Chongqing - At the upcoming Two Sessions, Fu Guotao, a deputy to the National People's Congress (NPC), suggested boosting the domestic production of high-end machine tools to support the high-quality development of China’s manufacturing sector.
With 36 years of experience in the mechanical processing industry, Fu, a senior technician at Chongqing Hongjiang Machinery Co. and chief technician at China State Shipbuilding Corporation, stressed that machine tools are the backbone of manufacturing and essential for product processing and machinery production.
Fu works in the machining workshop of Chongqing Hongjiang Machinery Co., Ltd. (Photo/Wang Quanchao)
China’s CNC equipment relies on imports
In his research across more than ten mechanical processing enterprises in Chongqing, Fu identified several issues with the equipment and machine tool usage in these enterprises. While the domestic production rate of machine tools averages over 90%, most of the equipment, including lathes, grinders, and milling machines, is low— to mid-range.
High-end equipment, such as CNC machining centers and CNC lathe-milling combination machines, remains heavily reliant on imports, primarily from the U.S., Japan, Germany, and Switzerland. These imported machines account for about 10% of the total equipment but contribute 40% of the output value.
Many of these machines were purchased in 2010 or earlier, and their service lives exceed 15 years and, in some cases, more than 20 years. As a result, their accuracy declines, parts age, and maintenance costs rise. For some companies, the cost of maintaining imported machines accounts for over 25% of annual maintenance expenses, with some even reaching 47%.
Fu added that machine tool manufacturing enterprises also face challenges. One significant issue is their reliance on imported production equipment, with certain CNC systems being restricted by foreign countries. For example, Japan has refused to provide China with the five-axis linkage function.
Additionally, these machines' performance tends to be unstable. Accuracy deteriorates rapidly, and processing quality suffers, leading to higher failure rates. The average time between failures for domestic machines is more than 30% lower than that of foreign brands.
Fu is teaching work methods on the production site. (Photo/Fu Guotao)
Subsidies for machines over 8 Years or 50,000 hours
Fu proposed promoting collaboration between research institutes and enterprises to address these issues to overcome key challenges in machine tool manufacturing, including materials science, mechanical design, and electrical control. This would help transfer research findings and provide technical support to manufacturers.
He also suggested establishing a national machine tool laboratory to create a technology innovation platform. This platform would focus on key research, such as standardizing CNC system versions and developing a national-level CNC system to address critical bottlenecks.
Fu believes that creating a China Machine Tool Association to promote technology exchange, evaluate and recognize top domestic machine tools, increase their visibility and use, and provide policy support will enhance the quality and competitiveness of high-end domestic machine tools.
The mechanical processing industry is expected to experience a peak in the replacement and upgrade of machine tools over the next 5 to 10 years.
He urges continuing machine replacement programs with price subsidies for machines over 8 years old or with more than 50,000 operating hours. He also proposes government financial support to accelerate equipment upgrades, achieve full CNC automation, and shift to intelligent manufacturing with unitized production.