“Our orders are already scheduled through September—there’s simply too much demand! Based on the current trajectory, our annual output value is expected to exceed 480 million yuan, with a growth rate of 20%,” said Fang Dewei, General Manager of Zhejiang Yongshang Special Materials Co., Ltd., with confidence yesterday.

Stepping into the company’s production workshop, various machines roar at full capacity while workers are busy inspecting and packing products—a scene of intense activity. In the first four months of this year, the company achieved an output value of 150 million yuan, marking a 15% year-on-year increase and a notable rise against economic headwinds.

Yongshang Special Materials’ products are widely used in the petroleum, shipbuilding, and chemical industries. In recent years, the company has invested over 80 million yuan to establish a digital workshop, aiming to reduce costs and improve efficiency through intelligent production, while simultaneously developing new products such as corrosion-resistant alloys and nickel-based alloy steel pipes—demonstrating resilience amid downward economic pressure.

According to statistics, Suichang County achieved a value-added output of 295 million yuan in strategic emerging industries in the first quarter, representing a 66.5% growth rate—the highest in the city. These industries accounted for 24.6% of the county’s total industrial added value from enterprises above designated size. This set of impressive figures reflects the development momentum of a mountainous county advancing through innovation and focusing on quality-driven growth.

In mountainous and island counties where resource elements are relatively scarce, developing new quality productive forces requires additional effort. In recent years, Suichang County has focused on its two leading industries—metal products and equipment manufacturing, as well as new energy and new materials—by innovatively combining project attraction, platform creation, enterprise cultivation, and policy support to address development bottlenecks such as land, capital, and talent shortages. As a result, the county’s value-added output from strategic emerging industries grew from 750 million yuan in 2022 to 1.35 billion yuan in 2024.

Zhejiang Rongkai Technology Development Co., Ltd., a national high-tech enterprise, specializes in the research, development, and production of pharmaceutical intermediates and high-tech fine chemical products. This year, new products such as benzamide and bromopyrazole carboxylic acid acid developed by the company quickly sold out after going into production. From January to April, the company’s output value reached 139 million yuan, and the annual output value is expected to exceed 400 million yuan.

“Only by strengthening technological innovation can we remain invincible,” said Sun Xin, Secretary of the Board of Directors. The company has established platforms such as a postdoctoral research station and an enterprise R&D center, with nearly 20% of employees engaged in R&D. In the past three years, R&D investment accounted for 7% of sales revenue. The company currently holds eight invention patents, and its main product, 2-chloronicotinic acid, has a market share as high as 40%, ranking among the top nationwide.

The strong growth momentum of Yongshang Special Materials and Rongkai Technology is not unique in Suichang. Once a traditional industrial county known for its “Five Golden Flowers(five traditional pillar industries including metals, chemicals, papermaking, machinery and power)”, Suichang is now firmly focused on upgrading its manufacturing industry toward high-end, intelligent, and green development. The county is actively building chemical and industrial incubation parks, deepening business-driven investment and university-local cooperation mechanisms, and is now home to 22 enterprises in strategic emerging industries.

The newly launched Lishui Ruiyun New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., with a total investment exceeding 170 million yuan, has already achieved an output value of 43 million yuan; KAN Battery Co., Ltd. (formerly Zhejiang Kaien Battery Co., Ltd.) is installing and commissioning equipment in its newly built factory, which will significantly increase output upon production; Zhejiang Kan Specialities Material Co., Ltd. has improved production efficiency by 15% and reduced labor costs by 8% through equipment upgrades and technological transformation; Felix Chemical (Zhejiang) Co., Ltd. has upgraded its production processes, increasing annual product output from 100 units to 150 units... In Suichang, the vigorous development of strategic emerging industries is not only optimizing the industrial structure but also strongly boosting economic growth, injecting powerful momentum into the county’s leapfrog high-quality development.