The recent years have seen grand progress made by Taicang in its advanced research and development, as illustrated through accomplishments achieved by businesses in the city. Last year, 73 more high-tech companies were added to the city, amounting to 280 altogether.

Taicang has grown with a general trend towards all businesses building up teams and labs to boost research all around.

The Altusvia Energy (Taicang) Co Ltd, a leading Chinese producer of solar batteries and associated components, recently completed setting the standards for the China Photovoltaic Industry Association. It has worked as one of the prime standard setters out of the standardization committee of the China Photovoltaic Industry Association.

The company, a production base and research center of Hareon Solar, one of China's largest crystalline silicon solar cell and module suppliers, has been devoted to developing clean energy with the major goal to promote widespread use of photovoltaic electricity for global consumers. Over the past seven years, it has received a total of 229 patents, 96 of which are licensed patents, 26 invention patents, and 70 utility model patents.

A map shows all the branches of Hareon Solar. [Photo from hareonsolar.com]

In the field of the optical fiber sensing technology, there is also an excellent enterprise in Taicang; Suzhou Bright Fiber Information Co Ltd (Brighter Fiber). Brighter Fiber is mainly engaged in research and development of optic fiber sensing technology products and solutions. The company made a breakthrough by transforming the optical fiber into “optical nerves”, and gained a detection distance of 60 kilometers which had been a world technical barrier. Its products have earned gold medals respectively during the International Exhibition of Inventions in Geneva and America’s largest invention show, the Invention and New Product Exposition INPEX, two of the most important conventions around the globe.

A poster of Suzhou Bright Fiber Information Co Ltd, the basis of which is in Taicang, Jiangsu province. [Photo from brightfiber.com.cn]

In addition to the endeavors attempted in R&D, Taicang and its enterprises have also stepped up use of advanced and smart technologies to enhance restructuring and upgrading of traditional and emerging sectors.

The Taicang-based Suzhou Rongwen Fiber Products Co Ltd, a joint venture to invent and manufacture synthetic and functional fibers, took advantage of high-tech generated chemical fiber products to create its competitive cashmere nylon.

Yalu Holding Limited is headquartered in Taicang and was primarily a winter clothing manufacturer. The company reformed the traditional independent research-production mode and launched an online platform to facilitate mutual cooperation among over 700 suppliers in China, filling its system and the industry with much vigor.

A poster of Yalu Holding Limited states its corporate values. [Photo from yalu.com]

Wuu Shiang Auto Parts (Taicang) Co Ltd, a car component provider for Wuu Shiang Group which was founded in Taiwan in 1979, has invested more than 30 million yuan ($4.35 million) in the past for years to improve its technologies. It adopted over 60 industrial robots to weld automobile beams, and achieved an 80 percent automation rate in the whole corporation.

A number of firms made much progress in intelligent production and solutions, such as the cutting-edge Industry 4.0 production system released by the Taicang plant of the German high-technology company TRUMPF that offers production solutions for machine tools, lasers and electronics sectors, smart three-dimensional programming software, and e-management. All of these inventions enabled real time and panoramic monitoring of the assembly line through computer terminals.

Taicang has attached great importance to flourishing its high-tech industry and carrying out effective measures to forge ties with local technological suppliers, improve its scientific and financial services, and build up funds and encourage social investments for small and medium-size technological companies and projects. This year, Taicang plans to launch an industrial investment fund amounting to about 300 million yuan ($43.50 million), increasing its high-tech enterprises’ number to 210 and the high-tech industry output to be 36.5 percent of the total volume.