On Dec 5, representatives from Dandong's 36 clock companies gathered at the Liaoning Watch Industrial Park to celebrate the birth of the Dandong Clock Association.

Dandong has more than 40 clock companies and a complete support system has been formed with businesses ranging from the manufacturing of clock part accessories to movement assembly. The companies, with nearly 10,000 employees, produce more than four million movements of sales income of over 100 million yuan ($15.78 million) every year.

Dandong's clock industry has a strong foundation, but there are still a number of problems including wasted resources, management chaos, disorderly competition and an uneven level of the quality.

The establishment of the clock association will provide a platform for Dandong's scattered clock companies to build up a professional new partnership. This will feature a reasonable division of labor enabling companies to strengthen one another with their own advantages.

The association is planned to organize events, standardize the rules and share the resources so as to fortify Dandong's clock companies in the competition against Chinese and international clock markets.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Rakhee