation. Therefore, the essence of the development of instrumentation companies should be to avoid operating in isolation. 　　In any group of three, there is always someone I can learn from; the development of instrument enterprises relies on competition and learning. If we ignore the fact that China’s instrumentation market still relies on foreign instruments, then monopolistic instrumentation companies are not common in this country. This is certainly good news for consumers of instrumentation products. Yet it also means that there is certain competitive pressure among instrumentation enterprises, and this pressure becomes even more evident among companies that produce similar types of instruments. For example, suppose Instrument Company A and Instrument Company B are both high-tech companies that specialize in mass spectrometry, and both have a fixed customer base. Then, in order to increase their revenue, A and B will inevitably engage in some form of commercial competition, which may take the form of price wars or technological competitions. Ultimately, this commercial competition may drive companies to introduce new technologies or reduce the production costs of existing technologies, thereby lowering prices to attract consumers; it may also prompt companies to undergo transformation, such as shifting from simple mass spectrometers to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry or liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry devices, in order to attract a different group of consumers. However, as long as monopolies do not arise, this competitive effect will not disappear, and provided the market is properly regulated, such competition is certainly beneficial for both businesses and consumers. 　　Furthermore, competitive pressures will inevitably drive instrument manufacturers to learn from other companies. This learning does not occur only among competing companies in the same industry; it can also involve learning from other advanced instrument manufacturers, both domestic and foreign, and even instruments manufacturers may learn from companies that are not in the instrument industry. However, it must be clear that this kind of learning is based on communication, not mere imitation; otherwise, instrument and meter companies will lack self-recognition and fall into another predicament. 　　In short, in a complex market environment, companies can only rely on competition and learning in order to survive and avoid being eliminated; staying isolated will only lead to them being forgotten by the market and losing it. 　　Research in instrumentation involves selecting the best elements and discarding the worst. In recent years, **policies have provided certain support for small and medium-sized instrumentation companies as well as domestic manufacturers of such equipment. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that China’s instrumentation market remains a competitive arena between domestic and foreign companies; in fact, to some extent, instrumentation products from foreign companies are more popular in the Chinese market. There are objective and subjective reasons for this phenomenon. 　　Objectively speaking, there are many companies in China that blindly rely on imported instruments, resulting in a challenging operating environment for domestic instruments and meters. Subjectively speaking, there are some bad actors among domestic instrument and meter manufacturers who undermine public confidence in these products. However, whether subjectively or objectively, a major challenge faced by domestic instruments and meters in the domestic market at present is how to establish a trust relationship between consumers and enterprises. For domestic companies, it is certainly beneficial to establish connections and cooperate with outstanding foreign companies, but it is important to exercise caution. If a company relies solely on \"adopting advanced foreign technologies and using imported components\" to create \"products trusted internationally\", it is very likely to fall victim to \"Chinese-style\" plagiarism issues and struggle to build brand recognition. On the other hand, if it isolates itself, refusing to draw on external resources or cooperate with others, it will miss many opportunities to avoid research mistakes and identify new directions for development. Therefore, the best way for instrumentation companies to avoid operating in isolation is to learn to take the best elements and discard the worst ones; in other words, to know how to make choices. In the production of instrumentation, the adoption of advanced technologies is indeed a valuable advantage, but it should be done without compromising the existing brand identity. By leveraging advanced technologies to compensate for weaknesses, it is possible to truly enhance the quality of one’s products. 　　Instrument and meter manufacturers should avoid isolation; this does not mean forming dependencies among companies, but rather preventing them from falling into a state of indifference to what is going on outside. Independent development also requires learning from the market and competing. For enterprises to grow stronger and larger, in addition to advancing their own technology, it is equally important to penetrate the market, understand it, and embrace the strengths of their competitors.