Digital News

　　Without grain processing equipment, transforming wheat into fine flour or grains of rice into crystal-clear rice would not be possible. At the 7th China Grain Trade Conference, intelligent rice milling machines and AI-powered color sorters made a collective debut, showcasing the remarkable progress China’s grain machinery industry has made in core technology breakthroughs and product innovation. More than that, they outlined an inspiring journey of transformation from following to leading in innovation, from exporting individual machines to delivering complete equipment solutions overseas, and from “made in China” to “intelligent manufacturing in China.”

　　From Technology Catch-Up to Innovation Leadership

　　China’s grain machinery is gaining strong momentum and emerging as a key player amid a wave of innovation. Domestically developed digital flour mills have become mainstream products in the market. Large-scale continuous oil extraction equipment rivals top global brands, while color sorters lead industry trends. As grain and oil processing machinery becomes increasingly digitalized, new rice processing equipment is opening up new operational models for businesses. Storage facilities, rice mills, flour mills, oil extraction machines, feed equipment, and grain and oil testing instruments in different specifications basically meet the needs of China’s grain industry, with some equipment exported to over 100 countries and regions.

　　With a leap from technology catch-up to innovation leadership, China’s grain machinery industry has achieved what the West needed a century to accomplish in innovation in just a few decades.

　　In the early days of reform and opening-up, imported equipment dominated the market. A color sorter cost over one million yuan, and maintenance depended entirely on foreign suppliers. To overcome these challenges, Chinese companies have rapidly advanced independent innovation, achieving continuous breakthroughs in core components and key technologies of grain machinery. Meyer Optoelectronic developed China’s first domestically produced color sorter; FAMSUN localized the core components of its permanent magnet-driven twin-screw extruder; and Wuhan CFM Food Machinery in Hubei developed a low-temperature rice milling machine that processes rice at low temperatures to ensure quality… Currently, a growing number of “hidden champions” and “little giant” companies that master core technologies have emerged across the country, gradually establishing a full grain machinery industry chain that covers “raw materials, key components, complete machine manufacturing, and supply of complete equipment sets.”

　　“China’s domestic grain machinery industry is showing a trend of clustered development, forming unique regional innovation centers,” said Li Zhi, professor at the School of Economics and Trade, Henan University of Technology.

　　Hefei, Anhui, known as the “Capital of Color Sorters,” is home to leading color sorter manufacturers such as Meyer Optoelectronic, Zhongke Optic-electronic, Taihe Optoelectronic, and Jiexun Optoelectronic, forming a complete optoelectronic sorting industry chain. Hebei has become a hub for manufacturers of flour processing machines and complete equipment sets, gradually forming a flour processing equipment industry cluster. Meanwhile, Hunan and Hubei have developed industry clusters for complete sets of rice processing equipment. Cities such as Suzhou, Wuxi, Yangzhou, and Changzhou in Jiangsu have developed grain and oil processing equipment industry clusters, represented primarily by grain and oil processing machinery and feed machinery. Relying on the manufacturing strengths of the Yangtze River Delta, Zhejiang has established a precision inspection instrument industry chain and developed industry clusters for grain testing instruments and rice processing equipment. Zhangzhou, Fujian, leads the domestic packaging machinery market, boasting a strong presence across multiple sectors, including rice processing and packaging, as well as feed processing and packaging. These industry clusters, like brilliant pearls, collectively form the innovation chain of China’s grain machinery industry.

　　As domestic grain machinery manufacturers continue to improve their manufacturing capabilities, product quality has steadily increased, earning growing recognition in the market. “Today, domestic flour processing equipment is of high quality. Our company specializes in producing specialty flours using domestic flour processing equipment and layered milling technology. By fine-tuning processing parameters, we’re able to produce and grade dozens of flour varieties tailored to different quality needs,” said Yang Xinliang, Chairman of Hebei Wuxing Flour Co., Ltd.

　　From the Export of Single Machines to That of Complete Sets of Equipment

　　As China’s grain machinery industry continues to expand and strengthen, many leading enterprises with strong market competitiveness are now well-positioned to “go global.” “We’ve been deeply engaged in overseas markets for many years. Our color sorters are now exported to more than 100 countries and regions, with export volumes growing by 30% annually,” said Hu Biliang, Assistant General Manager of Anhui Zhongke Optic-Electronic Color Sorter Machinery Co., Ltd.

　　China’s domestic grain machinery boasts high production capacity, reliable quality, advanced technology, and low costs, giving it a strong competitive edge in the international market. Some Chinese grain machinery companies have achieved notable success in exports.

　　According to Professor Wang Fengcheng of the College of Grain, Oil, and Food at Henan University of Technology, to expand into overseas markets, Chinese grain machinery enterprises need to focus on the following key areas: First, they should continuously improve product quality and stability. The international market has a strong demand for grain machinery and offers higher prices, but it also imposes strict quality requirements. While some domestic grain machinery products have reached or are approaching international advanced standards, many companies still need to enhance the quality of their products. Second, they should establish international teams. Successfully selling products abroad demands not only a strong sales network but also reliable after-sales support. Additionally, it’s crucial to offer customized process designs and equipment configurations that meet the product needs of local markets. Third, they need to offer customers solutions of complete sets of technical equipment. Overseas customers prefer full-process turnkey services, covering everything from raw material cleaning and processing to packaging. Currently, only a handful of domestic companies possess the capability to export complete sets of equipment, while the majority specialize in producing single machines and lack the capacity for complete sets of equipment. Fourth, long-term investment is essential for building a strong and lasting brand presence.

　　In today’s complex and rapidly changing international trade landscape, Chinese grain machinery companies encounter multiple hurdles when entering overseas markets, such as tariff barriers and technology restrictions. So how can these challenges be addressed? Industry experts suggest that first, efforts must focus on enhancing independent technological innovation by using proprietary patented technologies to break through restrictions, establish model projects, and elevate the international standing of “Made in China;” second, it is essential to promote market diversification by moving from dependence on a single market to establishing a global presence—consolidating traditional markets while rapidly expanding into emerging ones; and lastly, the focus should shift from an export-driven strategy to a balanced approach that emphasizes both domestic and international markets. This year, the scope and scale of the equipment upgrade and consumer goods trade-in programs have been expanded to promote the updating and upgrading of grain machinery equipment, enabling more new technologies, new processes, and new devices to take root and flourish.

　　In the eyes of Li Zhi, to better support domestic grain machinery enterprises in steadily expanding into international markets, policy guidance should be strengthened to support large-scale enterprises in aligning with international standards, developing marketable products, enhancing patent and trademark protection, and building international brands. It is also important to improve the service system, establish an industry information platform, expand export channels, promote the internationalization of grain machinery equipment standards, and strengthen the discourse power in international cooperation on grain machinery equipment standardization. Additionally, the industry’s risk prevention and control capabilities should be enhanced by improving early warning mechanisms, formulating emergency plans, and boosting enterprises’ ability to respond to overseas risks.

　　From “Made in China” to “Intelligent Manufacturing in China”

　　Intelligent transformation is an essential path for driving the high-quality development of the grain machinery and processing industry. Efforts must be intensified to strengthen innovation, advance the high-quality development of the grain machinery industry, and drive the shift of domestic grain machinery from “made in China” to “intelligent manufacturing in China.”

　　The domestic grain machinery industry is advancing toward greater intelligence, with intelligent grain machinery such as intelligent color sorters and rice milling machines seeing increasing adoption. Li Zhi pointed out that digital and intelligent technologies, such as intelligent sensing and big data analytics, are now widely used in grain processing equipment, profoundly reshaping the development trajectory of China’s grain machinery industry. With the support of AI, color sorters can distinguish grains by attributes like length and shape, offering greater accuracy and stability. In addition, new intelligent huskers with frequency control and automatic roller switching can alternate between fast and slow rollers on a timed schedule, significantly enhancing grain processing efficiency.

　　According to Li Zhi, domestic grain machinery is keeping pace with digital development trends, with technologies like remote monitoring, diagnostics, and energy consumption control and optimization already integrated into new products. However, some enterprises are jumping on the intelligent transformation bandwagon without a clear strategy, lacking strong capabilities in independent innovation. Without a solid theoretical foundation in the R&D of domestic grain machinery, some domestic grain machinery manufacturers pay insufficient attention to product R&D and have yet to widely adopt advanced technologies like collaborative design, optimal design, intelligent process design, and intelligent manufacturing.

　　How can the domestic grain machinery industry overcome the challenges of intelligent transformation? Industry experts suggest that grain machinery manufacturers should be encouraged to upgrade and modernize their production lines, establish intelligent manufacturing demonstration lines, and adopt digital manufacturing technologies and equipment. Additionally, they should optimize existing production processes of grain machinery equipment, enhance online monitoring and control capabilities, and implement comprehensive lifecycle quality traceability systems for grain machinery products. Efforts must continue to advance the development and application of “Internet+ technologies” in grain machinery to drive the development of intelligent grain machinery equipment. At the same time, improving the efficiency of online condition monitoring, remote control, and energy consumption management is crucial, along with enhancing real-time data feedback and automated diagnostics of equipment status.

　　Domestic grain machinery is unlocking infinite potential amid the wave of intelligent transformation.