Opening Ceremony of the 2025 National CNC Design Competition for Sewing Machinery in Universities Held in Changzhou

On the afternoon of June 25, the opening ceremony of the 2025 National CNC Design Competition for Sewing Machinery in Universities, themed “Cultivating Sewing Machinery Talent, Supporting Digital Development”, was held at Changzhou Textile Garment Institute. The event was attended by Mr. Yang Xiaojing, Chairman of the China Sewing Machinery Association (CSMA); Mr. Chen Ji, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of CSMA; Mr. Zhang Wenming, Vice President of Changzhou Textile Garment Institute; Mr. Liu Jianming, Party Secretary of Beijing Dahao Technology Co., Ltd.; Mr. Gao Jiezhi, Chairman of Tianjin Zaidenggao Technology Co., Ltd.; as well as judges, faculty members, and nearly 100 teachers and students. The ceremony was hosted by Ms. Li Aihong, Dean of the School of Intelligent Manufacturing at the institute.

In his opening speech, Zhang Wenming stated that the competition provides a valuable platform for learning and exchange, and will effectively promote deeper collaboration between the industry, enterprises, and academic institutions in the field of intelligent manufacturing equipment for textiles and garments. Liu Jianming emphasized that Dahao will leverage its expertise in digital and automation integration to support the competition with practical guidance and comprehensive assistance. Gao Jiezhi expressed that Zaidenggao will continue to drive innovation and development in intelligent equipment for flexible material processing, contributing actively to talent cultivation in CNC technologies. Following this, Chen Ji read out the competition rules, and a student representative took an oath on behalf of all participants.

Mr. Yang Xiaojing, on behalf of CSMA, extended warm congratulations on the opening of the competition. He pointed out that the National CNC Design Competition for Sewing Machinery is an innovative talent development initiative launched by CSMA in response to the industry’s new stage of high-quality development, evolving landscape, and emerging tasks. The competition aims to accelerate the cultivation of urgently needed CNC professionals along the industrial chain, broaden channels for university-industry cooperation, and build a new pattern for high-quality development.

Chairman Yang put forward five key expectations for the competition and the young participants:

1. A Competition That Inspires Youth to Embrace Craftsmanship and Serve the Nation Through Industry. The competition should inspire young people to pursue success through skills and contribute to national development. By aligning personal aspirations with national rejuvenation, participants are encouraged to enhance their technical skills in service of user needs and social value, becoming master craftsmen in support of China’s modernization.

2. A Competition That Stimulates Innovation Potential and Enhances Comprehensive Skills. Participants should unleash their creativity and apply their knowledge through hands-on practice. The competition provides a platform to sharpen professional expertise, foster innovation, gain real-world experience, solve practical problems, and develop teamwork and competitiveness—laying a solid foundation for future careers.

3. A Competition That Promotes Practical Learning and Fuels Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The competition serves as a training ground for real-world problem solving. Participants should integrate innovative ideas with the trends of intelligent and digital sewing machinery to produce commercially viable and socially impactful outcomes, expanding their career prospects.

4. A Competition That Deepens Industry-Education Integration and Builds University-Enterprise Collaboration. The event aims to bridge the gap between academic training and industrial practice. It promotes curriculum alignment with technological advancements, synchronizes teaching with production, and ensures that talent development meets job market demands. Through this, it encourages a new model of collaborative education involving industry, academia, research, and application.

5. A Competition That Drives Technological Advancement and Shapes the Industry’s Future. Yang expressed hope that the competition will generate cutting-edge design ideas, innovative solutions, and frontier technological breakthroughs. Participants are encouraged to push technical boundaries, while judges identify promising innovations. Close collaboration among associations, enterprises, and universities is vital to turning these ideas into practical applications.

This year’s competition is the second edition following the successful inaugural event in 2024. It is hosted by CSMA, organized by CSMA’s CNC Branch, and co-organized by the National Industry-Education Integration Community for Smart Apparel Manufacturing. The event is strongly supported by Beijing Dahao Technology Co., Ltd. and Tianjin Zaidenggao Technology Co., Ltd. Building on the previous year’s structure, this year’s contest focuses on advanced CNC design in sewing machinery, closely aligned with real-world industry talent needs.

The competition features three main events: CNC programming for industrial sewing machines, embroidery pattern CAD design, and CNC cutting bed layout process design. It comprehensively evaluates participants’ technical knowledge, hands-on abilities, and innovative thinking. Launched on June 20, the competition spans approximately three months and will take place in Taizhou, Wuxi, Changzhou, Guangzhou, Tianjin, and Tangshan.

At the Changzhou station, over 50 students from majors such as mechanical manufacturing and automation, and intelligent manufacturing competed. The competition focused entirely on hands-on practice. In the PLC programming event, participants demonstrated solid programming skills and efficient debugging ability. In the embroidery CAD event, students accurately translated design drafts into stitchable patterns with novel aesthetics and excellent results. In the cutting bed CAD event, participants completed size nesting, mixed-material layout, and plaid/stripe alignment tasks within 90 minutes, showing clear thinking, precise operation, and professional excellence.

After the ceremony, Chairman Yang and other guests visited the Smart Manufacturing School and the School of Intelligent Textiles and Materials, exploring hands-on teaching environments such as the Lean Apparel Production Workshop and flexible small-batch production lines.