China has become a big producer of welding and cutting equipment. In 2010, the market size of welding and cutting equipments in China reached RMB22.3 billion, with RMB7 billion attributable to inverter welding and cutting equipment, the proportion of which remains approximately 28%, far lower than 60%-70% level in developed countries. In the upcoming three years, the welding and cutting equipment market size will present steady growth.
In recent years, foreign-funded enterprises in the manufacturing of welding and cutting equipment have gradual access into China. Chinese manufacturers and overseas peers have staged cut-throat competition in each market segment. For instance, Panasonic, OTC, Shandong Aotai, Beijing Time, and Nantong Sanjiu keep ahead in the shipping industry; in pipeline and petrochemical engineering, Lincoln Electric, Panasonic, OTC, Chengdu Xionggu, and Beijing Time are the leading suppliers; In steel structure Industry, welding equipment of Lincoln Electric, Panasonic, OTC, Shandong Aotai, Beijing Time finds wide application; The most popular brands in light industry are Shenzhen Riland, Shanghai Tayor, and Shandong Aotai; and in civil maintenances, the brands including Shanghai People Welder, Nanhai Yinxiang, Shenzhen Riland, and Shenzhen Jasic are primarily utilized.
As Chinese market demand increases, Chinese local enterprises have expedited the construction of their production projects, with the capacities ever growing. For example, Shenzhen Riland now has 8 production lines, and it poured RMB253 million of raised funds into the Kunshan-based project in 2011 which is to be completed within a year and half, and in the first year of production, it will fulfill 20% of production, in the second year 40%, in the fourth 100%.
Jasic Technology plans to invest RMB256 million for inverter welding and cutting machine expansion project to be finished in a year. After putting into production, the sales is expected to register RMB1.05 billion and net income RMB150 million.
In addition, Kunshan Huaheng proactively taps into the R&D of robots. Shandong Aotai, Chengdu Xionggu, and Beijing Time all focus on the R&D of general products; and Chengdu Hanyan Weida made more projections into the development of special equipment and complete-set facilities, and its products embrace innovations.
