Zhangjiagang has developed a robust and highly concentrated smart, high-end equipment industry over the past 70 years, steering towards high-end development with a focus on intelligence, greenness, and integration.
The smart high-end equipment industry chain in Zhangjiagang currently boasts nearly 530 enterprises, forming a comprehensive chain from raw material supply to core equipment manufacturing and end-user applications. In 2024, this industry chain achieved a production value exceeding 100 billion yuan ($13.92 billion), accounting for 18 percent of the city's total industrial output above designated size.
In core areas such as high-end energy equipment and intelligent Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) systems, leading companies like Zhangjiagang Furui Special Equipment Co, Suzhou Hailu Heavy Industry Co, Jiangsu Guofu Hydrogen Energy Equipment Co, and Zhangjiagang CIMC Sanctum Cryogenic Equipment Co have made significant technological breakthroughs, maintaining top positions in their respective niche markets nationwide.
Furui Special Equipment, leveraging its independently developed cryogenic insulation transportation technology and intelligent pressure regulation system, dominates the domestic Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) vehicle cylinder market. CIMC Sanctum, meanwhile, has developed the country's first 40-foot liquid helium tank container and civilian liquid hydrogen tank truck, promoting collaborative development across the supply chain.
Digital and intelligent transformation is emerging as a new engine of industrial upgrading. Jiangsu Newamstar Packaging Machinery Co has enhanced production efficiency by 30 percent, reduced defect rates by 10 percent, and lowered operating costs by 25 percent through its "intelligent production line + warehousing and logistics system + information management platform" solution. Its over 3,000 production lines serve more than 80 countries and regions worldwide.
The breakthrough development in niche areas by leading enterprises has made Zhangjiagang's smart high-end equipment industry a very attractive place to do business. The coordinated development of the industry chain's upstream and downstream sectors is gradually improving, while the regional agglomeration advantage is becoming increasingly evident.
For instance, at the modern equipment manufacturing petrochemical industrial base in the Zhangjiagang Bonded Zone, companies like CIMC Sanctum and Jiangsu Libert Inc are strategically located, forming a clear and complete industrial chain from raw material supply to core equipment manufacturing and end-user applications.
CIMC Sanctum is also actively participating in local industry associations and alliances and strengthening exchanges and cooperation with enterprises and universities in hydrogen production, hydrogen refueling station operations, and end-user applications, thereby attracting more high-quality enterprises to the industry chain and collectively building a more competitive industrial cluster.
Looking ahead, Zhangjiagang will focus on "intelligence, greenness, and system integration", strengthening technological innovation, expanding domestic equipment renewal, developing dual-carbon strategy policy markets, and exploring Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern overseas markets. The city aims to accelerate the deployment of embodied intelligence, the low-altitude economy, and future industrial equipment, promoting the coordinated development of both traditional advantageous equipment and future industrial equipment.
An aerial view of Zhangjiagang. [Photo/WeChat account: zhangjiagangfabu365]