Chenzhou, known as the world’s museum of nonferrous metals and the hometown of nonferrous metals in China, has a mining history of over 2,000 years. It houses over 40 types of nonferrous metal minerals and 21 proven reserves. Among them, tungsten, bismuth, tin and other reserves rank among the top in the world.

As the main force and battlefield for the development of the nonferrous metal industry in Chenzhou, in 2024, 132 enterprises (including those engaged in mining trade) in the Chenzhou Free Trade Zone and High-tech Zone achieved a revenue of 32.5 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 82.3%. The nonferrous metal new materials industrial cluster was rated as a national innovative one.

Chenzhou High-tech Zone has formed a high-quality, green, digital and intelligent development path.

In the production workshop of Chenzhou Tungsten Products Branch of Hunan Shizhuyuan Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Chenzhou Tungsten Company), automated production lines are in smooth operation, automatic guided vehicles (AGV) shuttle through it, and real-time production data is shown on the big screen.

“Continuous automatic feeding and discharging can be achieved by simply inputting instructions on the operation screen.” Looking at the automation scene in front of him, Xu Liqiang, an executive of Chenzhou Tungsten Company, was filled with emotion.

He said, “In the past, feeding relied entirely on workers, with high costs and low efficiency. The daily production of ammonium paratungstate (APT) was less than 20 tons.”

Tungsten, as a rare and crucial strategic resource for the country, is widely used in such fields as military industry, aerospace and mechanical processing, due to its high melting point, high hardness and excellent wear resistance. It’s also known as “the teeth of industry” and “the backbone of high-end manufacturing”.

Before 2016, due to the single product production and outdated production capacity, the company faced continuous losses.

After restructuring, it’s directly managed by China Tungsten Hightech Co., Ltd.. It’s also a production, scientific research and operation base for tungsten products of China Minmetals Corporation.

It’s mainly engaged in the production and processing of tungsten compounds and non-ferrous metals.

In December 2023, Chenzhou issued the “Implementation Opinions on Accelerating the Construction of a Modern Industrial System”. It proposed to accelerate the construction of a modern industrial system with Chenzhou characteristics, expand and strengthen the non-ferrous metal new materials, promote intelligent, green, and integrated transformation, so as to continuously enhance core competitiveness.

In the same year, Chenzhou Tungsten Company also launched the construction of a special tungsten based new material powder intelligent production line. By optimizing production processes and improving technical equipment, the automation rate of the production process has reached over 90%, and the comprehensive utilization rate of resources has increased by 15%.

Xu Liqiang said that in 2024, the company’s APT production exceeded 15,000 tons and won the single champion in Hunan Province's industrial manufacturing.

The project has built a full process digital control system from raw material processing to finished product output through the integration of 5G and industrial Internet, AI quality control and other technologies. It has become a typical example of digital transformation of traditional industries.

In 2024, it was approved as a provincial intelligent manufacturing benchmark workshop.

After decades of development in tungsten processing, over 130,000 tons of tungsten slags accumulated had become a major obstacle to the development of the company.

In 2019, Chenzhou Tungsten Company launched a comprehensive rectification for green development. It invested 125 million yuan to build a full chain governance system, upgrade processes and improve equipment, innovate waste gas and wastewater treatment technology.

In January of this year, it won the title of “National Green Factory”.

Workers are sandblasting and polishing products at the transparent factory of Jinfu Yin’gui Information Technology Company.

“In the past, silver ingots were sold by ton with low added value. Now, when they are made into silver utensils and jewelry, prices have skyrocketed by several times,” said Wang Qiang, general manager of Jinfu Yingui.

To break away from reliance on traditional paths and take advantage of consumption upgrading, Jinfu Yingui was founded in 2015, becoming a strategic pivot for its parent company Hunan Silver Co., Ltd. (formerly known as Chenzhou Jin’gui Silver Industry Co., Ltd.) to extend its chain and seek transformation and upgrading.

In the display cabinet, a water cup with the character “Fu” of different styles created by hundreds of calligraphers in history has attracted many visitors.

“The Hundred Fu Silver Cup symbolizes that all kinds of good luck come at once. It weighs about 180 grams and it is made using the combination of traditional chiseling and modern polishing techniques, which is very popular in the market,” said Wang Qiang.

In response to the preferences and demands of domestic consumers, the company is constantly developing new products that meet the needs in the domestic market. Currently, the company's products cover eight major series including jewelry, tea sets, tableware and silver cups.

In recent years, Chenzhou High-tech Zone has launched the “Three-Year Action Plan for Improving Quality, Creating Brands, and Increasing Efficiency in the Nonferrous Metal Industry”, implemented brand cultivation projects, supported enterprises to carry out major technological upgrades and equipment updates, and accelerated the integration and application of new technologies and processes.

Jinfu Yingui has been accelerating its transformation and upgrading, from small-scale handmade production to a fully mechanized production line. The core competitiveness of the enterprise is increasingly enhanced.

After more than ten years of deep cultivation and processing of silver products, the forging skills of Jinfu Yingui has been perfected. Now, it is seeking further development through silver culture.

Its “Silver City” has opened the path of “industrial culture and tourism” for Jinfu Yingui.

Here, tourists can not only see the production process of silver products through the glass, understand the past and present of silver, but also experience silver tableware making.

Silver City has also been rated as a demonstration site for industrial tourism in Hunan Province and a demonstration base for new cultural and tourism formats in Hunan Province.

The new model of silver and tourism has also attracted many foreign tourists. “We receive Korean tourists almost every day. Thanks to the one-on-one policy and business guidance provided by the functional departments of the park, we now have stronger confidence in development.”

In June of this year, the Silver City was listed as a departure tax refund store for overseas customers.

As of now, the Silver City has received 43,862 domestic and foreign tourists. From January to May this year, Jinfu Yingui has achieved sales revenue of over 19 million yuan.

“The prosperity of industries leads to the prosperity of Chenzhou. As a leading industry and an important driving force for economic growth in Chenzhou, it is an inevitable trend to promote high-quality development of the industry through the development of new quality productivity, which also has great potential.”

An official of Chenzhou High-tech Zone said that in recent years, the park has focused on transforming and enhancing traditional industries through new technologies, and the non-ferrous metal industry has continuously developed towards high-end, intelligent, and green development.

All economic indicators have shown a positive and upward trend. The output value of non-ferrous metal new material enterprises above designated size increased by 70.9% year-on-year from January to May this year.

Chinese source: hunantoday