Recently, the successful trial production of our company's 20,000-ton/year xanthan gum project has attracted the attention of media at all levels in Baotou, which have scrambled to report on it.
Baotou Daily published a special page article: Transforming for "Novelty" – A Century-Old Brand Polishes Its "Golden Signboard"
Text / Reporter Li Chunyan Photos / Reporter Chang Jing
On October 23, the trial production of Huazi Industry's 20,000-ton/year xanthan gum project kicked off.
This large-scale mechanized sugar mill, which witnessed the rise of New China's industrialization, is the earliest-built, largest-scale, and most modernized in northern China. After one year and two months of meticulous construction, it has achieved a gorgeous transformation.
As one of the first batch of "Inner Mongolia Time-Honored Brands" and Baotou's first batch of "Century-Old Stores", it carries rich life and cultural memories. How to gain a foothold in the new era and ensure that this "golden signboard" never fades?
New Industry: "Old Foundations" Radiate New Vitality
With strong stability and broad market prospects... Entering the xanthan gum production workshop, machines roar, and workers are busy in an orderly manner. Benefiting from the global huge demand for green energy and the pursuit of the "dual carbon" goals, this once stagnant century-old enterprise has ushered in an opportunity to "overtake on a new track".
The predecessor of Baotou Huazi Industry Co., Ltd. was Baotou Sugar Factory. As a supporting project of key construction projects during the national "First Five-Year Plan" period, it was prepared in 1952 and completed for trial production in 1955. Huazi Industry holds honorary titles such as "National Key Leading Enterprise in Agricultural Industrialization", "Inner Mongolia Time-Honored Brand", and "Century-Old Store". It is the only enterprise in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region that has obtained the "National Sugar Reserve" qualification issued by the China Merchants Reserve Commodity Management Center of the Ministry of Commerce and undertakes the national central sugar reserve task.
Establishing a brand is not easy, and maintaining it is even harder. The older generation of Huazi people created a legendary chapter in the sugar industry with diligence and perseverance. Today, Huazi Industry stands at a new historical starting point.
"This year marks the 26th anniversary of Baotou Huazi Industry Co., Ltd.'s listing. The enterprise has taken a key step in transformation and upgrading. In the future, it will rely on the high-quality resources of Baotou and surrounding cities to develop upstream and downstream industries based on the xanthan gum project." Liu Fu'an, Vice Chairman and General Manager of Baotou Huazi Industry Co., Ltd., is full of confidence. Market demand, like a strong east wind, is driving Huazi Industry forward. The demand for food-grade xanthan gum is steadily growing due to people's pursuit of nutrition and food safety, while industrial-grade xanthan gum is in increasing demand in the oil extraction field, with broad domestic and international market prospects.
Achieving the leap from project approval to trial production in a short period of time, Liu Fu'an is very satisfied with Baotou's business environment: "The enterprise has achieved trial production in more than a year, which is inseparable from Baotou's sound business environment, which has strengthened the confidence of investors."
"As a representative of local established enterprises, Baotou has a large private economic market. The trial production of this project is a testimony to promoting the development and growth of the private economy. As the 'family member' of the private economy, we need to play a good role as a bridge and link to continuously improve core competitiveness." Li Wenxia, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director of Baotou Private Economic Development Service Center, said.
New Track: Forging Outstanding New Advantages
All the past is a prologue; all the future is worthy of expectation.
Huazi Industry, which once focused on the sugar industry, has been continuously researching and innovating, carrying out enterprise transformation and upgrading to meet market demand. On the basis of the original industrial chain, it has expanded from a single mechanized sugar product to a diversified product portfolio formed around intensive grain processing and bio-fermentation engineering. Products such as xanthan gum, vital wheat gluten, high-grade edible alcohol, and anhydrous alcohol have filled the gap in Baotou's bio-fermentation industry.
From relying solely on "sugar" to developing multiple business segments in parallel, this time-honored brand has blazed a new path of forging ahead and innovative development.
Tanks, pipelines, and workshops have materialized the green industrial chain of intensive grain processing, which meets the needs of a better life and builds a highland of healthy food.
For industrial development, innovation must take the lead. "We have actively introduced advanced production technologies and equipment, such as advanced fermentation technology, separation and purification technology, and gluten extraction technology, which have significantly improved product purity, performance, and quality. At the same time, we have adopted sewage and waste gas treatment technologies, vigorously promoted the circular economy model, improved resource utilization efficiency, and achieved green production." Liu Dongsheng, the enterprise's technical person in charge, introduced to reporters.
"'Grassland' sugar once entered people's lives with good quality. Now Huazi Industry has marched into the new blue ocean of science and technology, effectively improved its core competitiveness, and blazed a distinctive development path. This is a milestone in reform and innovation." Duan Xiaofeng, Chairman of Baotou Federation of Industry and Commerce and President of General Chamber of Commerce, said.
New Steps: Injecting Strong New Momentum
The same coordinate, but a different appearance. Walking in the factory area, the once mottled factory walls have now been painted with bright colors. Employees wearing neat and full protective equipment shuttle back and forth. The overgrown roads have been paved smoothly, the lights in the staff dormitories are on, the long-shuttered stores have reopened, there are more young faces, and the long-lost vitality has finally returned.
The factory area has been transformed into a scenic spot, with both changes and constants taking place simultaneously.
"Since my father's generation, our whole family has worked here. In April this year, my son also applied to work at Huazi Industry. Three generations of us are willing to take root here." Liu Weidong, 53 years old, is delighted by the changes in front of him and can't help but take out his mobile phone to record. "It's not easy. After being stagnant for ten years, we have finally ushered in new opportunities. Many of our former colleagues have returned here, found suitable positions, and the treatment is much better than before." Liu Weidong's words also resonated deeply with Liu Bing: "We met familiar colleagues in a familiar place. Everyone works happily together, and it feels like we're back in the past."
Continuously consolidating traditional advantages, tapping internal and external potential, and constantly improving the "gold content", "green content", and "innovation content" of development, Huazi Industry relies on the high-quality corn resources in Baotou and surrounding cities to vigorously develop upstream and downstream industries, extend the industrial chain, and increase product added value. "At present, we have started technological research and development, continuously injecting technological content to increase output." As the Director of Huazi Industry's R&D Center, Chang Yueming said that an R&D team has been set up, and everyone is working together to tackle one technical problem after another. In the future, they will continue to conduct in-depth research on the properties and application fields of xanthan gum to continuously enhance market competitiveness.
Taking steady steps, this established enterprise uses "innovation" to unlock the "youth code" and cultivates sustainable competitiveness through innovation. At present, Huazi Industry is actively exploring cooperation with universities and scientific research institutions to build a highland for industry-university-research cooperative innovation, jointly carry out scientific research projects and talent training, and invite industry experts and professors to provide cutting-edge technical support and innovative ideas. The talent strategy provides a solid support for Huazi Industry's new development.
Pursuing "quality" through "innovation" in inheritance and innovation, and adhering to integrity and innovation in striding forward – this is the magic weapon for Chinese time-honored brands to "stand out" and "rejuvenate", and it is also the new look and new achievements of Huazi Industry.
