Zigong Net Exclusive Interview | Deeply Cultivating Expertise and Pursuing Innovation - The Growth Journey of the 'Little Giant' Company Zigong Industrial Pump Co.

On July 11, Zigong Net featured a special report on our company: "Deep Cultivation of Expertise, Innovation and Refinement—The Growth Story of 'Little Giant' Enterprise Zigong Industrial Pump Company."

The "Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative" (also known as "Little Giant") label is a mark of highquality enterprises. Sichuan Zigong Industrial Pump Co., Ltd. has been dedicated to industrial pump manufacturing for over 50 years, adhering to innovationdriven development. In 2022, the company was included in the national fourthbatch list of "Little Giant" enterprises. On July 10, a reporter visited the company to explore the secrets behind the growth of this "Little Giant

Inside the machining workshop of Zigong Industrial Pump Company in the Ban Cang Industrial Park of the High-Tech Zone, a CNC double-column vertical lathe was rapidly rotating a large pump body for turning operations. "This is one of the new pieces of equipment introduced this year as part of the company’s upgrade and transformation of its CNC production line, which can improve processing efficiency by over 50%," said Xu Mingjian, the company’s general manager. He then pointed to the pump body being processed and told the reporter that it was part of a batch of coldflow axial flow pumps for a 1.1milliontonperyear soda ash production facility in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, one of the company’s flagship products.

When it comes to axial flow pumps, Xu Mingjian speaks with pride and expertise. The axial flow pumps produced by Zigong Industrial Pump Company have repeatedly set domestic industry records: they were the first in China to develop saltout axial flow pumps and coldflow axial flow pumps for soda ash production facilities, and the company continues to maintain the capability to develop and produce the larestdiameter products of this type in the country. In 2020, the company independently developed China’s largest 1.6meterdiameter chemical axial flow pump, successfully breaking the foreign monopoly on similar products. This year, the company is developing a 1.7meterdiameter chemical axial flow pump, the largest in China, with a flow rate of up to 45,000 cubic meters per hour, which will be used in the country’s largest single salt production unit.

Large diameter and high flow rates are important indicators of the technological sophistication of industrial pump products. These breakthroughs in "size" stem from the company’s pursuit of "specialization" and "refinement" in pump manufacturing. With numerous categories of industrial pump products and intense market competition, the company has consistently focused on developing niche areas such as chemical axial flow pumps, chemical centrifugal pumps, and slurry pumps. Among its leading products, evaporation circulation pumps and salt-out and cold-flow axial flow pumps hold over 90% of the domestic market share in their respective segments. The market share and technological advancement of the company’s chemical axial flow pumps are also among the highest in the country.

Zigong Industrial Pump Company has always believed that innovation is the primary driving force behind enterprise development.

The company insists on technological innovation, allocating 4% of its annual sales revenue to technological R&D. It has established a provinciallevel enterprise technology center and a provinciallevel engineering technology research center, and collaborates with Sichuan University and Sichuan University of Science & Engineering on   industry-academia-research projects. In recent years, the company has developed major first-of-its-kind technical equipment, such as the ZWQ1500 and ZWX1600, the largest evaporation circulation pumps in China, promoting technological progress in the industry and achieving domestic substitution. The company also boasts the most powerful water pump testing center in western China and a large bottom-mounted thruster test device, with industry-leading R&D, testing, and inspection capabilities.

In recent years, as the national new industrialization development strategy continues to advance, Zigong Industrial Pump Company has actively engaged in digital and intelligent upgrades to foster new momentum. By implementing digital systems such as ERP and PLM, the company continuously improves its operational quality and management level. This year, the company invested 12 million yuan in a CNC process upgrade project, using its core proprietary technologies to upgrade key processing technologies in its existing pump production line. This upgrade increases monthly production capacity by over 400 units and is expected to add 150 million yuan to annual output value.

Regarding the future growth of the "Little Giant," Xu Mingjian said, "The company has a clear development strategy and strong confidence. We will continue to deepen our efforts on the path of specialization, refinement, uniqueness, and innovation, striving for excellence in product technology and manufacturing processes while also seeking breakthroughs in 'innovation.'" He stated that the company will expand into new markets such as industrial wastewater treatment and lithium battery new energy, building on its foundation in the basic chemical equipment market for salt and soda ash production. At the same time, the company is committed to the intelligent development of its products, aligning with customers’ smart factory initiatives to further advance its digital and intelligent transformation.

Source: Zigong Net