Henan builds a 100 billion level pillar industry chain of superhard materials

Superhard material production workshop

Dahe Daily, Henan Video Reporter Huang Ting, Liu Rui, Courtesy Interviewed by Enterprises

"If a worker wants to do a good job, he must first sharpen his tools." The superhard materials and products represented by artificial diamonds are known as the hardest and sharpest industrial teeth. In terms of superhard materials, Henan's "Jianghu status" is not low, with 80% of the country's diamonds being "made in Henan.".

To build a strong province with advanced manufacturing industry, it is necessary to take the material industry as an important pillar and accelerate the transformation from a large province of raw materials to a strong province of new materials driven by innovation. According to the plan, Henan will accelerate the research and development of preparation technologies such as nano polycrystalline diamond and functional diamond, expand their applications in jewelry, electronic information, sewage treatment, biomedicine, and instruments, and build the world's largest research and development and production base for superhard materials with Zhengzhou, Xuchang, Shangqiu, Luohe, Nanyang, and Xinyang as the pivot points.

[County]

Zhecheng's micro powder production accounts for 70% of the country's total

The world's diamonds look at China, Chinese diamonds look at Henan, and Henan diamonds look at Zhecheng. It is precisely by relying on the leading industry of superhard materials that Zhecheng County has captured 70% and 50% of the national market share of micro powder production and export volume, and has also been recognized as the "Diamond Capital of China" by the Expert Committee of the Global Alliance for Science and Technology Innovation.

To understand the "Jianghu position" of Zhecheng County in the superhard material industry, it is necessary to enter this locally grown high-tech enterprise - Henan Power Diamond Co., Ltd. Currently, the company has formed three core product systems: diamond single crystal, diamond powder, and cultivated diamond, with diamond single crystal and diamond powder ranking third in the domestic market share. The products are widely used in the fields of building materials, stone materials, mechanical processing, hard and brittle materials, IC chips, precision cutters, jewelry, aerospace, national defense, and so on. It is the third largest manufacturer and supplier of superhard materials in China.

It is worth mentioning that the diamonds cultivated by the company are very popular in the European, American and Indian markets. The reporter from Henan Province of Science and Technology Innovation learned that the cultivation diamond market is currently showing an explosive growth trend. In the field of cultivating diamonds in the consumer field, Henan Power Diamond Co., Ltd. has achieved the industrialization of single 5-30ct diamond production, with product quality that can completely replace natural diamonds and be used in the field of jewelry. The products are mainly sold to India, Europe and the United States, and are exported as "Chinese diamonds". Cultivating diamonds has become the leading product with the largest operating revenue of the company.

[Industry]

There are about 300 enterprises above the designated size for superhard materials in Henan Province

There are 11 superhard material enterprises in Zhecheng County, forming a complete industrial chain of raw and auxiliary materials, industrial grade diamonds, diamond powder, gem grade diamonds, diamond products, diamond jewelry, etc. Now, the second phase project of Zhecheng County Diamond Industrial Park is under construction. After the completion of the project, the annual output value will reach 5 billion yuan.

According to the data from the Super Hard Materials Branch of China Machine Tool Industry Association

Superhard materials and products in our province

Industrial operating income is approximately

RMB 24.5 billion in 2019

RMB 27 billion in 2020

RMB 40 billion in 2021

2021

Sichuan's industrial diamond single crystal output is 16 billion carats

Diamond powder 6 billion carats

600 million carats of cubic boron nitride

Cultivate 2 million carats of diamonds

The relevant person in charge of the Henan Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology said that Henan's superhard material industry is mainly concentrated in Zhengzhou, Xuchang Changge, Shangqiu Zhecheng, Jiaozuo, Nanyang Fangcheng, and other places. Currently, there are about 300 enterprises above the designated size, including about 30 enterprises with sales revenue of over 100 million yuan in 2021, including Zhengzhou Sanmo Institute, Zhongnan Diamond, Huanghe Whirlwind, Huajing Shares, Zhongnan Jiete, Sifangda, Power Diamond, Zhecheng Huifeng Zhengzhou Diamond and other leading enterprises in the industry.

The development of superhard material industry in Henan Province has a relatively deep foundation advantage. At present, the scale of Henan superhard material single crystal synthesis industry is leading at home and abroad.

Diamond production accounts for 80% of the national total

The output of cubic boron nitride accounts for 95% of the national total

China's diamond single crystal production accounts for about 95% of the world's total

In the field of diamond synthesis, Zhongnan Diamond, Yellow River Whirlwind, and Huajing Shares account for nearly 70% of the global market share; In the field of cubic boron nitride (CBN), Henan's production accounts for about 75% of the global total, with Zhongnan Jiete's domestic market share reaching about 50%. These have laid the foundation for the development of downstream products and functional applications.

The second is the advantage of technological innovation. Henan has the only national superhard material industry base in China, the "National Torch Plan Henan superhard material industry base", and a number of national research institutes engaged in related research, such as Zhengzhou Three Grinding Institute and Machinery Research Institute.

"The third aspect is talent advantage," said the person in charge. Universities such as Zhengzhou University, Henan University of Technology, and Zhongyuan Institute of Technology have provided profound basic theoretical research for the development of the superhard material industry, while cultivating and transporting a large number of professional and high-tech talents.

[Reconstruction]

Build the world's largest R&D and production base for superhard materials

On March 16th, Lou Yangsheng, Secretary of the Henan Provincial Party Committee, investigated the development of the superhard material industry in Zhengzhou. He emphasized that we should accelerate the formation of industrial agglomeration advantages and create a new highland for the superhard material industry.

Industry insiders pointed out that the material industry is a strategic and fundamental industry. To build a strong province with advanced manufacturing, it is necessary to take the material industry as an important pillar and accelerate the transformation from a major province of raw materials to a strong province of new materials driven by innovation.

The Action Plan for Accelerating the Reconstruction of Advantages in the Material Industry in Henan Province (2022-2025) proposes to cultivate 40 key industrial chains of advanced materials. By 2025, six 100 billion level pillar industrial chains will be formed, including advanced steel materials, aluminum based new materials, nylon new materials, new high-temperature materials, superhard materials, and new building materials. With Zhengzhou, Xuchang, Shangqiu, Luohe, Nanyang, and Xinyang as the fulcrums, it will create the world's largest research and development and production base for superhard materials.

[Drive]

Create a national superhard material manufacturing innovation center

At the High Quality Development Exchange Conference for the Superhard Material Industry in Henan Province held on February 25th this year, Li Xiang, Deputy Director of the Henan Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, said that the next step is for Henan to enhance its pricing power and discourse power by creating a national innovation center for the superhard material manufacturing industry, creating a world-class superhard material exhibition and trading center, and promoting the development of the superhard material industry from large to strong to sophisticated.

According to the plan, Henan will implement the key task of material innovation and ecological improvement. Adhere to innovation drive, improve the innovation chain, connect production, education, research, and application, achieve seamless connection in the entire process of "basic research - technical breakthrough - technical application - industrialization of achievements", and create a first-class innovation ecosystem.

The Action Plan for Accelerating the Reconstruction of Advantages in the Material Industry in Henan Province (2022-2025) clearly requires that the construction level of the material innovation platform be improved. We will encourage advantageous enterprises to participate in the construction of State Key Laboratory, create national manufacturing innovation centers, new material production and application demonstration bases, etc. Promote existing innovation platforms to speed up key common technology breakthroughs, arrange a new group of key laboratories, industrial research institutes, and engineering technology research centers around key industrial chains, and promote the incremental improvement of innovation platforms.

At the same time, we will support large enterprises in the downstream of the industrial chain and small and medium-sized enterprises in the upstream of the industrial chain to form innovative consortiums that integrate large and medium-sized enterprises and coordinate production, education, research, and utilization, undertake major scientific and technological projects, and promote common technology research and development.

(Editor in charge: Huang Sha, Yang Xiaona)  /  Source: Dahe Daily