City reaps benefits in nation's pilot project from buzai232's blog

One year on, Ningbo, the first city to take the nation’s pilot project of smart manufacturing upgrading, has refreshed itself by taking in talent and advanced technologies worldwide.

Over the first half year, Ningbo’s gross domestic product rose 7.8 percent year on year to 445.65 billion yuan (US$67 billion), 0.9 percentage points faster than the nation’s average. The growth was mainly contributed by its industrial growth, with equipment manufacturing leading all sectors by jumping 13.8 percent from a year ago in its output.

Assigned to pilot the “Made in China 2025” initiative, which aims to upgrade the nation’s industry by injecting advanced technologies into manufacturing, on August 19 last year, “Ningbo has discovered its own way to boost innovation and transformation by implementing such policy,” said the city’s vice mayor Chen Zhongchao.

Ningbo will host a conference to review its implementations late this year while the exact time and venue haven’t been confirmed, according to Ningbo Commission of Economy and Information Technology.

Of all its actions, attracting talent comes first. By 2019, Ningbo aims to take in over 450 professionals who will lead in advanced manufacturing, along with 10,000 who lead in innovation and entrepreneurship, according to its policy to implement “Made in China 2025.” Meanwhile the city will nurture 200 outstanding workers who are experienced in industrial skills and know-how.

Chu Zhaojie, deputy chief of the general office at the Ningbo Commission of Economy and Information Technology, said talent is the key to boost industrial upgrading in Ningbo, who would bring advanced technical results covering digital technologies, new materials and key industrial equipment such as ocean engineering equipment and modern medical devices.