【 Glass Export 】 Qixian County, Shanxi Province: Blowing Glass To The World

 

At the 110th National Sugar and Alcohol Commodity Fair, Jinzhong Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government of Shanxi Province, together with Qixian County Party Committee and County Government, held the Shanxi Jinzhong (Qixian County) Glassware Investment Promotion and Industry Promotion Conference of the "the Belt and Road" Characteristic Industrial Cooperation Zone. More than 5000 products from the top ten series of glassware in Qixian County were showcased brilliantly, feast the eyes of the audience present. The golden signboard of "Qixian glassware" has once again attracted people's attention.

 

 Forming a manufacturing industry cluster

At the promotion meeting, a variety of home glass daily necessities and handicrafts, such as wine sets, tea sets, fruit trays, etc. in various forms, were dazzling and captivating.

"This glass tea set with the theme of pandas playing with bamboo is so exquisite!" In the glass exhibition area, Ms. Wang from Chengdu, Sichuan couldn't put down the glass handicrafts present. The staff introduced that this tea set features the national treasure giant panda as the main character, with bamboo joints as the main shape, decorated with green bamboo and bamboo shoots, and traditional blown crystal glass as the carrier. It is a very practical handicraft.

In fact, from common tea and wine sets on the market, to spinning decompression cups, tear drop red wine glasses... each exquisite and unparalleled glass product basically comes from the small town of Qixian, Shanxi.

"Crystal glassware is not only a rare commodity traded on the ancient Silk Road, but also a common commodity in today's' the Belt and Road 'economic and trade exchanges." Zhang Fushuan, director of the Qixian County Transformation and Comprehensive Reform Promotion Center, Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province, said Qixian glassware inherits Chinese civilization and gathers Chinese and foreign skills. After nearly a century of development, Qixian glassware manufacturing has formed an industrial cluster with a complete range of products, leading technological level, complete industrial chain, obvious export advantages, and huge development potential.

Data shows that as of 2023, Qixian has formed a full chain industrial system driven by 56 production enterprises, with 230 upstream and downstream enterprises including packaging, transportation, gold painting, hand drawing, mold manufacturing, flower baking, and raw material supply. The annual production capacity is 234000 tons, with more than 25000 employees participating. Qixian glassware products have over 8000 varieties in ten major series and are exported to 86 countries and regions.

"Qixian glassware has been passed on from generation to generation by generations of master craftsmen, and now it has initially formed an industrial cluster with leading technology, complete industrial chain and broad market prospects." Du Jianzhong, deputy secretary of Qixian County Party Committee and head of Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province, said at the glassware investment promotion and industry promotion conference in the "the Belt and Road" characteristic industrial cooperation zone Jinzhong (Qixian County), Shanxi Province.

 

 Industrial advantages stem from technological innovation

Recently, the staff walked into Zhongxiang Glass Products Co., Ltd. in Qixian County, Shanxi Province, and saw that as the several meter high mold machine kept rotating, the melted glass water was continuously made into exquisite tall cups.

"Nowadays, mechanized production lines have become the main force in glass manufacturing. We are also gradually domesticating imported equipment, and the daily shipment can reach 60 tons, which is dozens of times the traditional manual blowing shipment in the past." said the general manager of Qixian Zhongxiang Glass Products Co., Ltd. in Shanxi Province.

Zhang Fushuan introduced that currently, Qixian glassware is at the forefront of the industry in more than 30 breakthrough processes such as blowing, gilding, and baking. A group of leading enterprises producing glassware have become demonstration points and main forces for technological innovation, advanced technology promotion, and market development.

 

 The advantages of Qixian glassware industry stem from hardcore technology.

In recent years, Qixian County has adhered to innovation as the primary driving force for promoting the high-quality development of glassware, continuously optimizing the proportion of raw materials, improving smelting technology, and promoting the improvement of glass manufacturing processes and product innovation.

Qixian Zhongxiang Glass Products Co., Ltd. in Shanxi Province hired a research unit designer to collect data on the palm and grip strength of thousands of glass water cup users, analyze common and individual data, and use artificial intelligence technology and ergonomics to precisely design a new patented product that is suitable for most people to master with one hand.

Shanxi Qixian Zhongxiang Glass Products Co., Ltd. has implemented the project of "5G+Industrial Internet Platform", allowing 5G, AI and other technologies to sink into enterprises and improving their data processing capabilities.

"We have changed the way we used to estimate numerical values in manufacturing products. Now, real-time data such as furnace temperature, voltage, current, water quality, and oxygen consumption per unit time are displayed on mobile phones. Through timely and accurate command allocation, production efficiency has been greatly improved," said Shanxi Qixian Zhongxiang Glass Products Co., Ltd.

 

 Building industrial advantages cannot be achieved without the support of creative soft power.

"We integrate elements from different countries, ethnicities, and cultures into glassware products to make them more distinctive." Li Jun, Secretary of the Qixian County Party Committee in Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province, said that although products are more competitive due to cost advantages, the continuous exploration and innovation of craftsmanship by craftsmen is the core competitiveness.

"The glassware industry cluster in Qixian County has been at the forefront of the industry through innovative research and development, and now focuses on forging new quality productivity, standing firm and standing at the forefront of fierce market competition."

 

 Multiple measures to enhance brand international influence

Glassware, as an important tool for holding sugar, wine, and other items, is an important component of the 110th National Sugar and Wine Commodity Fair. At this exhibition, Qixian glassware also gained the favor of foreign exhibitors.

Elena Mariah, Deputy General Manager of Tsinandali Old Cellar Ltd, a Georgian red wine estate, said in an interview, "The glassware produced in Qixian has been included in our procurement business for a long time. We value its creativity, quality, and price. The purpose of our participation in the Qixian glassware investment promotion event this time is to see new products, connect with old customers, and find some new partners."

In recent years, the advantages of Qixian glassware products in foreign markets have become increasingly apparent. The Qatar World Cup officially authorized glass beer cup, affectionately known as the "Pink Victory Cup" by global fans, comes from Qixian. In addition, most of the Christmas glassware of IKEA, Martha, Wal Mart and other major European and American supermarkets also came from Qixian County.

In recent years, in order to support the construction of Qixian glassware brand, Shanxi Province has successively introduced relevant policies and established special funds to fully enhance the international influence of Qixian glassware brand.

Qixian County has set up the "the Belt and Road" (Qixian County) SME characteristic industry cooperation zone offices in Germany and the Czech Republic to keep abreast of European and American market trends in a timely manner, provide information services for enterprises, and assist in trade exchanges with countries jointly building the "the Belt and Road". At the same time, the county organizes glassware enterprises to participate in important international exhibitions such as the Frankfurt Exhibition in Germany, the Chicago Exhibition in the United States, and the Dubai International Hotel Supplies Exhibition in the United Arab Emirates every year. The county also organizes enterprises to concentrate on exhibitions and sales in countries such as Indonesia, Kazakhstan, and Poland. The county also organizes enterprises to participate in well-known domestic exhibitions such as the Spring Canton Fair, the China (Shenzhen) International Cultural Industry Expo and Trade Fair, the Shanghai International Sugar, Alcohol and Food Fair, and the Shanghai International Daily Necessities Expo.

The high-quality development of industries cannot be separated from standard innovation and technological innovation. In the increasingly competitive market environment, Qi County continuously raises the hard requirements for the development of the glassware industry. In recent years, Qi County has invested 10 million yuan to complete the relocation and quality improvement project of the National Glassware Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Center. The center has drafted and released 21 group standards, including "Glass Ice Bucket" and "Glass Dispenser", and participated in the development of two national standards, "Glass Tube for LED Lighting" and "Glass Instrument Optical Uniformity Testing Methods and Grading". It has actively applied for the industry standard of "Glass Decanter".

"In 2023 alone, we provided 474 testing services to 323 enterprises nationwide." Yang Ziqing, Director of the National Glassware Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Center, stated that in terms of patent applications, the glassware industry in Qixian County currently has 329 patents, including 6 valid invention patents, 21 utility model patents, and 302 design patents.