Embarking on the “15th Five-Year Plan”: Industry Leaders Outline a New Blueprint for China’s Sewing Machinery Sector

At the recently concluded 9th Executive Council Meeting of the 11th Council of the China Sewing Machinery Association, alongside the 17th Backbone Enterprises Summit, participants gathered under the theme “Scaling New Heights, Embarking on a New Journey.” Representatives, drawing on their own development experiences, shared in-depth insights on key topics including pathways to high-quality development during the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, as well as the market environment, development trends, and innovation-driven growth. Selected remarks are compiled below for reference by industry peers.

Lin Xueping, Chairman, Maqi Technology Group Co.,Ltd.

During the “15th Five-Year Plan” period, we will remain committed to our core business, focusing on developing premium products in three key machine categories, with emphasis on sewing units, intelligent products, and full-factory integration. Our goal is to build Meiji into a globally influential brand and a leading player in China’s industrial sewing machine sector. This will be the overarching direction for the next five years.

From this year’s performance so far, there have been no major surprises or fluctuations, but overall results are below expectations. In particular, March exports fell short and declined slightly year-on-year, though the general trend remains stable. We should not become anxious over short-term fluctuations or performance changes. Instead, we should maintain a steady mindset and focus on long-term value over five to ten years, advancing step by step.

Looking ahead to the second quarter, geopolitical conflicts such as tensions in the Middle East and rising raw material costs may lead to significant changes, particularly in April. However, these short-term shifts should not be overemphasized, as industrial development is a long-term process spanning decades.

The widespread use of new media tools has brought both opportunities and challenges. While companies are leveraging them effectively for promotion, negative effects such as mutual attacks have emerged, which are detrimental to industry unity. While competition is inevitable, certain practices can and should be avoided. It is recommended that the China Sewing Machinery Association take the lead in establishing appropriate intervention mechanisms for regulation and guidance.

Ru Shuiqiang, General Manager, Beijing Dahao Technology Corp.,Ltd.

Through continuous product and process innovation, embroidery equipment has achieved solid development in recent years. First, product performance has improved significantly—multi-head machines now reach up to 400 heads, with speeds of 1,500 rpm, and have gained stable market recognition. Second, embroidery quality has reached internationally advanced levels, and combined with higher efficiency, meets the demands of high-end customers. Third, process innovation has generated new demand—for example, bead embroidery has undergone significant redevelopment through technological advancements, resulting in strong market demand and even supply shortages. Fourth, automation continues to advance: from automatic bobbin changing and frame clamping to automatic thread feeding and tension control introduced at exhibitions. Current R&D is progressing toward visual system-based automatic recognition and threading, which has already been validated at the feasibility level.

As China’s economy transitions from resource-driven to innovation-driven growth, enterprises face both opportunities and challenges. The key to breaking through lies in innovation empowerment. First and foremost, talent is the core—recruitment, training, and building adaptive talent systems are critical. Second is management innovation, leveraging digitalization, informatization, and standardization to reshape processes and improve efficiency. Third, incentive policies are essential to attract talent and stimulate innovation. Fourth, business model innovation—shifting from competition to cooperation through both horizontal and vertical integration—will become a new pathway for development.

Li Jinhong, Chairman, Zhongshan Huachen Electromechanical Technology Co.,Ltd.

The first issue for both the industry and enterprises to consider is value—what value the industry creates and why it should continue to develop. This is fundamental. With an annual output value of RMB 50 billion, the sewing machinery industry supports a downstream industry worth RMB 3 trillion. This defines our value.

At the same time, overcapacity remains a reality. Therefore, the second key factor is structural adjustment, including industrial, talent, innovation, and resource structures. Enterprises should shift toward service-oriented models while advancing intelligent and digital capacity upgrades. For example, while a traditional production line may require an investment of RMB 100,000, digital and intelligent upgrades may require RMB 800,000 to 1 million. How to adjust service offerings and structures presents significant opportunities.

The third factor is operations. Enterprises must transform from scale-driven, regional, or logistics-oriented models into service-oriented ones, and shift from price- or relationship-driven competition to professional, integrated service provision. This requires deep exploration and expansion of operational models.

Ye Jianli, Chairman, Precious Science and Technology Group Co.,Ltd.

In the face of a new development environment, clear positioning is essential. Enterprises must determine whether they are sales-driven, product-driven, or technology-driven. Only with sound top-level design can companies make better decisions, concentrate resources, and invest effectively.

Huibao’s experience shows that companies must base decisions on their actual conditions—assessing their capabilities, financial strength, development stage, core needs, and bottlenecks—while considering macroeconomic conditions and market changes. Targeted investment and focused execution at each step are key to achieving optimal results.

Lin Zichun, Chairman, Qixing Intelligence Technology Co.,Ltd.

In recent years, the industry has experienced rapid development, with products clearly moving toward the high-end segment. Going forward, Qixing will continue to focus on control systems, providing service-oriented products for machine manufacturers. At the same time, the company will advance toward intelligent solutions and integrated modular systems for smart apparel manufacturing, promoting the transition from standalone machines to integrated intelligent automation.

Qixing also entered fields such as robotics early on. With the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence, related applications may be realized in the near term.

Chen Zhonghua, General Manager, Xiangtai Sewing Machine Co.,Ltd.

Sales methods, as well as the difficulty and techniques involved, are evolving. Downstream factories still face numerous bottlenecks and purchasing drivers—the key lies in identifying real needs and translating them into products or solutions.

Xiangtai has transitioned from a distributor to an integrated manufacturing and trading enterprise, focusing on equipment retrofitting and upgrades to continuously deliver value to customers through experiential sales models.

Delivering value means providing practical, implementable solutions—addressing quality, efficiency, and skill bottlenecks through systematic equipment upgrades. In the face of market competition and industrial upgrading, adhering to customer needs and value delivery not only ensures survival but also leads to better profitability and more stable development.

Xu Renshun, Chairman, Zhejiang Dollor Sewing Machine Co.,Ltd.

At present, market order in the industry still requires strengthening. In particular, issues such as contract breaches and uncollectible debts—even after legal proceedings—have become prominent concerns. The industry should enhance credit risk prevention mechanisms.

I suggest establishing an industry-wide credit insurance system, along with relevant blacklist and record-keeping mechanisms, to support enterprises in market expansion and sales while providing early warnings. This would help restore market order, stabilize supply and demand, and effectively reduce unnecessary losses for enterprises.