Zhejiang Tongkun Group: The company has over 7,200 employees (including nearly 200 engineering and technical personnel with a college degree or higher, and more than 150 employees with intermediate or senior professional titles). Its total assets amount to 2 billion yuan, while its output value is 5.6 billion yuan. It has 25 wholly-owned, holding, and jointly-owned subsidiaries, including Zhejiang Hengsheng Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd., Tongxiang Hengsheng Modified Fiber Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Leixin Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd., Tongkun Group Co., Ltd., Tongxiang Hengyuan Chemical Co., Ltd., Tongxiang Hengyue Textile Finishing Co., Ltd., Tongxiang Zhongzhou Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd., Tongxiang Sanxing Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd., and Tongkun Group Suzhou Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd. Most of its equipment is imported from Germany and Japan and is of international advanced standard; for eight consecutive years, it has ranked first in the chemical fiber industry in Zhejiang in terms of total production volume and efficiency. Melt spinning: Annual production capacity for polyester polymerization is 720,000 tons, and the annual production capacity for chemical fiber filaments is 620,000 tons. Products include: 150D/96F (FDY filaments), 150D/72F (FDY), 100D/48F (FDY filaments), 100D/48F (FDY gray filaments), 200D/96F (FDY filaments), 110D/96F (FDY filaments), 106D/36F Da You Guang network filaments (FDY), 75D/36F Da You Guang network filaments (FDY), 93D/36F Da You Guang network filaments (FDY), 86D/36F Da You Guang network filaments (FDY), 300D/72F Da You Guang network filaments (FDY), 350D/72F Da You Guang network filaments (FDY), 150D/36F Da You Guang network filaments (FDY), 167 dtex FDY, 222 dtex/96F FDY, 333 dtex/96F FDY, 278 dtex/96F FDY, 244 dtex/96F FDY. Zhejiang Zhongheng Light Textile Group: The company currently has five affiliated enterprises; it covers an area of 1 million square meters, with a building area of 380,000 square meters. It employs 4,500 people, and its total assets amount to 1.8 billion yuan. In 2001, the company’s sales revenue was 880 million yuan, with a profit of 95 million yuan. Melt spinning: Annual production capacity for FDY is 245,000 tons. Ongoing projects: During the 10th Five-Year Plan period, the company plans to invest another 2.8 billion yuan in developing upstream industries. Products: 50–300D ; It is mainly concentrated in the semi-opaque 75D, 108D, and 150D products. Zhejiang Hengyi Group: The group’s total assets amount to 3 billion yuan, it covers an area of 530,000 square meters, and it employs over 5,000 people. Its subsidiaries include Zhejiang Hengyi Polymers Co., Ltd., Hangzhou Hengyi Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd., Hangzhou Hengyi Textiles Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Hengyi New Synthetic Fiber Fabric Development Co., Ltd., and Hangzhou Hengyi Foreign Trade Co., Ltd. Melt spinning: 580,000 tons of polyester filaments produced via melt spinning. Products: A new series of \"mite- and bacteria-resistant synthetic fiber filaments\" has been recently introduced. Zhejiang Kaishi Textile Group: The company currently has over 1,800 employees and fixed assets worth more than 600 million yuan. Products: 100D/72F, 75D/36F. Zhejiang Xiangsheng Group. Scale: The group currently has eight subsidiaries and four modern production bases; its business scope also includes thermal power, real estate, landscaping, import and export, as well as foreign investment. The group covers a total area of 1,002 mu, with a total construction area of 350,000 square meters. Its total assets amount to 1.32 billion yuan, and it integrates science, industry, and trade. Melt spinning: An annual production capacity of 360,000 tons of polyester products, of which 150,000 tons are in pellet form and 210,000 tons are in filament form. Products using DuPont and TMT technologies: 120, 150D/96f ; 100D/72f ; 135D/48f ; 50, 60, 65D/24f Zhejiang Yuandong Chemical Fiber Group: It is a large-scale comprehensive enterprise group that integrates polyester and polypropylene spinning, polyester staple fibers, texturing, printing and dyeing, real estate, and thermal power generation. Its subsidiary companies include Zhejiang Yuandong Chemical Fiber Group Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Yuandong New Polyester Co., Ltd., Shaoxing Maosheng Chemical Fiber, Textile and Dyeing Co., Ltd., Shaoxing Binhai Petrochemical Co., Ltd., Shaoxing Yuandong Thermal Power Co., Ltd., and Shaoxing County Yuandong Real Estate Development Co., Ltd. Melt spinning: 520,000 tons of differentiated POY and FDY filaments are produced via direct melt spinning, using Gemma technology. Zhejiang Xinfengming Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd. Scale: Zhejiang Xinfengming Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd. has three subsidiaries namely Zhongheng Chemical Fiber, Zhongwei Chemical Fiber, and Zhongxin Chemical Fiber, as well as the first industrial park in Tongxiang City – Zhongchi Chemical Fiber Industrial Park. Melt spinning: A polyester spinning production line with an annual capacity of 200,000 tons (of which 120,000 tons are produced through direct melt spinning, while 80,000 tons are converted into polyester chips via granulation). American DuPont and Japanese TMT technologies are employed. Products: a range of new products including colored polyester composite yarns, fine-denier polyester silk-like fibers, glossy trilobal low-elasticity high-net-work yarns, highly glossy irregular porous silk-like fibers, fine-specification POY yarns designed for the sock industry, nanotech UV-resistant fibers, and breathable functional fibers. Zhejiang Lianta Chemical Fibers. Scale: Zhejiang Lianta Chemical Fibers Co., Ltd. is a Sino-Hong Kong joint venture with a registered capital of 6.8 million US dollars and a total investment of 400 million RMB. Melt spinning: The company has adopted the world’s most advanced Barmag equipment and Gemma technology, and possesses a melt direct spinning production line with a capacity of 180,000 tons. Zhejiang Huaxin Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd. – Melt spinning: annual production of 200,000 tons of polyester, of which 20,000 tons are in chip form and 180,000 tons are in filament form. Advanced equipment from Beijing Zhongli, German Barmag, and Japanese TMT for spinning and winding is utilized. Zhejiang Longda Group – Melt spinning: annual production of 200,000 tons of polyester. Jiangsu Hengli Group: The group company has a registered capital of 100 million RMB, covers an area of 3,200 mu, and has total assets of 4 billion yuan. The subsidiaries include Wujiang Chemical Fiber Weaving Factory, Jiangsu Hengli Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd., Suzhou Susheng Thermal Power Co., Ltd., Suzhou Yixiang Textile Co., Ltd., Wujiang Huayi Investment Co., Ltd., Wujiang Huayi Real Estate Co., Ltd., Wujiang Tongli Lake Resort, Wujiang Huajun Textile Co., Ltd., Wujiang Yunhao Weaving Co., Ltd., and Wujiang Huayi Trading Co., Ltd. Melt spinning: The polyester melt production line utilizes the latest five-tank process technology and equipment from German company Gemma. The POY winding machines are equipped with technology and equipment from German company Barmag, while the FDY winding machines use technology from Japanese company TMT. The production capacity is over 500 tons of FDY, over 300 tons of DTY, and over 200 tons of POY per day. Annual sales are expected to reach 6 billion yuan. Ongoing project: Plans to make additional investments to build a project with an annual production capacity of 400,000 tons of polyester staple fibers produced via direct spinning. Products: FDY 50~150D/24~96F, POY 50~300D/36~288F. Jiangsu Shenghong Group Scale: The group currently has over 5,000 employees. Total assets amount to 1.6 billion yuan, with net assets of 1 billion yuan. Its subsidiaries include Jiangsu Shenghong Dyeing and Printing Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Shenghong Dyeing and Printing Sales Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Shenghong Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Shenghong Real Estate Development Co., Ltd., Wujiang Shenghong Pawnshop Co., Ltd., Wujiang Hongsheng Hotel Co., Ltd., Wujiang Hongsheng Business Hotel, and Wujiang Luxiang Villa. Melt spinning: 400,000 tons of polyester products. The polyester plant utilizes patented technology from DuPont in the United States, while the spinning plant employs technology from Barmag in Germany. Ongoing project: The 600,000-ton purified terephthalic acid plant came online at the end of 2005. Wujiang Yingxiang Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd. Scale: The company covers an area of 400,000 square meters, with a building area of 200,000 square meters. It possesses fixed assets worth nearly 2.5 billion yuan and has more than 2,500 employees. It also has a team of professors and engineers from across the country who possess specialized knowledge and high-level technical skills. The company adopts modern management practices in all aspects of its operations. The affiliated companies include Wujiang Yingxiang Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd.’s spinning plant, polyester chip production plant, Wujiang Yingxiang Thermal Power Plant, water supply plant, and melt direct spinning plant. The first phase of the melt spinning facility has an annual production capacity of 200,000 tons of polyester filaments, and it came online in October 2003. Ongoing projects: Phase II is scheduled to be fully completed in 2004, at which time the production capacity will reach 400,000 tons. Products: Ultra-fine denier FDY 50D/100F, 75D/72F, 150D/144F, 150D/288F. Zhangjiagang Xinxin Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd. Scale: Current fixed assets amount to 206 million yuan. Currently, the company has 760 employees, including 2 senior engineers, 75 engineers and assistant engineers, and 156 professionals in various fields. Melt spinning: After modification, the annual production capacity is 140,000 tons of FDY filaments. Sinopec Yizheng Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd. Scale: Sinopec Yizheng Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Yizheng Chemical Fiber) is a subsidiary controlled by Sinopec Corporation. It is the largest modern fiber and fiber raw material production base in China; based on the capacity of its polyester polymerization facilities in 2003, Yizheng Chemical Fiber was the fourth-largest polyester producer in the world. Melt spinning: FDY annual production of 150,000 tons. Luoyang Petrochemical: Built with an investment of 6.4 billion yuan jointly by Sinopec Group and the People’s Government of Henan Province, it has a workforce of 1,500 people and is a manufacturing facility under Sinopec Group’s Luoyang Petrochemical Complex. Melt spinning: The annual FDY production volume is 96,000 tons, utilizing Toray’s technology from Japan. (Annual production capacity: 100,000 tons) Private polyester enterprises in Zhejiang are expanding rapidly. The Xiaoshao region has long been the largest light textile manufacturing hub in China and throughout Asia, with most textile transactions in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang areas taking place in this region. As a result, the polymerization, spinning, weaving, and dyeing industries in the surrounding areas have reached a considerable scale. The products are exported to Europe, America, the Middle East, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and other regions, enjoying a high reputation worldwide. With China’s entry into the WTO, the development of the light textile industry in the Xiaoshao region has also been accelerating gradually. Private capital has gradually replaced state-owned enterprises as the driving force and main contributor to capacity expansion. Given that China has the largest polyester production capacity in the world, as well as the highest consumption levels, the fiber enterprises in Zhejiang hold a dominant position in the domestic market. Although the entire industry remained sluggish this year, driven by the incentives and impacts of joining the WTO, the filament industry showed strong momentum, especially in the second half of the year with melt-spinning showing even more significant growth. It is reported that a melt-spinning polyester filament factory in Xiaoshan achieved a net profit of as much as 5 million yuan alone in October. At present, the gross profit margin of filament manufacturers is around 8%. It can be said that, given the generally low profits in the fiber industry, the filament sector is doing quite well. As a result, fiber companies have become more eager to expand their production; plans that were previously put on hold have once again been brought up for consideration. Local authorities are also providing maximum support for these companies, offering assistance not only in terms of funding but also through various policy incentives. Since direct melt spinning eliminates the intermediate slicing step, it results in lower production costs compared to spinning filaments through slicing, making it more competitive in the market. The market performance in the second half of 2003 further proved that direct melt spinning does offer a basis for profitability. Filament manufacturers, which have begun to reap the benefits of this approach this year, have set their goals on this method, and direct melt spinning projects in the Xiaoshao area have become the focus of expansion plans. At present, companies such as Zongheng Group, Cifu Group, Zhejiang Hualian, and Yuandong Group in Shaoxing; Hengyi Group, Rongsheng Group, Longda Group, Hongshan Group, Daodao Chemical Fiber in Xiaoshan; Tongkun Group in Tongxiang; Zhenbang Group in Cixi; and Chaotong Group in Haiyan have all proposed expansion plans that they intend to carry out within two years. Among them, Hengyi Group has received approval from the relevant authorities for Phase 3 of its expansion project; it is estimated that 30 new production lines will be added, bringing the total annual production capacity to 600,000 tons. Once these individual enterprises complete their capacity expansions, their production capacity will reach or come close to that of Yizheng Chemical Fibers, the largest established state-owned enterprise in the country. Among these enterprises, with Zhejiang Hualian being a state-owned enterprise, the rest are private enterprises, which shows that private enterprises in Zhejiang and across the country have gradually taken over the mainstream of the textile industry. According to rough estimates, by the end of 2003, Zhejiang’s polyester manufacturers will have an additional production capacity of 2.18 million tons, doubling the total capacity by the end of this year. The combined capacity of these 13 companies will reach 4.25 million tons per year, accounting for about one-quarter of China’s total polyester production capacity. Moreover, these companies possess modern equipment, flexible operating mechanisms, and are located near the largest textile markets. Therefore, it is expected that they will become the leaders and key players in China’s polyester industry in the coming years. Zhejiang polyester enterprises’ expansion plans: B: Indirect polymerization; C: Continuous polymerization. Company name, Capacity (10,000 tons/year): 2001, 2002, 2003, Total. Shaoxing Zongheng Group: 7.5(B), 5(B), 40(C), 52.5. Zhejiang Hengyi Group: 18(C), 18(C), 20(C) + 4, 60. Zhejiang Tongkun Group: 10(B), 18(C), 18(C), 46. Hangzhou Rongsheng Chemical Fibers: 0, 18(C), 20(C), 38. Shaoxing Cifu Chemical Fibers: 10(B), 15(C), 25. Zhejiang Hualian: 10(C) + 3(B), 15(C), 28. Zhejiang Chaotong Group: 7.5(B), 7.5(B), 15. Zhejiang Yuandong Group: 18(C), 18(C), 36. Xiaoshan Longda Polyester: 8.5(C), 18(C), 26.5. Xiaoshan Xiangsheng Chemical Fibers: 30(C), 30. Zhejiang Hongshan Group: 20(C), 20. Zhenbang Chemical Fibers: 15(C), 15. Daodao Chemical Fibers: 5, 10(C), 18(C), 33. Total: 97.5 (+), 109.5 (+), 218, 425