Chongqing — The foreign media visited the Chongqing Panhua Steel Sheet Co., Ltd, located in Fuling District of Chongqing on Wednesday, also the second day of the Journey Around China - Experience Chongqing Foreign Media Tour. The high degree of intelligence in the production process of steel coil amazed the foreign journalists, who recorded the entire processing process with their cameras.

The high degree of intelligence in the production process of steel coil amazed the foreign journalists.

"This is a 1580 roller width HR Coil line that we just completed and put into production in September this year. This technology and equipment have reached a world-class level. The production line that required more than 1,000 workers in the past now only requires 6 workers to operate in front of the dashboard. As the result, there is no need for a worker to stand by the production line." Li Xinghua, Chairman of Panhua Group, introduced to the foreign journalist.

Li Xinghua, Chairman of Panhua Group, was answering the questions of foreign journalists.

According to Li, the HR Coil project also contains two 1780 roller width lines and 3 HR section lines with each annual capacity to be 1 million tons. Besides, there is one HR section line, which to be commissioned by December 2020. The whole production line will reach 16 million tons of annual production capacity, mainly producing cold-rolled base materials, silicon steel, automotive steel, etc. The products are widely used for cold reduction, such as carbon structural steel, low-alloy steel, silicon steel, and steel for the automobile industry.

The foreign journalists recorded the entire production line in Panhua Group.

At the same time, as one of the top 500 private enterprises in China, Panhua Group also actively participates in the open cooperation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), investing 3.5 billion US dollars in the Philippines to build the first comprehensive steel plant in the history of the Philippines. "With the commissioning of the 1580 roller width HR Coil line, our demand for steel billets is increasing sharply. In the future, after the completion of the construction of the first comprehensive steel plant in the Philippines, the Panhua will have a complete industrial chain system."

Li Xinghua said that the group is currently constructing the first phase of a comprehensive steel plant in the Philippines, covering a total area of about 300 hectares. The first phase of the steel plant will employ 10,000 local employees. After the completion of the third phase of construction, the total number of employees is expected to reach 30,000.

The comprehensive steel plant has a designed annual production capacity of 10 million tons. It mainly produces steel plates and galvanized steel products. In addition to being sold in the Philippines, they are also exported to the European Union, the United States, and Russia. Li Xinghua also said that if the Philippine market demand is large, the company will give priority to supplying the local market and support the Philippine government's infrastructure development plan.

After the visit, a foreign reporter said, “high-temperature steel pressing work is very dangerous for workers, but this intelligent production line can ensure worker safety and further improve work efficiency.”

The visiting group then came to the Fuling Zhacai Group and visited the Fuling Zhacai History and Culture Exhibition Hall and the Wujiang Zhacai Intelligent Production Workshop. Zhacai is the Chinese name for pickled vegetables.

The foreign media visited the Fuling Zhacai Group and learned about the origin and historical evolution of Fuling Zhacai.

Liu Feifei, a staff member of the Fuling Zhacai Group, introduced the origin and historical evolution of Fuling Zhacai and the comparison of the old and new technology of production to the visiting group, deepening everyone's impression of the history and culture of Fuling Zhacai.

In the production workshop, a fully intelligent production line is operating in an orderly manner. From the entry of raw materials to the product packing and out of the warehouse, more than a dozen production processes are completed on the assembly line, and only a few staff are nearby to assist the operation of the machine. "Now the factory has basically achieved full automation, with only twenty staff members in quality supervision and there is no need for actual operation."

In the Fuling Zhacai Production Workshop, a fully intelligent production line is operating in an orderly manner, with only a few staff members in quality supervision.

According to the staff, Fuling Zhacai has been exported to 52 countries and regions, including Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and other Southeast Asian countries. “At present, the main consumers are mainly Chinese, but the products are gradually entering the local sales channels. Local customers are slowly trying our products, and the effect is not bad," said the staff.

The products of Fuling Zhacai Group.

Regarding the export situation of Fuling Zhacai in ASEAN countries that foreign media are concerned about, the relevant person in charge said that currently, ASEAN countries account for about 10% of total exports volume, which is still relatively low. The staff added, "But we are very optimistic about the ASEAN countries market, especially with the development of the Belt and Road cooperation, we have more and more contacts, and there is still a lot of room for development."