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HC360 Chemical Industry News: Slow development of packaging machinery due to low-level competition. Packaging machinery in China started developing late; before the 1980s, its progress was slow, and only a few types of packaging machinery of very low quality could be produced. It did not develop into an independent industry, and there was no category for packaging machinery in the product catalogs published at that time. After the reform and opening up, there was a growing demand for packaging machinery in society. Coupled with government attention and support, China’s packaging machinery industry developed rapidly, with an average annual growth rate of over 30%. Even after entering the 1990s, it continued to grow at a rate of more than 20%. After more than 20 years of development, packaging machinery in China has become one of the top ten industries within the machinery sector. It has achieved remarkable results in terms of both production volume and variety, providing strong support for the rapid growth of China’s packaging industry. Some packaging machinery has filled gaps in the domestic market and is now able to meet the needs of the local market to a large extent; some of these products are also exported. In 2001, the national production of packaging machinery reached 533,000 units, with an output value of 19.55 billion yuan, accounting for 8.2% of the total output value of China’s packaging industry. China has thus become one of the major countries in the world in terms of both the production and consumption of packaging machinery. However, China’s packaging machinery manufacturing industry still faces many problems: first, there is a lack of comprehensive macro-level planning, and there is often a rush to invest in the development of new products, leading to low-level duplication. Secondly, there is a lack of financial investment; due to insufficient funds, the amount allocated by companies to research and development accounts for less than 1% of their sales revenue, making it impossible to develop one generation of products while simultaneously researching another generation. Lacking technical expertise and failing to effectively introduce and absorb new technologies, these enterprises have few new products and lack market competitiveness. Thirdly, there is a shortage of professional technical personnel. Given the low profit levels in the packaging industry at present, it is difficult to attract outstanding technical experts; as a result, there is little in the way of self-developed products, innovation capabilities are weak, and even the ability to adapt and utilize similar foreign products is limited. At present, the export value of packaging machinery in our country is less than 5% of the total output value, while the import value is roughly on par with the total output value. Compared with developed countries, the gap in China’s packaging machinery industry is mainly evident in the following aspects: In terms of product structure, there are currently around 2,300 different types of packaging machinery available abroad, along with complete sets of equipment, and new technologies and products continue to emerge. In our country, there are only slightly over 1,300 types of packaging machinery; the number of supporting components is limited, and there is a lack of high-precision and large-scale products, which fails to meet market demands ； In terms of product quality, the shortcomings lie in low performance, poor stability and reliability, unsatisfactory appearance design, rough surface treatment, low quality of many components, short lifespan, and low reliability, all of which affect the overall quality of the product ； In terms of corporate conditions, foreign companies have large production scales and a high degree of specialization; they mostly utilize CAD/CAM technology, and computer-based management is employed for tasks such as company administration, production, and sales. In China’s packaging machinery industry, there are few leading enterprises; not many companies operate on a large scale or produce high-quality products. Instead, there are many small-scale enterprises that manufacture similar products. Generally, these companies suffer from weak technical capabilities and low levels of technical equipment ； In terms of product development, China is still largely at the stage of testing and imitation; its ability for independent development is weak, there is a lack of pilot production facilities for research and development, and research funding accounts for only 1% of sales revenue, compared to 8%–10% in foreign countries. In 2005, thanks to the joint efforts of the entire industry, China’s food and packaging machinery sector achieved remarkable results: the revenue from product sales reached 67.9 billion yuan, a 21.5% increase compared to 55.8 billion yuan in the previous year. However, overall, the technical level of China’s packaging machinery is still 20 years behind that of more advanced countries; it is at a disadvantage in terms of product development, performance, quality, reliability, and service. Following international trends, the packaging industry urgently needs comprehensive transformation. Currently, countries around the world attach great importance to the development of packaging machinery, with high-tech products that integrate mechanics, electricity, light, sound, and magnetism continuing to emerge. The trends in the development of packaging machinery around the world include improving production efficiency, making better use of resources, reducing energy consumption in products, putting advanced technologies into practical use, and commercializing research results. These are also the directions for the development of China’s packaging machinery industry. For packaging machinery manufacturers in our country, it is not necessary to pursue size or comprehensiveness; instead, focus should be placed on precision and specialization. Most packaging machinery manufacturers in the United States, Japan, and Italy are of small scale, but they exhibit a high degree of specialization. Looking at the trends in the development of international packaging machinery, China’s packaging industry can no longer rely on an extensive approach based solely on increased capital investment and expanded production scales to meet the demands of ongoing development; China’s packaging equipment manufacturing sector has entered a new phase characterized by adjustments to the product structure and improvements in R&D capabilities. Technological upgrades, product replacements, and improved management are important issues for the development of the industry. In terms of product structure, the packaging machinery industry should be market-oriented, changing the current situation of low-tech-based and low-level competition. It is necessary to phase out a range of inefficient, resource-intensive, low-quality products with low added value that are labor-intensive, and strive to develop and produce high-efficiency, low-consumption large-scale complete sets of equipment as well as high-tech products that meet market demands. In terms of packaging functions, since the ultimate goal of packaging machinery is to package products efficiently, during a period in which industrial and agricultural products are becoming more sophisticated and diverse, there is a need for packaging machinery to develop in two directions: offering multiple functions for products or enabling high-speed operation. For example, the packaging of Coca-Cola products requires speed and quality, with changes in the packaging structure being secondary ； For candy packaging, pillow-shaped, custom-shaped, and combined packages are required, and the packaging of these products needs to be done on a single packaging machine. In terms of technical performance, advanced technologies from other fields should be applied to packaging machinery, such as mechatronics technology, heat pipe technology, remote control technology, and automatic flexible compensation technology, in order to significantly improve the technical capabilities of the products. In terms of design philosophy, the standardization and modularization of structural design should follow the same approach. This allows for modular design based on existing models, enabling the development of new models in a shorter time frame and thus accelerating product updates. It also facilitates the specialized production of packaging machinery. In manufacturing, specialized production has become a trend. International packaging machinery manufacturers attach great importance to the versatility of components used in packaging machinery. Some standard components are no longer produced by packaging machinery factories, while certain specialized components are manufactured by highly specialized producers; in a sense, true packaging machinery factories function merely as assembly plants. China’s packaging machinery manufacturers need not strive to become large and comprehensive; instead, they should focus on developing core technologies to enhance the competitive advantages of their products.