Firms' innovation drives industries

Some enterprises are leading in technology research and development in their respective industries, influencing the whole nation through their innovative inputs.

Datang Telecom Group - Global telecommunication competency

When purchasing a sim card from Datang Telecom Group, a customer will receive a small card that fits right into the slot of a cell-phone. No big card; no need to break with hands.

Usually sim buyers get a big card, almost as big as the cell phone, which requires detachment of a small card to insert into the slot. The company’s smaller card was designed to reduce the waste created by throwing away the bigger card.

Datang Telecom Group's Chairman and President Zhen Caiji answers reporters’ questions on Feb 28, 2011 in the group's headquarter in Beijing. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

Datang Telecom Technology and Industry Group's (Datang Telecom Group) subsidy made the innovative design that reduced 50 percent of the raw material usage and 70 percent of the paint usage.

Datang Telecom Group is devoted to developing China's homegrown fourth generation (4G) mobile communication technology, and "leads the global 4G standards after a period of chasing while developing and applying the TD-SCDMA 3G standards," said Wang Pengfei, general manager of Datang Microelectronics Technology Co Ltd.

The homegrown 3G technology TD-SCDMA, launched in 2009, was developed by a Chinese enterprises alliance lead by Datang Telecom Group. The group shouldered huge business pressure during the long investment period for the independent innovation.

The homegrown 3G technology has consolidated the market so that TD-LTE can be successfully recognized as one of the 4G global standards, according to Wang.

China Mobile Group on Feb 28 unveiled its plan to deploy TD-LTE across the country, and the TD-LTE network is now being tested in nine large Chinese cities, earlier reports said.

Datang Telecom Group is making efforts to evolve TD-LTE technology as a widely accepted 4G standard in the Asia-Pacific region.

"With Datang's add-ons, communication facilities of any standards could be updated to TD-LTE," said Wang Wei, manager of strategy and planning at Datang Group. Zhen Caiji, chairman and president of Datang Telecom Group, said the industrialization of the homegrown 4G technology "would leverage the country's telecom industrial chain… and promote some cell-phone makers to the world's top 10."

CNBM - Green building materials

The State Key Lab of Green Building Materials opened in Beijing on Feb 28. The lab will be used for basic theory study of the application of green building materials. China National Building Material Group (CNBM) has been working on the lab project since January 2010, aiming to develop high-tech independent intellectual property and improve the glass technology industry level. The lab will also be used for research into the key stages of green building materials' life cycle.

"When constructing the lab building, which started in 2010, many new building materials were used. No construction standard could be applied to these new materials, and this made the construction take a longer time," said Yao Yan, chief scientist of the lab and director of the board and the general manager of CNBM, in a group interview.

Promotion of new building materials and new building is now part of the group's development strategy. The group has continued promoting energy-saving environment-friendly buildings for years, and has several production bases for new building materials in Beijing city, Sichuan, Jiangsu and Hainan provinces.

The State Key Lab of Green Building Materials's Vice-director Wang Hong (Front R) speaks to reporters about ultra-thin glass after the key lab's Chief Scientist Yao Yan (Front L) introduces him during a group interview on Feb 27, 2011 in the thin film deposition lab in Beijing. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

The group will establish 10 research and production bases for energy-saving environment-friendly buildings by 2015.

CNBM is developing and promoting energy-saving compound wall and structural materials manufacturing technology, manufacturing technology with environmentally protective featured architectural coatings, key technology for environment-friendly decoration plate manufacturing, green building materials standards and evaluation techniques.

Photovoltaic glass production technology is among the key lab's researches. CNBM made the country's first ultra-thin electronic glass production line and the first production line for thin coated photovoltaic cells with its own intellectual property right.

"The ultra-thin class we are coating here … could be applied to the majority of the solar power panel," Wang Hong, vice-director of the national key lab, told reporters.