In the first quarter, Jiangsu's foreign trade achieved a strong start. Notably, as market dividends fade and competition intensifies, and as familiar sectors become saturated, a number of traditional enterprises rooted in Jiangsu have chosen not to remain in their comfort zones. Instead, they have decisively pivoted and skillfully crossed industry boundaries. Moving from manufacturing to innovation, from supporting roles to leading positions, and from domestic to global markets, they are writing a development story of renewal and growth amid the wave of transformation.
Tradition is not a constraint but a foundation; comfort is not a harbor but a shackle. Vitality lies in the courage to change direction. On the production floor of Jiangsu Zhuogao Advertising Equipment Co., Ltd., wooden jersey display frames designed for sports fans roll off the assembly line continuously, destined for living rooms of fans worldwide. Instead of waiting for orders within its traditional advertising equipment sector, the company proactively shifted direction, keenly identifying "sports memorabilia" as an emerging consumer trend overseas and boldly entering this blue-ocean market.
"Previously, in advertising equipment, we focused on a few major clients all year round, worried about losing any single order. Now, with jersey frames, customers come from all over. The orders may be smaller, but the repurchase rate is high. As soon as one model sells out, clients ask for new designs," said Xia Xiaofeng, a manager at the company. "We started producing jersey display frames in 2024, with sales of 700,000 yuan that year. In 2025, sales surged directly to 2.7 million yuan." In less than two years, sales nearly tripled, making this frame the star product of the company's transformation journey.
Sports today extend far beyond the 90 minutes on the field—they encompass collecting, nostalgia, and dreams. A signed jersey shouldn't be stored away in a box; a classic poster deserves to be framed as art. Sensing this wave of consumption upgrade blending sports with home decor, the company boldly crossed over from advertising equipment into the sports culture and creative products sector. Moving from advertising panels to fan merchandise, it leveraged a niche product to tap into a large market, proving with solid sales figures that the innovative vitality of traditional manufacturing often lies in the courage to pivot.
In the sample room of Taizhou Yuquan Film Equipment Co., Ltd., a series of ingeniously designed wooden "apple boxes" catch the eye. This company, long a supplier of supporting equipment for the film industry, has recently leveraged its expertise in precision processing and wooden structure handling to successfully develop specialized wooden seating cushions for the international film market. This marks a leap in capability from "providing supporting equipment" to "creating market-driven products." "Our pivot involves moving from 'behind the scenes' to 'center stage'," said Ji Wen, a relevant company representative.
When opportunity arises, hesitation is not an option. At the end of March, on the track of the World Superbike Championship in Portugal, the Zhang Xue Motorcycle 820RR-RS won both races, leading the second-place finisher by nearly 4 seconds. This historic breakthrough for Chinese motorcycles on the world stage was supported by key components—the crankshaft, connecting rod, and engine block—produced by Jiangsu Gangyang Co., Ltd. As the world's largest producer of small power shafts, with an annual capacity of 15 million sets and a 70% share in the high-end market, the company is accelerating the construction of its overseas factory in Thailand. "This victory for Zhang Xue Motorcycle has increased overseas clients' trust in our power components, leading to a surge in export orders," said Li Huan, the company's International Trade Director. "We must seize this momentum to quickly expand internationally. In 2025, our direct export value was nearly $30 million; by the end of this year, it will far exceed that amount."
Imagination makes "crossing boundaries" achievable. Jiangsu's manufacturing sector's journey of跨界 is a convergence of imagination and industrial capability.
Interestingly, from cold storage containers ensuring "fruit freedom" to data center containers housing AI computing power, Jiangsu-manufactured containers are shedding their uniform image, undergoing a profound transformation from "standard cargo holds" to personalized, high-precision, specialized equipment.
At Taicang CIMC Refrigerated Logistics Equipment Co., Ltd., located in the Taicang Port Area—Jiangsu's largest container manufacturing base—production lines are bustling. Rolls of steel are transformed through precise processes into technologically advanced refrigerated containers, ready for export to overseas markets for transporting food, pharmaceuticals, precision instruments, and other goods. "In recent years, the convenience for domestic consumers buying cherries from South America or durians from Southeast Asia relies heavily on the supply chain support provided by refrigerated containers. Recently, we are exporting a batch of 45-foot refrigerated containers to Southeast Asian markets for transporting local specialty fruits," said Sun Xiaoyu, the company's Logistics Manager. Reports indicate that in the first three months of this year, Taicang Customs facilitated the efficient clearance of refrigerated containers worth over 1.3 billion yuan, with export value increasing by 25.7% year-on-year.
Market demand for containers extends far beyond cold chain logistics. In the workshop of Suzhou Zhongnan Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd., data center containers equipped with server racks, large UPS power modules, and other heavy-duty equipment are being prepared for delivery to overseas clients. Containerized data centers integrate power distribution systems, racks, cabling, fire suppression, and other infrastructure into a single unit, helping clients build rapidly deployable, flexibly scalable data centers.
"Driven by AI computing expansion and growing cloud computing penetration, the application scenarios for specialized containers are continuously expanding. We focus on enhancing properties like corrosion resistance, cold tolerance, heat insulation, and dust prevention to suit complex environments such as coastal high-salinity fog, extreme northern cold, and desert heat and dust, ensuring safe and stable equipment operation under various extreme conditions," said Yang Xuelian, Deputy General Manager of the Business Division at Suzhou Zhongnan Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. "Compared to traditional containers, our products face higher technical standards and export requirements. Thanks to the precise guidance and efficient services under Wujiang Customs' 'one enterprise, one policy' approach, our specialized containers have successfully achieved export, better meeting the demands of overseas high-end markets and special scenarios."
In the production workshop of Nantong CIMC Special Transportation Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd., the company exported 75 batches of newly manufactured containers totaling 134 million yuan in the first three months of this year, achieving a strong start in foreign trade. From mineral containers and bulk cargo containers to super-wide containers and special railway containers, the company has successfully developed over 3,000 product varieties, widely used in sectors like mining, healthcare, and firefighting. "As an AEO (Authorized Economic Operator) enterprise, we not only enjoy customs clearance facilitation domestically but also receive similar benefits in countries and regions with mutual recognition agreements. This speeds up our export cargo clearance, improves client experience, and naturally leads to more orders," said Xue Ying, the company's Procurement and Transportation Department Manager.
Leveraging remarkable imagination, products ranging from "a bag of cat litter" to "a smart device" are helping small pets make their "paw print" on large overseas markets. In the production车间 of Xiaoyi Smart Technology Yangzhou Co., Ltd., workers are busily assembling, testing, and packing smart litter box orders for international clients. The company specializes in intelligent pet care devices, holding over 400 patents. Its innovations, like pull-out treadles and safety doors, effectively address industry pain points such as tracking litter and accidental pet entrapment. Backed by strong R&D capabilities, its products are sold in nearly twenty countries and regions globally. Since the beginning of this year, the company has exported smart pet products worth 14 million yuan, with current foreign trade orders scheduled through June.
After years of深耕 the pet supplies sector, Jiangsu Chongbeiqu Pet Products Co., Ltd. sells its products to nearly 30 countries in Europe and America, with annual exports exceeding 110 million yuan. It stands out in international competition by innovating at a pace of nearly 20 new product launches per week. Its multifunctional cat trees and other products have won overseas market favor with original designs. "In the first two months of this year, our export value reached 16.91 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 60.4%," said Wang Sheng, the company's负责人.
What's changing is not just the products but also the "trade routes." At Taizhou Kuxin Pet Products Co., Ltd., a batch of wooden cat beds and cat tree stairs specially designed for felines is ready for shipment overseas. Unlike before, these goods will be sent directly to international customers via the "cross-border e-commerce B2B direct export" model. "Cross-border e-commerce allows our small-batch, specialized new products to connect faster with global niche markets," said Sun Jian, the company's business负责人. Business generated by this new model already accounts for 40% of the company's annual new business, becoming a significant growth driver alongside traditional channels.
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