At the height of summer, factories in the Yuncheng Economic and Technological Development Zone are running at full capacity with the constant hum of machinery. Inside North Copper New Material Technology Co., Ltd., rolls of "hand-tear copper" foil as thin as a cicada's wing slowly roll off the production line. Superceramic Technology (Shanxi) Co., Ltd. has loaded its zinc oxide varistor chips for shipment across the country. Meanwhile, Shanxi Infi-Top Power Technology Co., Ltd. is continuously upgrading its smart production lines, setting an industry benchmark in intelligent security.
Looking back a few years, when industrial relocation waves from the eastern coastal areas and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region surged, the Yuncheng Economic and Technological Development Zone acted proactively. From January to June this year, the zone has connected with 878 leads for industrial relocation from various regions nationwide, focusing on 157 high-quality industrial projects. It has signed contracts for relocated projects with a total investment of 9.066 billion yuan, started construction on 12 relocated industrial projects now included in statistical reporting, and has a planned investment of 860 million yuan for new projects. The development zone is not passively waiting for opportunities; it is actively seizing them.
Charting a Course and Actively Engaging
Inside the investment promotion office of the development zone, a massive industrial chain map stands out. It clearly outlines the upstream, midstream, and downstream segments of three leading and three distinctive industries, with target enterprises, supporting facilities, and needs clearly marked for each link. "Industrial relocation is not simply moving a factory; it's about grafting an industry into suitable soil so it can bloom anew. Investment promotion cannot be a scattergun approach; it must be precise and focused," explained Zhou Chaobing, head of the Industrial Development Department. Aligned with the "3633" development strategy, the zone is concentrating on three leading industries—next-generation transport equipment manufacturing, functional new metal materials, and electronic information—and cultivating three distinctive industries: smart manufacturing, specialty consumer goods, and the digital economy. Using precise, chain-oriented investment as its core method, the zone is actively taking on relocated projects from the eastern coast and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, driving forward the entire chain from lead matching and contract signing to construction and operation.
The results are underscored by a series of major projects. Cross-regional relocation projects like Anmai Technology's smart equipment, Shenzhen Aisenrui's CCS, and Chuhui Energy Storage have started construction. High-quality projects have been signed, including Lemon Bio's pectin, Beijing Minmetals' high-strength, high-conductivity, high-temperature copper alloy, and Changjiang Electric's charging infrastructure. Landmark projects have been established, such as the Baidu Intelligent Cloud computing center, the second phase of the 5G smart terminal project, and the Telecom Data Computing Center hub station. The investment battlefield has expanded across the entire zone, accompanied by a comprehensive optimization of strategy.
Diversified engagement has broadened the investment "friend circle." The zone is deepening four key channels: business-to-business referrals, industry associations, trade fairs, and investment and financing platforms. It is precisely targeting relocation resources from eastern regions and Xi'an, Shaanxi. By leveraging the multiplier effect of industrial guidance funds and combining application scenarios with innovation carriers, the zone attracts leading companies to relocate. Relying on local chain leaders like Dayun Automobile and North Copper, it encourages upstream and downstream supporting enterprises to move in together. Platforms are empowering efforts to bridge the "last mile" of technology commercialization. Using innovation platforms like the provincial-level key laboratory at North Copper, incubators, and maker spaces, the zone is actively taking on technological achievements from universities and research institutes in new materials, new energy, and smart manufacturing, transforming cutting-edge technology into localized industrial projects.
Responsibility is assigned across all units to create tangible results. Monthly rankings and regular bulletins on investment performance allow departments to "show and compare." Tax, planning, natural resources, and administrative approval departments coordinate their efforts. The tax department provides proactive services to facilitate projects like unmanned logistics vehicle manufacturing, while the planning and administrative departments ensure land supply and speed up approvals. This creates a unified, interconnected system for industrial relocation across the entire zone.
Building a Distinctive and Precise Relocation System
Inside the Baidu Intelligent Cloud (Yuncheng) Digital Economy Industry Base, located within the development zone, vivid AI application scenarios are everywhere. Here, cutting-edge digital technology transcends traditional concepts and is practically integrated into production and daily life. In the exhibition hall, a classical-style digital avatar named "Chang'e" interacts with visitors, telling ancient stories, while a digital avatar of the poet "Wang Wei" improvises poetry, achieving smooth, realistic interaction through digital technology. Using motion capture equipment, digital avatars can be used for cultural tourism explanations, unmanned live streaming, and brand endorsements, significantly reducing labor costs for businesses.
A classroom on the first floor at Qipeng Intelligent Technology is packed with brick-and-mortar store owners learning new AI skills. A restaurant owner from the city center is operating his phone, where an AI tool automatically generates marketing copy. "Previously, I had to hire people for marketing; now AI can handle it," he says. The chairman of Qipeng, Jia Qipeng, demonstrates the "Xiaopeng Intelligent Agent": simply input "Yuncheng specialty foods," and in minutes, a promotional video is generated. The AI unmanned live streaming system can operate 24/7, with the system automatically generating scripts and customizing digital avatars based on product information provided by the merchant. On the third floor, data annotation specialists are rapidly working on screens, precisely "feeding" the data used for AI training. This is not a traditional factory, but its output value is no less significant.
Jointly built by the Yuncheng Economic and Technological Development Zone Investment Service Co., Ltd., the Baidu group, and Zhejiang Yigao Group, the base has attracted nearly 20 companies in less than a year of operation, becoming a new force in the city's digital economy. This is a microcosm and the core essence of the zone's differentiated and distinctive industrial relocation system: it is not about "picking up everything in the basket," but about precise relocation based on what the industrial chain lacks and needs to supplement.
In the functional new metal materials sector, the zone focuses on advanced basic materials, key strategic materials, and cutting-edge new materials, specifically targeting relocation projects for copper-based alloys, magnesium-based new materials, semiconductor silicon wafers, nanomaterials, and biomedical materials. The functional resistive material project by Superceramic Technology has already begun production. Leveraging innovation platforms like the provincial key lab at North Copper and the North University of China Industrial Research Institute, it is precisely transferring and commercializing advanced technological achievements from elsewhere. In the new energy storage supporting industry, building on its existing foundation in new materials and high-end equipment manufacturing, the zone is actively taking on supporting relocation projects for energy storage components, systems, power stations, and equipment manufacturing.
In next-generation transport equipment manufacturing, the zone leverages the leading advantage of Dayun Automobile to seize relocation opportunities. It focuses on projects for auto parts, new energy vehicle OEM, and hydrogen-powered heavy truck components, establishing projects for unmanned logistics vehicle OEM and cab assembly. It is continuously improving the full industrial chain for transport equipment and actively exploring new tracks like the low-altitude economy and new energy commercial vehicles. In the electronic information and digital economy sector, the zone targets smart terminals, semiconductor materials, computing centers, and intelligent controls. It is actively taking on eastern electronic information industry relocations, establishing projects like the Baidu Intelligent Cloud computing center, the second phase of the 5G smart terminal project, and the Telecom Data Computing Center hub station, to continuously improve the quality and efficiency of the digital economy and smart manufacturing industries.
Targeted Breakthroughs and Vigorous Progress
A dedicated team is working tirelessly on the line for a 10-billion-yuan magnesium-based new material project by Aluminum Corporation of China Limited (Chalco), from initial lead matching to negotiation. Key relocation projects worth over 100 million yuan, such as Minmetals' high-temperature copper alloy, Shenzhen Aisenrui's new energy CCS assembly, Lemon Bio's pectin, and Zhongji Guosheng's cell bank, are accelerating. Work is progressing on signing contracts for large-scale relocation projects like Jiangsu Zhuoyuan's 12-inch large silicon wafer and the Baidu Intelligent Cloud computing center. Inside a meeting room in the development zone, the names, progress, and responsible persons for each key project are clearly displayed. "Before, enterprises looked for services; now, services chase after enterprises," said a project manager from North Copper.
The development zone has implemented a full-cycle closed-loop service model called "investment-construction integration," forming dedicated service teams for major projects from Chalco, Baidu Intelligent Cloud, and Langshi Nano Technology. This ensures every step, from initial contact to production, is managed and every problem is solved. Opportunities and challenges coexist, as do strengths and weaknesses. "While making steady progress in industrial relocation, we are also clearly aware of current shortcomings," said Zhou Chaobing. "There are bottlenecks in the chain from leads to contracts and from contracts to construction. The time for relocated projects to start is long, local supporting capabilities are insufficient, and our attractiveness to top-tier relocating companies needs strengthening. Facing these problems directly is the only way to make targeted breakthroughs."
Leads are commands, and conversion is responsibility. In the second half of the year, the development zone will firmly focus on the eastern coast and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. It will continue to deepen the four channels of business referrals, industry associations, industry exhibitions, and investment platforms. It will conduct targeted visits for investment attraction in key areas like the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, focusing on leading companies and supporting projects relocating in transport equipment, new metal materials, electronic information, and smart manufacturing, to continuously build a high-quality project reserve aligned with its industrial positioning. Implementation of relocation is not just a slogan but a robust mechanism. At weekly coordination meetings, units within the development zone present and compare their investment performance. Monthly rankings and quarterly assessments put direct pressure on everyone. From now on, relocated enterprises will receive "butler-style," full-cycle closed-loop services, covering everything from permit processing and factory facilities to labor, financing, and policy implementation. Application scenarios in sub-sectors like transport equipment, new materials, energy storage, and the digital economy will be rapidly developed, allowing companies to not only relocate but also take root and grow. As investment teams knock on doors thousands of miles away and construction sites rise under the summer sun, the Yuncheng Economic and Technological Development Zone is vigorously riding the wave of industrial relocation, building momentum and forging ahead.
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