Guidelines pledge strengthening of Shanghai brands

Less than 5 percent of products inspected by Shanghai authorities will be substandard by 2022, vow new guidelines on strengthening brand quality released on Friday ahead of this year's China Brand Day.

The city aims to keep its manufacturing industry quality competitive index above 90 and create 100 products and services which can be honored with "Shanghai Brand" certificate by that time, according to guidelines issued by the Shanghai Quality Work Office. 

The satisfaction rate of key service industries in the city will exceed to 85 points among consumers by 2022. The construction of 10 national or city-level product quality testing centers and product measurement centers in strategic emerging industries will also be promoted, according to the guidelines. 

The guidelines mark 23 policies on cultivating quality advantages, spurring brand vitality, creating a sound development environment and lifting international competitiveness to significantly raise the city's product and service quality level. 

"Quality is the foundation of brand development and the target is to lift the key competitiveness of the city," said Chen Xuejun, deputy director of the Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation. 

Enterprises are ordered to enhance innovation and use technologies such as big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence to promote the research, development and application of new technologies, new equipment and new materials and accelerate product upgrades to meet consumer demand, according to the guidelines.

Companies are encouraged to actively participate in the drafting of manufacturing industry standards and form influential brands in high-end industries like health, fashion, science and technology, the guideline says. 

Time-honored brands should conduct revitalization campaigns centered on cultural heritage, craft protection, technological innovation and market exploration.

Authorities will further improve the business environment and simplify market access procedures, and make full use of quality awards in spurring the motivation of enterprises. 

A small and medium-sized enterprise quality brand incubation mechanism will be established with supporting measures, while the city's company credibility system will be improved. 

IPR protection will be strengthened, with an overseas trademark dispute warning and crisis management mechanism established.

The integrated development of quality brand construction in the Yangtze River Delta region will be promoted and local brands are encouraged to go international via trade and investment. 

China Brand Day, the first state-level exhibition since the COVID-19 outbreak, will be held online from May 10 to 12. It will also be the first high-level cloud expo.