Splitting Waves towards Deep Blue: Technological Innovation and Green Rise of Decoding the Electric Universe
On April 13th, Shandong TV reported on the achievements of Dezhou Hengli Electric Motor Co., Ltd. under the title "Made in Dezhou, Playing with the 'Electric Universe' with Hard Core Strength". Let's enter Hengli with the TV screen and decode the technological innovation and green rise of the 'Electric Universe'.
On March 19, 2025, Hengli Electric passed the China Classification Society (CCS) certification, which is known for its rigorous standard review, and was awarded the first 3MW class marine three-phase permanent magnet shaft generator CCS type approval certificate in China, filling the domestic technical gap. This not only marks the official entry of China's marine generators into the era of permanent magnets, but also reflects the long-standing manufacturing enterprise's position in the country; Dual Carbon; Innovation transformation under strategy. From ordinary motors to permanent magnet shaft generators, from a domestic market share of 75% to a global market share of 23%, Hengli Motors has written a deep-sea legend in China's high-end equipment manufacturing with nearly 60 years of perseverance and breakthroughs.
The digital workshop of Hengli Electric is like a future world of intelligent production. Hengli has successfully achieved precise control over the entire process from raw material traceability to finished product testing through a digital production system, with a standardized production capacity of over 200 units per year. With a flexible production layout, it can quickly respond to customized needs of different ship types. As the robotic arm swings, precision motors are assembled one by one, like soldiers in armor about to set sail, ready to enter the heart of a distant ship at any time. This old factory, founded in 1966, once occupied 90% of its production capacity with traditional low-speed marine motors, but fell into the dilemma of "larger scale, thinner profit, and only 5% gross profit" in the industry's homogeneous competition. The strategic turning point of that year is still vividly remembered today.
The sword of Hengli's breakthrough points towards tackling core technologies. Starting from 2018, Hengli Electric has invested 6% of its annual revenue into research and development. It has partnered with Japan's Bingshen Corporation to establish Bingshen Electromechanical Co., Ltd., established a marketing partnership with the Fortune 500 company Honeywell, and partnered with Harbin Engineering University to establish the Hengliha Engineering Vibration Reduction Research Institute in Texas. After three years of hard work, Hengli Electric has developed a high-speed motor that can rotate at 80000 revolutions per minute, with a power density 10 times higher than traditional products, like equipping a ship with a "supercar heart". On the first domestically produced large cruise ship, the "Aida Modu", more than 4000 Hengli motors drive the breathing and pulsation of this "mobile maritime city", and its precision has amazed foreign counterparts. "Made in China is redefining industry standards
On the banks of the Huangpu River, engineers from Hengli Shanghai Science and Technology Innovation Center are optimizing the parameters of a new generation of permanent magnet motors through digital twin technology. This flagship product, which has obtained CCS certification, can improve ship fuel efficiency by 10% through its unique split stator structure and magnetic steel assembly technology, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over a thousand tons per year for 10000 ton ships. As Hou Zhaoting, Vice President of the Dynamic Equipment Division, said, "Hengli Electric's independently developed marine three-phase permanent magnet shaft generator provides a low-cost, high-efficiency, easy to install, and highly versatile green and low-carbon upgrade and renovation solution for existing ships - it is not just about renovating equipment, but restructuring the ship's energy system
The gene of green innovation permeates the entire chain of Hengli Motors: the largest electrical inspection center in North China, built with an investment of 120 million yuan, can simulate polar low temperature and tropical storm environments; Breakthroughs in water cooling technology have reduced the size of motors by 80%, yet they can withstand high pressure in deep sea environments; The anti surge and anti vibration structure breaks the foreign monopoly, making domestic wind turbines as stable as a rock in a level 12 typhoon. From the wind farm in Bohai Bay to the Antarctic research vessel "Snow Dragon", Hengli products are injecting green kinetic energy into the blue territory, delivering a perfect answer to the deep sea green revolution. Hengli motors have achieved a leap from traditional manufacturing to technology leaders!
On the first day of construction in 2025, orders worth 3.5 million yuan from South Korea arrived in Texas. In the first 40 days of the year, the company signed orders worth 150 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5%, and production was scheduled until May. The data shows that the average annual growth of overseas orders of enterprises in the past three years is 200%, the products cover ports in 30 countries, and six service centers have been built along the "the Belt and Road".
Hengli Motor's motor products include specialty motors, marine motors, marine equipment motors, wind power motors, rail transit motors, aerospace motors and other categories, with more than 30 series and over 2000 varieties. 80% of the motors on large ships such as the "Xuelong II", "Aidamudu", and domestic aircraft carriers are produced by Hengli.
When the International Maritime Organization (IMO) released new regulations on ship energy efficiency, Hengli permanent magnet shaft generators had already entered the mass production stage; In response to the green transformation needs of European shipping companies, their intelligent frequency conversion system has been the first to pass the EU CE certification. Hengli has positioned the Shanghai Science and Technology Innovation Center as a "technology watchtower" and become a leader in the dual cycle track.
On the map of the ship and marine equipment industry chain in Shandong Province, Hengli Electric resonates with the national strategy on the same frequency and occupies a key node. He is responsible for formulating and participating in 24 industry standards, owns 127 independent intellectual property rights, and has also driven more than 30 supporting enterprises in the surrounding area to form an industrial cluster. In recent years, Hengli Electric has repeatedly won titles such as national level specialized and innovative "little giant" enterprise, national level manufacturing industry single champion enterprise, and national level green factory. From deep-sea mining motors to LNG ship explosion-proof systems, the company's product matrix has covered all scenarios of the shipbuilding industry, becoming a tangible footnote to the national strategy of building a strong maritime nation.
Standing at a new starting point, Hengli people are looking further: the industrial Internet platform realizes full life cycle management, digital energy system research and development enters the critical stage, and the upcoming "zero carbon ship" solution. As the Chairman of the company, Vice Chairman of Shandong Equipment Manufacturing Industry Association, and President of Dezhou Equipment Manufacturing Industry Association have said, "The company will take 'benchmarking international advanced levels, aiming for industry leading positions, and improving the industrial chain' as its action guide, focus on technological innovation, and become a leader in the field of intelligent manufacturing. Hengli, an old manufacturing enterprise, is sailing towards the deep blue sea of high-quality development in the mighty east wind of the national dual carbon strategy with technological innovation as its sail.
Article: Compiled and written by Guo Guangli
Image: Mainstream media coverage
Editor in Chief: Chen Hongmiao
