China's bearing industry continues to produce and prosper

After the financial crisis, China’s bearing industry experienced continuous booming production and sales, and bearing products were in short supply. However, a very obvious and unquestionable fact was also placed in front of the eyes. The economic environment has improved and has not brought about the relief of labor shortages. Bearing-industry industries such as the bearing industry are particularly prominent. Many problems such as how to improve the labor-management relationship, how to upgrade and transform the traditional manufacturing model of the bearing industry, and how to increase the added value of products are placed in front of the operators. The transformation of labor-intensive industries, technological innovations and equipment upgrades are imminent, and it has brought unprecedented opportunities for development to a group of innovative small and medium-sized enterprises with independent innovation capabilities and potential for development. In this wave of development, Xinchang Bearing needs to take advantage of the transformation.

“The monthly salary is 100 yuan more, this is a confidentiality fee.” Xiao Li, who is engaged in technical work in Xinchang County Shuangling Auto Bearing Co., Ltd., has signed a confidentiality agreement. According to the agreement, he has to protect various types of companies. Trade secrets, but also can get 100 yuan per month from the company's confidentiality costs.

Many Xinchang bearing companies have begun to protect the business secrets, not only taking confidential measures, but also signed confidentiality agreements with employees. This is due to a recent stealing case.

Xiao Pan, who was after the job-hopping leak, was a technician in the company and had recently encountered trouble.

Things have to be started more than two years ago.

In April 2008, Xiaopan went to work at Xinchang Precision Machinery Co., Ltd.. Shortly after the company arrived at work, Xiaopan took part in the design work of the company's “Drawing Drawing of Medium-sized Line Automation Machine Plane Data” (that is, bearing ring turning automatic line). The design was included in the Provincial New Product Trial Plan.

In order to prevent this design from being stolen, the Precision Machinery Co., Ltd. took measures such as sealing the computer USB interface.

Xiaopan had access to the drawings during the design process. He quietly sent the electronic version of the design drawings to his mailbox.

In June 2009, Xiaopan found the person in charge of the company and said that he "was not suitable for the current job" and resigned. The Precision Machinery Co., Ltd. and Xiao Pan, which have a strong sense of protection of trade secrets, have signed a "commitment of confidentiality, copyright, and rights to the rights of technological achievements," and have stipulated confidentiality and other matters.

A few days later, Xiao Pan went to Xinchang, another machine tool equipment company that also engaged in bearing production, and worked in the technical department of the new company. Later, Xiao Pan slightly modified the original design drawings of a certain precision machinery Co., Ltd. and handed it over to the new company. The new company then handed the drawings to the external unit for processing.

A Precision Machinery Co., Ltd. subsequently reported to the relevant authorities, and the industry and commerce department conducted an investigation on this case of stealing secrets. During the period, the two parties litigated in the two-level courts of Shaoxing Intermediate People's Court and Zhejiang Higher People's Court, and the two courts finally found the existence of theft. After the verdict, the industrial and commercial department restarted the investigation and the parties have been informed of the investigation results.

Facing the inflection point, “How many core technologies do we have?” During the interview in Xinchang, many bearing company executives were worried. Although they had made a lot of money in the past few years, most of them also survived the financial crisis. However, for a long time, the problems existing in Xinchang Bearing have also begun to be exposed.

In an interview with Xinchang, the author discovered that in the bearing industry that exists as a blocky economy, most of them are still small and medium-sized enterprises, except for a small number of leading enterprises, and their products are relatively single.

“For most small and medium-sized bearing companies, R&D innovation is not easy. Some innovative designs are more focused on improving performance, extending service life, etc.” An anonymous company’s bearing company CEO told the author that Small, medium and large-sized bearing companies mainly produce bearing rings, which are upstream products as standard parts. Therefore, it is difficult to break through in appearance design, but there are breakthroughs in improving wear resistance and extending the use of time.

"Theft of technology and stealing drawings has happened before, but everyone has not taken it seriously. Because, to tell the truth, the bearings we produce are similar, so we don't pay much attention to this piece of protection." The person said that this time The reason why the stealing case is so influential is that “it is because our industry is facing an inflection point and it is no longer just such a low-grade development.”

Leveraging the transformation "Xinchang bearing many companies have their own trademarks, but when they sell often hit other people's brands, low-grade, single product problems are more prominent." Xinchang County Industry and Commerce Bureau Li Donghai said that after research, brand Protection of intellectual property rights is the focus of the business sector in the transformation and upgrading of local economies.

Li Donghai said that without protecting commercial secrets, companies can't be motivated to invest in R&D, and there is no incentive for transformation and upgrading. For example, he said that there is a local "Peel Bearing" in Xinchang. The company's strict requirements for confidentiality and confidentiality are relatively long. “Bearing enterprises have a unique feature. R&D investment is large, but it is slow. If you don’t pay attention to protecting your secrets in the process of investment, it may be a fatal blow to the enterprise. The end result is that companies have less and less research and development. With enthusiasm, an industry may also be depressed."

The author learned from the relevant departments of Xinchang County that the annual output value of Xinchang bearing industry is about RMB 12 billion, accounting for about 10% to 12% of the country's total. Only Xinchang County, with a population of more than 400,000, employs 50,000 people in the bearing industry. people.

Starting in 1969, the Xinchang bearing industry, after 40 years of development, has become an important pillar industry of the civil production and industrial economy, and has formed a division of labor between the finished bearing enterprises, supporting enterprises and bearing equipment manufacturing enterprises, enterprises, governments, departments, Intermediary service organizations have a positive interaction with vibrant, distinctive industry clusters. At the same time, it also cultivated a number of key enterprises with strong strength such as Wuzhou New Year, Peel, New Axis, Open Source and Sanxiong. At the beginning of this year, Xinchang was officially awarded the title of "Hometown of China Bearing" by the China Federation of Machinery Industry, which enabled Xinchang to obtain the second "Guozi" bearing industry gold business card following the Wafangdian "China Bearing Capital".

In order to further enhance the development of the bearing industry, the Xinchang County Party Committee and the county government have proposed relevant opinions on supporting technological transformation of enterprises, encouraging enterprises to apply for national and provincial key projects (special items), encouraging enterprises to carry out technological research, and reducing the burden on enterprises. The industry and commerce departments have also introduced support policies and will introduce new support policies when conditions are ripe.