On October 17, a symposium concerning the future direction of Hunan's industries over the next five years was held in Changsha. Representatives from the Industry and Information Technology Department of Hunan Province, the industry and information technology bureaus of 13 cities and one autonomous prefecture, five key enterprises along the industrial chains, and multiple provincial departments were present. The participants engaged in in-depth discussions on the campaign to foster new industries and strengthen existing ones, as well as the 15th Five-Year Plan, jointly exploring the optimal path for Hunan to advance from a major manufacturing province to a strong manufacturing powerhouse.

Voices from Enterprises: 

Calling for a Better Ecosystem, Stronger Innovation, and More Substantive Support

At the symposium, remarks from representatives of five enterprises conveyed the shared concerns of business operators.

"Innovation" emerged as a recurring theme. The challenge of bridging the gap between technological breakthroughs and industrialization is particularly pressing. For instance, CRRC Zhuzhou discovered while advancing the construction of a "Dual Carbon Industrial Park" that although breakthroughs had been achieved in core technologies such as IGBTs, further support is needed to refine the supporting industrial chain. A representative from Unisplendour Intelligent Technology noted that transforming laboratory research outcomes into practical applications on production lines requires overcoming numerous obstacles. These real-world experiences have heightened enterprises' expectations for establishing a collaborative innovation mechanism where "enterprises pose the problems, universities provide the solutions, and the government offers support," enabling innovation outcomes to take root more swiftly.

Beyond innovation challenges, enterprises also face practical considerations in their daily operations. A representative from Hunan Hongwang Technology noted that, as a new materials company, energy costs are a key factor affecting competitiveness. Hunan's relatively high energy costs have, to some extent, constrained the company's long-term competitiveness. Meanwhile, several enterprises independently mentioned that there is a shortage of hybrid talent—individuals who understand both technology and business operations—during the process of advancing digital transformation. 

In response to these common issues raised by enterprises, the Industry and Information Technology Department of Hunan Province is promoting the establishment of a cross-regional coordination mechanism for key resources, seeking breakthroughs in areas such as talent, energy, and land. 

City and Prefecture Planning:

Building Distinctive Industrial Systems Based on Local Endowments

The "15th Five-Year Plan" proposals of each city and prefecture are all grounded in their industrial foundations and comparative advantages.

Changsha is setting its sights on the audio-visual equipment industry. As the nationally renowned "Capital of Construction Machinery," Changsha is home to leading enterprises such as SANY and Zoomlion, which have generated significant demand for audio-visual technology during their intelligent transformation. With technical support from universities like the National University of Defense Technology, Changsha has now attracted 287 audio-visual-related enterprises, with an output value expected to exceed 80 billion CNY in 2024. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, Changsha's audio-visual industry will strive to become a national advanced manufacturing cluster.

In Shaoyang, the electronic glass industry is on the rise. The substrate glass project of the Hunan Shaohong Special Glass Co., Ltd. has established three hot-end and two cold-end production lines, with an annual output of 3.2 million sheets of substrate glass, breaking foreign technological monopolies. Shaoyang plans to build a complete industrial chain spanning "raw materials—substrate glass—display modules" based on this foundation.

Leveraging its unique natural resources, the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture is prioritizing the development of the baijiu (Chinese spirits) and traditional Chinese medicinal materials industries. According to a representative from the local industry and information technology bureau, the local leading enterprise, Jiugui Liquor, possesses unique brewing techniques and the advantage of being a Geographical Indication (GI) product, providing brand support for industrial development. Xiangxi's abundant medicinal materials resources offer a natural advantage for the development of the biopharmaceutical industry. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, Xiangxi plans to further extend its industrial chains, promoting the baijiu industry toward brand-building and high-end development, and expanding the traditional Chinese medicinal materials industry into deep processing and the broader health sector.

Provincial Planning:

Systematically Advancing High-quality Development in Manufacturing

The drafting of the provincial "15th Five-Year Plan" for the industrial and information technology sectors has entered a critical phase.

Ouyang Xiaofeng, deputy director of the Industry and Information Technology Department of Hunan Province, noted that of the 36 preliminary research projects for the plan, 31 have been completed, and the drafting of the master plan, sector-specific plans, and special plans has begun in succession.

The provincial "15th Five-Year Plan" for industry and information technology will follow a "1+16+7+1" framework. Specifically, one master plan will define the development direction, 16 sectoral plans will cover key industrial sectors, seven specialized plans will focus on critical links, and one action plan will ensure the implementation of tasks. This framework emphasizes both top-level design and implementation pathways, forming a complete closed-loop system for advancement.

In terms of implementation, the "Five-pronged Approach" will be adopted to ensure the plan is effectively carried out. Efforts will be made to use checklist-based management to transfer objectives into specific tasks, leverage project-based efforts to ensure key tasks are fully implemented, optimize the spatial distribution of industries through regional planning, use pilot projects to generate replicable best practices, and conduct closed-loop evaluations to promptly assess the effectiveness of our work. This approach will ensure that the plan does not remain merely on paper, but truly takes root and bears fruit.

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn