The industrial transformation has posed challenges for the casting industry; improving the capability to produce high-end castings is the key solution

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Foundry manufacturing is a fundamental industry in the equipment manufacturing sector; however, at present, cast components in many fields have become a bottleneck for the development of main equipment industries and high-end technical equipment. The overall development of the casting industry at present has not yet met the requirements of industrial transformation and upgrading; in particular, insufficient attention and investment are being devoted to areas such as energy conservation, emission reduction, and pollution control. There is an urgent need to accelerate the application of advanced technologies and equipment for energy conservation and emission reduction in the casting industry. At the same time, the development of the high-end equipment manufacturing industry has also generated new demands for the casting industry. The implementation of the **Belt and Road Initiative** will create more opportunities for international capacity cooperation between China’s casting industry and countries along the Belt and Road routes. Zhang Libo, Executive Vice President of the China Foundry Association, gave an exclusive interview. 2015 was a year of crucial efforts to deepen reforms in China’s industrial economy; it was the final year for the foundry industry to achieve the goals set out in its 12th Five-Year Plan, and it also marked a key starting point for the implementation of the 13th Five-Year Plan for this industry. It had a significant impact on the development of the industry in the years to come. At present, the China Foundry Association is mobilizing various stakeholders to prepare recommendations for the \"13th Five-Year Plan\" for the foundry industry. A preliminary draft of the plan has been developed, and internal discussions as well as the collection of feedback are currently underway. “During the 12th Five-Year Plan period, China’s foundry industry made significant progress. The output of castings continued to grow steadily; by 2014, China’s total castings production reached 46.2 million tons, keeping it in the top position in the world for 15 consecutive years ； The average size of enterprises gradually increased, rising from 1,320 tons per year in 2010 to 1,540 tons per enterprise in 2014 ； The industry concentration in the casting sector is also increasing; casting enterprises that account for around 20% of the total number of companies in this industry produce more than 70% of the total castings output ； The material structure of castings has been further optimized to meet the demands of downstream end-market sectors, particularly the rapid development of the automotive industry. In China, the material structure of castings has seen further improvements, with the proportion of ductile iron and aluminum alloy castings increasing gradually ； The technological capabilities and equipment standards of foundry enterprises have seen significant improvement, and the quality of cast products has been steadily enhanced. In sectors such as automobiles, internal combustion engines, machine tools, power generation equipment, as well as the rail transit industry, a number of large-scale, specialized foundries with high quality standards have emerged ； The capability for independent manufacturing of key castings has been further enhanced; the dimensional accuracy, surface quality, and internal quality of certain castings have reached international first-class standards, and the quality level of these castings exported abroad has also improved significantly. To develop effective recommendations for the 13th Five-Year Development Plan for the foundry industry, it is necessary to ensure that the plan provides scientific guidance for the industry’s development over the next five years as well as in the medium to long term. This requires a thorough understanding of the phased characteristics of economic development under the new normal, as well as an accurate assessment and proper grasp of the new situations, problems, challenges, and opportunities faced by the foundry industry in this context. The 13th Five-Year Plan analyzes the gap between China’s foundry industry and those of the world’s leading countries in this field, thereby helping to identify the future trends in the development of this industry. “During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, affected by the slowdown in the growth rate of demand for castings in the domestic industry as well as developments in the international casting trade market, it is expected that China’s castings production will enter a phase of moderate to low growth ； The casting industry faces the dual challenges of rising labor costs and a shortage of skilled workers, while environmental, energy, and occupational health and safety laws and regulations will become further stricter. At the same time, the development of the high-end equipment manufacturing industry has also created new demands for the casting industry. The implementation of the **Belt and Road Initiative** will offer more opportunities for international capacity cooperation between China’s casting industry and the countries along the Belt and Road. “During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the focus should be on improving China’s capacity for manufacturing high-end castings, as well as enhancing the quality, performance, and stability of key castings ； Priority support is given to helping the \"top 100 enterprises and industry leaders\" as well as the \"thousand key backbone enterprises\" to grow stronger, so as to create model enterprises that can drive the development of the entire industry. At the same time, it is necessary to meet the demands of industrial transformation and upgrading, and accelerate the shift in the casting industry from an extensive growth model focused on scale and speed to an intensive growth model centered on quality and efficiency. Against the backdrop of the integration of industrialization and informatization, it is necessary to accelerate the deep integration of information technology with the traditional foundry industry, so that this integration along with innovation-driven approaches can become new drivers for the development of the foundry industry. In terms of the industry’s talent assurance mechanism, it is necessary to accelerate the establishment of talent training systems at different levels that meet the development needs of the casting industry. In accordance with the \"Notice of the State Council on Issuing the Plan for Deepening Reforms in Standardization Work,\" efforts should be made to fully carry out the development of industry-specific standards in the casting sector, increase enterprises’ participation in such standard-setting processes, and use these standards to foster technological innovation and progress within enterprises, thereby enhancing their competitiveness in the international market. Promote the in-depth implementation of the integration of informatization and industrialization in the casting industry to overcome the bottlenecks in the development of high-end technical equipment. Casting is a fundamental industry within the equipment manufacturing sector, and it currently represents a bottleneck for the development of main engine industries as well as high-end technical equipment in many fields. \"Made in China 2025\" calls for strengthening the capacity for innovation in the \"four foundations\" – key basic materials, core basic components, advanced basic processes, and industrial technology foundations. It is necessary to enhance forward-looking basic research and focus on addressing the key common technologies that affect the performance and stability of core basic components. As a fundamental manufacturing sector, the foundry industry should adhere to the basic principles outlined in \"Made in China 2025\" – innovation-driven development, emphasis on quality, green development, structural optimization, and a focus on talent. It should follow the approaches of problem-oriented strategies, alignment between production needs and market demands, collaborative innovation, and targeted breakthroughs. By implementing quality, brand, and innovation-driven strategies, the industry can improve the quality, stability, and consistency of cast products. It is also necessary to enhance enterprises’ capabilities in independent research and development. Efforts should be made to overcome the barriers to the autonomous production of key cast components that are essential for the development of important industries. A sound innovation system for fundamental manufacturing processes should be established, with focus on developing and applying key core cast components, common technologies across various industries, as well as major technical equipment that supports the growth of the foundry industry. This will help raise the level of foundry technology and improve the ability to produce key cast components independently. At the same time, it is necessary to promote the implementation of a green casting development strategy in the casting industry, ensuring that green practices are integrated throughout the entire casting production process. Resources and energy should be conserved from the outset, and emissions reduced; reduction, recycling, and reuse should be achieved to facilitate energy and emission savings across the whole casting process. Advance the in-depth implementation of the integration of informatization and industrialization in the casting industry, promote intelligent manufacturing in this sector, and accelerate the adoption in casting enterprises of computer technologies such as CAD/CAE/CAM/CAPP, Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), industrial robots, 3D printing (for material production and waste reduction), intelligent logistics management, and numerical simulation techniques. This will facilitate simulation-based optimization, digital control, monitoring of operational status information, and adaptive control in casting processes, enable the automation of key processes, the replacement of workers in critical positions by robots, and intelligent optimization of the casting production process. It will also help leading enterprises to establish intelligent casting factories/digital workshops. Implementing an access system for the casting industry to promote the transformation and upgrading of casting enterprises: In recent years, large-scale casting enterprises in China have made substantial investments in casting equipment during the construction of new projects and technological upgrades. Many enterprises have adopted efficient and energy-saving melting equipment, automated molding lines for clay sand, large-scale production lines for self-hardening resin sand, as well as advanced casting equipment for high/low pressure aluminum alloys. At present, the level of core equipment in some large-scale casting enterprises in China is comparable to that of industrially developed countries abroad. A number of large-scale, specialized casting enterprises have emerged within the industry, and the quality of castings has improved significantly. However, the manufacturing of key castings in certain fields remains a bottleneck for the development of core industries and high-end technical equipment. This is mainly due to the generally low level of investment in research and development within China’s casting industry over the years; a technology innovation system centered on enterprises, driven by the market, and integrating industry, academia, research, and application has yet to be established, resulting in a severe lack of independent innovation capacity among Chinese casting enterprises. This requires accelerating the innovation-driven transformation of foundry enterprises, enhancing their core competitiveness, providing stronger policy support and guidance, and promoting the establishment of **-level laboratories and innovation centers, ** technology innovation demonstration enterprises, and enterprise technology centers in the foundry sector. This is aimed at meeting the needs of the development of high-end equipment manufacturing, so as to create a group of innovative foundry enterprises that focus on developing key core casting production technologies. It is necessary to establish a comprehensive platform for sharing information on scientific and technological achievements in order to accelerate the process of transforming such achievements into practical applications and products ； Promote the alignment of supply and demand between foundry enterprises and end-user companies, and establish industry alliances and collaborative platforms. At present, the overall development of the casting industry has not yet met the demands of industrial transformation and upgrading. There is insufficient emphasis and investment in areas such as energy conservation, emission reduction, and pollution control. Most enterprises employ extensive management practices in their production and operations, resulting in high rates of waste among castings and low quality levels of these products. The industry as a whole exhibits high levels of material and energy consumption. Enterprises lack adequate environmental protection equipment, and safety measures at the workplace are insufficient; as a result, large amounts of pollutants are emitted, especially solid wastes such as scrap sand, with a low rate of recycling. Therefore, the entire industry is still operating under an extensive development model characterized by high energy consumption and pollution emissions. Furthermore, there are currently around 30,000 foundry enterprises in our country. With such a large number of enterprises, development levels vary greatly among them, and there is a significant amount of outdated production capacity. A considerable number of enterprises are still using outdated production processes and equipment, with indicators such as pollutant emissions, energy consumption, material consumption, and waste discharge being far higher than the average levels in the casting industry. This requires the thorough implementation of the access system for the casting industry; efforts should be focused on formulating policies to phase out outdated production capacities in this sector, with an emphasis on eliminating obsolete processes and equipment, as well as reducing energy consumption and environmental impact in line with the relevant access policies. At the same time, it is necessary to accelerate the adoption of advanced technologies and equipment for energy conservation and emission reduction in the casting industry.