Minhang speeds new industrialization with billion-yuan industrial clusters

Minhang is accelerating new industrialization with a focus on key industries, paving the way for three emerging billion-yuan industrial clusters.

In March of this year, Minhang District released its Action Plan to Accelerate New Industrialization in Minhang District, outlining four key initiatives – cultivating new quality productive force, boosting economic development, optimizing the industrial ecosystem, and upgrading enterprise services – a total of 15 specific goals.

Additionally, three policy documents, including the Opinions on Promoting High-Quality New Industrialization Development in Minhang, were issued to support the effort.

In recent years, Minhang District has been driving new industrialization by focusing on key industries. With the support of the "city-district collaborative" strategy, the district is concentrating efforts into building three core billion-yuan leading industries: biomedicine, aerospace and advanced energy equipment with a green, low-carbon focus.

As part of Shanghai's recently unveiled "city-district collaborative" strategy, which identifies 11 key billion-yuan leading industries across seven districts, Minhang's "advanced energy equipment and green low-carbon" industry cluster is included. Progress has been significant, with notable milestones already achieved.

One standout example is Shanghai Sushi Zhongbo Environment Testing Technology Co., Ltd. Founded in February 2012 and based in the Shanghai Aerospace Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center in Minhang, the company operates a 6,500-square-meter testing facility.

Catering to sectors such as aviation, aerospace, shipping, rail transit, automotive, and electronics, the company has independently developed a low-temperature, low-humidity temperature and humidity data logger to meet the needs of aerospace product testing, simulating space environment temperature and humidity conditions.

Minhang District is making waves in key industrial clustering, particularly in advanced energy equipment and green low-carbon sectors. Minhang focuses on nuclear power, hydrogen energy, photovoltaics, wind power, and energy storage. It also prioritizes new energy vehicles and green materials as part of its sustainability strategy.

Key industrial zones include photovoltaics and energy storage in Hongqiao, hydrogen energy and new energy vehicles in Xinzhuang Industrial Park, and advanced nuclear power and green materials in Jiangchuan Road Subdistrict and Wujing Town. Together, these initiatives form a growing industrial cluster worth nearly 100 billion yuan (about US$13.8 billion).

Consider Schneider Electric SA's factory in Minhang, for example. Established in 1995, the factory specializes in miniature circuit breakers and isolating switches and has been a pioneer in digital transformation since 2021.

By integrating technologies like data warehousing and industrial IoT platforms, the factory earned recognition as a "Shanghai green factory" and became a national-level green factory in 2022.

Impressively, over 30 percent of its engineers are multi-skilled talent, and most of the applications on their data warehousing, IoT, and AI platforms are independently developed in-house – reducing costs and ensuring long-term innovation.

Minhang is also a rising star in biomedicine, hosting over 600 companies that contribute around 15 percent of Shanghai's total biomedicine output.

From synthetic biology and cell gene therapy to medical robotics, Minhang companies are making strides in cutting-edge fields. Others are building strength in pharmaceutical equipment, small-molecule drugs, and genetic testing.

In aerospace, Minhang is pushing forward a series of major projects and strategic initiatives. This year, the district launched the Action Plan for Building a Commercial Aerospace and Space Information Industry Hub (2024–2026), setting the stage for its next chapter as a leader in this high-tech industry.

Minhang District is also focusing on its strengths in high-end equipment, next-generation information technology, artificial intelligence, and biomedicine.

This focused approach has resulted in six specialized SME industrial clusters recognized at the municipal level or higher – more than any other district in Shanghai. Notably, the Minhang Gene Industry Cluster and Minhang Space Information Industry Cluster have earned national-level recognition as leading SME clusters.

Driving new industrialization, Minhang continues to raise the bar on innovation and industrial capability.

One standout company is Shanghai Shen Lian Biomedical Corporation, a Sino-American high-tech joint venture founded in 2001. It has sold over 4 billion doses of China's first-class foot-and-mouth disease vaccine for animal infectious diseases, making it a key player in China's animal disease prevention efforts.

Minhang's drive for innovation is reflected in its numbers: 2,914 innovative SMEs, 1,432 Shanghai-level specialized enterprises, 117 national "little giant" enterprises, 55 listed companies, and eight "industrial internet-enabled chain-leading enterprises – all ranking second in Shanghai.

Additionally, Minhang boasts four national champions in single manufacturing categories, including IED Display, Electric Power Station, Awinic Technology, and Tofflon. These enterprises have achieved global competitiveness in niche fields and critical links in the industrial chain.

On the smart manufacturing front, Minhang leads Shanghai with seven enterprises recognized as national demonstration factories, including Bright Dairy.

Moreover, 12 enterprises, such as IED Display, have been credited with 32 outstanding intelligent manufacturing scenarios at the national level,the highest number in Shanghai. These achievements highlight Minhang's growing competitiveness in advanced manufacturing and its forward-looking approach to innovation.