There is a hive of activity at the production workshop of Hunan Dahua Heavy Industry Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. in Guiyang High-tech Zone, where large boring machines run at high speed, automated laser cutters spark, and workers are busy assembling ball mill cylinders bound for Africa.

“The equipment behind me has been assembled, including ball mills, classifiers, generator sets. The order is worth over 4 million yuan, and it will be shipped to Rwanda next week,” Xiang Haibo, the production plant manager, said on March 17, pointing to the neatly arranged equipment. “Now the orders have been scheduled for the third quarter, and everyone is working flat out to meet deadlines.”

In 2025, Dahua Heavy Industry achieved an output value of 120 million yuan. For 2026, the company has set a floor target of 150 million yuan and is aiming for 200 million yuan. Against mounting pressures in traditional manufacturing, the firm’s robust growth is a vivid example of how Chenzhou’s equipment manufacturing sector is making breakthroughs via innovation and transitioning to smart manufacturing.

From Selling Equipment to Selling Design Solutions

Inside Dahua Heavy Industry’s R&D and design center, several young technicians are busy drafting designs on computers. Recruited from Changsha University of Science and Technology in recent years, these mechatronics professionals have brought new vitality to the company's R&D team.“In the past, we only sold individual pieces of equipment, and it was entirely up to customers to decide how to match and layout on their own,” Xiang Haibo explained, “Things are different now. We first carry out mineral processing design based on the geographical conditions and production capacity requirements of the customer’s operation site, and then customize a full set of equipment. What we sell today is technology, solutions and services.”

This shift from “selling products” to “selling designs” has given Dahua Heavy Industry a distinct competitive edge in the fierce market.

The company provides complete solutions tailored to different ore types--copper mines in Africa and lead-zinc mines in South Asia--as well as diverse climate demands, such as moisture protection for rainforest in Southeast Asia and dust control for arid regions in Africa.

“Different ores require different beneficiation processes, and different output capacities call for different equipment specifications. A system designed to process 100 tons of raw materials per day is entirely different from one for 2,000 tons per day." said Deng Peng, workshop supervisor.

He drew a vivid analogy: “It’s just like a tailor making clothes. With the same fabric, cuts and patterns must differ for people of different heights and builds.”

The company now focuses on providing customized processing and design solutions for clients.

Its main products fall into four major categories: mining equipment, smelting equipment, sand-making machinery, and environmental protection facilities. It is capable of undertaking EPC turnkey projects for beneficiation plants and sand production yards.

Innovation is embodies not only in business concepts but also in production. In June 2025, the enterprise invested million yuan in laser cutting equipment to replace the original carbon dioxide plasma cutting system, boosting cutting efficiency by more than 20%. Currently, the enterprise holds dozens of invention patents and has established industry-university-research partnerships with Central South University and Changsha Mining Research Institute. It has grown into a national high-tech enterprise and a provincial “little giant” enterprise.

From Going Global To Taking Root

As early as its establishment, Dahua Heavy Industry has been exporting its products overseas, but it was not unitl 2025 that it truly achieved large-scale development.

“Fluctuations in international energy market prices have brought new opportunities for mineral resource development,” said Xiang Haibo. The company has keenly seized this trend and established offices in Zimbabwe, Zambia in Africa, and Peru in South America, serving both as a technical support provider and a market pioneer.

Today, Dahua Heavy Industry’s equipment has been exported to more than 20 countries and regions, including Zambia and Nigeria in Africa, Bolivia and Peru in South America, as well as Russia, Pakistan, Indonesia.

By 2025, the proportion of the company’s exports had steadily risen to over 50% of its total output. “The African and South Asian markets are now well-developed, and our products are in short supply,” said Xiang Haibo. “The breakthrough in the international market is the main reason for the year-on-year growth in orders in 2025.”

From Mining to Building Industries

The development of an enterprise cannot do without a favorable environment. Known as the “hometown of non-ferrous metals”, Guiyang boasts unique and abundant mineral resources. However, how to break free from resource dependence and embark on a path of

transformation from “relying on resources” to “building industries” is a test of the local government’s foresight and resolve.

In recent years, Guiyang County has focused on new industrialization-oriented development, featuring both the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries and the cultivation of emerging sectors.

It has successively eliminated backward production capacity, freed up development space, and guided factors such as capital, land, and policies to gather towards advantageous enterprises.

“Here, we can concentrate wholeheartedly on production and innovation,” said Liu Yanying, assistant general manager of Dahua Heavy Industry. The "peace of mind” she mentioned stems from Guiyang county’s business environment of "responding promptly to needs and not disturbing when there is no request”.

As the construction of the enterprise’s Phase II workshop is about to start, the staff in the park have already prepared various materials in advance; when export tax rebate documents are complete, the funds can be credited within a week; as soon as the enterprise put forward its talent needs, the park arranged recruitment through matchmaking.

This kind of one-stop services allowed enterprises to focus on production. In 2026, Dahua Heavy Industry plans to invest 10 million yuan to introduce intelligent production lines, which will increase the production capacity by 60%.

With products going global and industries moving forward via innovation, Chenzhou is vigorously promoting the upgrading of industrial development, guiding traditional manufacturing industries to transform towards higher-end, intelligent and green development.

Dahua Heavy Industry is a vivid microcosm of “Chenzhou Manufacturing” moving towards “Chenzhou Intelligent Manufacturing”.

Chinese source: czxww