Foundry industry is an important part of manufacturing industry, which plays an important role in the development of national economy and the enhancement of national defense. Casting is the foundation of pillar industries such as automobile, petrochemical, steel, electric power, shipbuilding, textile and equipment manufacturing, and advanced casting technology is an important content of advanced manufacturing technology. For example, in machine tools, pump valves, diesel engines and other products, castings account for 80%; Motor, coal mining machinery and other products account for more than 45%; Automobile products account for 30%. In the industrial policy of China’s automobile manufacturing industry, casting production is listed as the key development object.
At present, the current situation of China’s foundry industry is: large output and slow growth; The product structure is in rapid adjustment; The industrial organization structure began to tend to be centralized.
1.Complete production categories
Although China is a developing country, it has a complete range of casting production categories. China basically has all the casting types and casting processes in the world. Although the number of advanced equipment is not commensurate with the total output, it has a complete variety. Theoretical research is also enough to compete with the international. It can be said that China’s foundry industry today has a solid foundation and great development potential. Under the situation of all-round growth of the national economy, the development tide is unstoppable.
2.Large output, many plants and small average scale
Since 2000, the total annual output of castings in China has surpassed that of the United States and has become the largest country in the world. The total number of foundry enterprises is also the largest in the world. According to sampling survey and calculation, and small factories account for the majority, so the average scale is small. The national average annual output of each factory is only about 760 tons, which can not reach the economic scale.
3.The average level is not high
Over the years, the technology and production levels of various foundries across the country have been very different, inOver the years, the technology and production levels of various foundries across the country have been very different, in the shape of a pyramid, that is, only a few of them have a high level, and most of them are still at the level of the 1940s and 1950s. Therefore, the competition of medium and low-grade castings is fierce, but there are few factories that can make high-grade complex castings. Over the past five years, this situation is improving.
4.It has entered the market economy mode
Since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, China’s foundry industry began to have extensive contact with the world market. The ideas of employees, especially enterprise leaders, have changed greatly and began to understand the importance and urgency of enterprise progress. Therefore, in the past three years, great changes have been reflected in the enterprise system, product quality, technological transformation or business ideas. China’s foundry industry has entered the market economy mode from the planned economy. The dawn of forging a powerful country has appeared on the horizon.
Although China’s foundry industry has entered the ranks of the world’s largest foundry countries with many factories, large output and complete categories, it is far from a powerful foundry country in terms of comprehensive quality, material structure, cost, energy consumption, benefit and cleaner production. Compared with the powerful foundry countries such as the United States, Japan, Germany and France, there is still a considerable gap in China’s foundry industry. “Big” only indicates scale and output, and “strong” only shows strength and efficiency. Therefore, at present, the focus of the development of China’s foundry industry is not to increase output, but to narrow the above gap as soon as possible, enhance our competitiveness in the international market, and realize the sustainable development of China’s foundry industry with high efficiency, low consumption and cleanness, So that China will gradually become a real foundry power.