An automated plant produces stainless steel pipes in Songyang. [Photo/WeChat account: wbzjsy001]

The stainless steel pipe industry is widely regarded as being the most dynamic sector in Songyang county – administered by Lishui city in East China's Zhejiang province – which is currently going from strength to strength.

That's because the county has been focusing on the ecological, low-carbon and intelligent transformation of the sector in recent years.

In 2022, the output value of the stainless steel industry in Songyang hit 10.6 billion yuan ($1.53 billion), a whopping year-on-year increase of 26.4 percent, making it the first local industry with an annual output value of over 10 billion yuan.

On the premises of the Baofeng Steel Industry Group Co Ltd – located in the Chishou Industrial Area of Songyang – 24 automatic stainless steel cold rolling lines are currently in full production. Last year, the company's output value reached 1.45 billion yuan, 29.5 percent higher than that in 2021.

According to executives, it's set to further improve its product quality and production efficiency by constructing a digital and automated smart factory.

To achieve its goal of building a high-standard stainless steel pipe demonstration area, Songyang has in recent years committed itself to the construction of an industrial internet platform. The aim is to create a so-called 'industrial brain' for the provincial industry.

By the end of 2022, a total of 37 stainless steel companies above a designated size – those with annual revenue of 20 million yuan and above – had carried out digital transformation work. That accounted for 77 percent of the stainless steel companies above a designated size in the county.