Zhu Zhou - a city once known as the "city brought by trains" - has become well-known for its industrial prowess and its contributions to the development of the "three pillars" of Zhuzhou manufacturing: cemented carbide, rail transportation, and aerospace. Over the past half-century, this city's transformation has become intertwined with the global image of Zhuzhou as an industrial hub and a stronghold of cemented carbide.
Data shows that Zhuzhou's advanced cemented carbide industry is the largest in terms of production and sales scale, innovation capability, and brand recognition in China. The cluster consists of 279 cemented carbide enterprises, accounting for over one-third of the total number of enterprises in the industry nationwide. In 2021, the output value of cemented carbide reached 38.5 billion yuan, accounting for 42.1% of the national total, with the CNC blade industry accounting for 76%, the rod industry accounting for 21%, and the gear alloy industry accounting for 51%. Furthermore, the cluster has contributed to the formulation of international, national, and industry standards, accounting for 60% of the total. Currently, Zhuzhou has become the largest cemented carbide production base in Asia and a national base for rare metal materials. It ranks first in Asia and among the top globally, carrying the mission of building a national-level industrial cluster for advanced cemented carbide materials.
Behind these remarkable achievements and grand visions, the efforts and equipment upgrades of every Zhuzhou enterprise play an indispensable role. Take Zhuzhou Huanxin Cemented Carbide Tools Co., Ltd. (referred to as Zhuzhou Huanxin) as an example. After using suitable grinding equipment, they have made rapid progress in the non-standard cemented carbide tool business. Mr. Wen Wuneng, the chairman of the company, could not help but praise ANCA for opening up a new perspective for them in an interview.
Restructuring and embarking on new endeavors
Cemented carbide, made from tungsten (the metal with the highest melting point on Earth), is widely used in the industrial field due to its high hardness and excellent wear resistance. As a globally renowned cemented carbide industry hub, Zhuzhou has established a complete industrial chain system, from upstream tungsten metal mining and smelting to midstream tool processing, downstream end product manufacturing, and resource recycling. In order to achieve such an industrial pattern, the manufacturing end in the industrial chain is a key link.
Zhuzhou Huanxin, as an old state-owned manufacturer of cemented carbide tools, was established in 1986 through joint investment from Zhuzhou Cemented Carbide Group and South China Industrial Group. It specializes in the production of standard and non-standard cemented carbide tools and manufactured the first domestically produced cemented carbide tool - the cemented carbide helical milling cutter. "At the beginning of the company's establishment, the cemented carbide industry was not as prosperous as it is now. At that time, we combined the advantages of both parties - using the cemented carbide materials from Zhuzhou Cemented Carbide Group, combined with the processing advantages of South China Industrial Company, to produce tools for aviation support," recalled Mr. Wen Wuneng.
In 2006, with the comprehensive deepening of the reform of state-owned enterprises promoted by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, Zhuzhou Huanxin also ushered in a turning point in its development - it was restructured as a subsidiary controlled by Zhuzhou Cemented Carbide Group and fully restructured as a private joint-stock enterprise in 2009. "The transformation created new opportunities for us," recalled Mr. Wen Wuneng. "Before the restructuring, it was evident that our processing equipment could not keep up with the development signals. However, we were always paying attention to cutting-edge grinding technology, especially seeking grinders that excel in processing non-standard cemented carbide tools. Later, we learned about some outstanding grinding equipment from some peers in Changzhou."
It was during that time that the impression of ANCA's ability to handle the grinding of non-standard cemented carbide tools had already formed in Mr. Wen Wuneng's mind.
From 1 to 22, increasing investment in ANCA every year
In 2009, Zhuzhou Huanxin received an order for the production of cemented carbide tools for aviation support. "At that time, CNC machine tools had become popular, and the tools produced through CNC machining looked very beautiful. Meanwhile, we were still using traditional methods, and the results and appearance were unsatisfactory." Upgrading the equipment became urgent.
Soon, Zhuzhou Huanxin found the person in charge of ANCA at a Beijing exhibition and purchased their first ANCA grinding machine - the ANCA TX7 Linear. "When we made the initial purchase, we hesitated about what kind of machine tool would be most suitable. The TX7 Linear, as ANCA's top-of-the-line grinding machine, has a wide range of applications and can easily handle various lengths of tools." Typically, our tools for the aviation and weapons industries (milling cutters, drills) are over Φ20 in diameter and within the range of 120-150mm in length, with some drills even reaching 180mm in length. "At that time, the tools we produced using traditional techniques did not have an appealing appearance, and we couldn't properly control the front and back angles."
Mr. Wen Wuneng still remembers that the first ANCA TX7 Linear produced special cemented carbide tools (Φ18, Φ20 milling cutters) for Chengfei and Guifei companies. When it was put into formal production for the first time, a celebration ceremony was held. "We still keep the first blade of cemented carbide tool we produced at that time." Later, they distributed the tools produced by the ANCA TX7 Linear to their customers and received unanimous high praise. "You should have bought this equipment earlier." When Guizhou Aviation Company saw the improvement in our processing capabilities, they immediately increased their order volume.
With the improvement brought by the ANCA TX7 Linear in the production of non-standard cemented carbide tools for aviation support, Zhuzhou Huanxin entered a new stage of development. "The order volume continued to increase, and within less than two years, we also received orders from other industries such as hydraulics, compressors, and more. It became apparent that relying on only one ANCA device running 24/7 was not sufficient," recalled Mr. Wen Wuneng.
The increasing demand for orders, starting from the second machine, the third machine... up to the XXth machine, prompted Zhuzhou Huanxin to embark on an annual journey of additional ANCA equipment. In 2017, as the company's business further expanded into the 3C industry tool production, they purchased more than 10 additional machines. "Up to now, we have a total of 22 ANCA machines, and almost all of the equipment in the company is ANCA."
The booming development of the 3C industry also presented an opportunity for ANCA to quickly enter the Chinese user market. According to Mr. Zheng Chao, General Manager of ANCA Greater China, "After 2012, we gradually saw that Chinese customers were placing increasing importance on the quality of tools, especially with the development of the 3C industry. When Apple upgraded from the 3rd generation to the 4th generation, completely abandoning plastic casing and entering the era of aluminum alloy frames and back covers. At that time, the tool demand and requirements in the entire market significantly increased." At that time, ANCA developed the ANCA FX series machine tools, which are still popular, specifically for 3C industry tool production. In fact, as early as 2008, ANCA had launched cost-effective and price-advantageous machine tools in the Chinese market to meet the needs of more Chinese customers more quickly. However, this equipment was not entirely suitable for the production of "small-batch, large-scale" tools. Therefore, the ANCA FX series, suitable for large-scale tool production, successfully entered the market. After 2014, the series rapidly gained a significant market share in the 3C industry tool processing market in China.
The future dream of non-standard tool customers
In Mr. Wen Wuneng's view, ANCA's equipment performs excellently in many aspects - suitable for non-standard tools, easy-to-use software, comprehensive service support, and fast response speed, among others. Based on Zhuzhou Huanxin's experience of over ten years, ANCA's equipment can easily handle the complex non-standard tool processing required in fields such as aviation, air conditioning, compressors, and hydraulic components.
"We have been in the tool manufacturing industry for over 30 years, involving various 'odd-shaped' tools. ANCA's software advantages are evident - easy operation and strong flexibility. Our operators love and are accustomed to it," Mr. Wen Wuneng explained, giving an example. If a novice operator learns both ANCA's software and software from other brands simultaneously, the former may only need one week to become proficient, while the latter usually takes a month. The advantage is clear when comparing the two. Additionally, operators are more receptive to ANCA's operating software. Especially for the simulation of non-standard tools and other changes, operators can easily adapt to various changes with the support of ANCA's software, and the operation is very flexible.
Zheng Chao added, "In fact, there are two major differences in processing between standard tools and non-standard tools. The former can be easily programmed and processed using the standard software of almost any grinding machine, while the latter requires the machine tool to have a certain degree of customization and specific programming based on the drawings provided by the customer." It is worth mentioning that ANCA is one of the few machine tool manufacturers that independently develop CNC control systems. They have another sister company, ANCA MOTION, responsible for research, development, and design, and then the application team from the group company arranges advanced programming. This enables ANCA to respond to the specific programming needs of local Chinese customers in a timely manner. In terms of service, since establishing a team in China in 2004, over 60% of ANCA's current team consists of application engineers and service personnel, making them a trusted long-term partner.
As one of the earliest cemented carbide tool companies in the country, ranking high in the segmented industry, and with over 90% of tool orders being non-standard, Zhuzhou Huanxin is thriving in industries such as aviation, weapons, compressors, hydraulics, railways, and 3C. The annual sales revenue of non-standard cemented carbide tools has increased from 10 million yuan before the restructuring to 80 million yuan at present, demonstrating its development. However, they do not stop there.
Looking ahead, Mr. Wen Wuneng revealed that the company will launch a series of major initiatives, including expanding the factory and extending business into standard tools. "The market volume of non-standard cemented carbide tools is about 100-150 million yuan, and we have already reached the ceiling in terms of our current non-standard tool production. To achieve greater output in the future, we need to enter the production of standard tools." The next development direction is clear - Zhuzhou Huanxin has become a qualified cooperative partner of Zhuzhou Diamond Cutting Co., Ltd., and will produce non-standard tools for them. The second goal is to broaden investment areas, further enter the standard tool market, and increase the necessary grinding equipment.
Today's story ends here, but the story between Zhuzhou Huanxin and ANCA will continue in the future. From non-standard to standard cemented carbide tools, we believe that ANCA will continue to provide high-quality solutions. With such empowerment, let us look forward to the future growth of Zhuzhou Huanxin.
Post time: May-14-2024