Chinese construction machinery solves the "bottleneck" problem
Zoomlion's production base in Changsha is ready to launch various 4.0 products. Data photos
Construction machinery is a business card of "Made in China", and many equipment can be described as "major national treasures". The problem of key components being "stuck" has always been a concern. The reporter learned from interviews in Changsha and other places, known as the "Capital of Construction Machinery", that in recent years, the localization rate of key components in the domestic construction machinery industry has been continuously increasing, which can "keep up". However, some high-end components still rely on imports, and there is still a gap between domestic components and "good use". As the industry accelerates its intelligent and digital transformation, technical challenges such as controllers and sensors are once again presented to enterprises, urgently requiring them to work hard to solve them.
Domestic components are 'up to par'
The 18th factory building of Sany Heavy Industry located in Changsha Economic Development Zone, Hunan Province, is a bustling production scene. The prominent positions in the workshop display not the honors obtained by the enterprise, but various key components such as engines, motors, bearings, hydraulic parts, etc. The staff said that these key components were designed and manufactured by Sany itself, and have been fully applied.
This is a microcosm of the industry breaking through the bottleneck of key components. In fact, the construction machinery industry has had a bottleneck problem for a long time. So much so that before 2010, the number of excavators produced in the Chinese market was determined by foreign oil cylinder companies, because at that time, domestic oil cylinders had poor sealing and were prone to oil leakage, and the oil cylinders required for excavators had to rely on imports.
In 2020, the COVID-19 will spread around the world, and some domestic construction machinery enterprises will face the severe situation of production suspension and reduction of overseas parts suppliers, which will once again sound the alarm bell for supply chain safety. The person in charge of a company told reporters that in June last year, the chassis supply of a certain foreign brand of car was cut off, and the OEM had to quickly search for alternative products in China.
However, this crisis did not truly strangle the domestic construction machinery industry. In the eyes of industry insiders, this is due to the continuous increase in research and development investment in the entire industry in recent years, which has promoted the localization of key components. Domestic components can "keep up" at critical moments.
According to the analysis of the China Machinery Industry Federation, under the guidance of the national "Strong Foundation" project and the driving force of market demand, a batch of key components with independent intellectual property rights have achieved significant breakthroughs in technology and scale application, and the bottleneck problem of some core components has been alleviated.
Taking XCMG as an example, 20% of the key technologies that this company broke through during the 13th Five Year Plan period were "bottleneck" technologies. Nowadays, XCMG's cranes, excavators and other main engines have achieved full spectrum systematic matching, and the self-made rate of hydraulic components, transmission components, and electrical components has rapidly increased.
“关键零部件是一个投入大、短期内又难以见效的领域，一旦被人‘卡脖子’，滋味是不好受的。”徐工集团工程机械有限公司董事长王民说，如今，国内的很多研发成果已经达到国际先进水平，不少自主可控的硬核技术掌握在自己手中。
自2005年以来，三一重工成立了10多家零部件公司，通过自主创新和协同创新对关键零部件进行研发及产业化。这家主机企业拥有了不少“叫得响”的关键零部件，比如三一中兴公司成为国内规模最大、品种最多的液压油缸生产基地之一，三一自产的发动机和底盘开始应用于工程机械和重卡。
三一重工总裁向文波认为，关键零部件过于依赖国外，产业链就会很脆弱，这既是安全问题，也是成本问题。经过这几年的努力，三一的国产配置率不断提高，提升了企业的整体竞争力。
向“最后10%”高举高打
记者了解到，尽管工程机械零部件取得了长足进步，但还存在“高端产品缺失、中低端产品同质化”的问题。高端液压件、高端底盘、大吨位发动机等零部件进口量大，面临价格高、周期长、供货不稳定等掣肘。
中联重科副总裁孙昌军认为，在中低端设备领域，零部件逐步实现国产替代，但部分高端关键零部件仍旧依赖从欧美日等地进口。当前，中国工程机械龙头主机企业已经处于全球行业的第一阵营，一旦企业进入“高端竞争”“精品竞争”阶段，就可能被“卡脖子”。
记者了解到，由于材料、设计、制造工艺等方面的差距，一些国产关键零部件的稳定性、可靠性、耐久性有所欠缺，导致客户不敢试，主机厂也不敢用。比如，核电站吊装需要特大吨位起重机，客户对于国产关键零部件“心里没底”，还是得用国外产品。挖掘机被称为“工程机械皇冠上的明珠”，由于其性能要求高，配置的发动机也大量是国外品牌。
此外，国产关键零部件还缺乏创新，一些零部件停留在仿制国外产品的阶段。特别是前沿产品落后于人，比如汽车起重机的“单发”发动机便是由德国企业首先推出，国内企业再跟进学习。
王民认为，中国工程机械行业已经解决了90%的难题，但最关键的是要攻克最后10%，这就如同攀登珠穆朗玛峰的最后几百米。中国工程机械产业核心零部件要向“高新优独”上进取，必须“主攻高端、高举高打”。
一方面，要重视基础创新。山河智能董事长何清华说，要突破高端关键零部件的设计“门槛”，不是“运动式、砸钱”能解决的，而要精耕细作、埋头苦干，鼓励在某个方面有绝技的企业沉下心研发。对于单个主机厂研发零部件的投入太大、市场太小、不划算的问题，可以通过主机厂参与投资的基金引导，重点建设、扶持高端核心零部件企业，最终辐射整个行业。
另一方面，有业内人士建议在需求端借鉴新能源汽车扶持政策，补贴终端用户，引导和激励国产关键零部件的使用，把市场真正培育起来，以解决过去国内产品不被接受而没有办法改进和迭代的问题。
探索智能转型新课题
当前，工程机械行业加快智能化、数字化转型，各大企业都在布局智能制造工厂，5G遥控挖掘机、无人起重机、无人压路机、无人搅拌车等新型设备层出不穷。记者了解到，传统制造企业在智能化、数字化领域的基础薄弱，从研发设计到生产服务环节面临一些新的“卡脖子”问题。
湖南省工信厅装备工业处有关负责人说，原来制造业“卡脖子”的地方，主要还是在某个核心部件，如发动机、液压件，而随着智能化升级，更重要的“卡脖子”问题是涉及高端精密加工的制造装备。
记者在一家工程机械企业的智能制造车间看到，整个车间有上百台工业机器人。技术人员坦言，在硬件层面，智能化产线、工业机器人很多“工具”需要从日本等国家进口；在软件层面，数字化、智能化离不开“算法”，现在使用的大多还是国外算法。
不仅如此，工程机械行业需要的仿真分析等工业软件、被称为工程机械“大脑”的控制器以及设备上遍布的传感器，也大量需要进口。一家工程机械企业的研发人员说，控制器对可靠性要求很高，而国外企业不开放控制器的“底层”（即与硬件匹配的驱动，相当于手机的安卓系统），国内企业受制于人，只能在其平台上进行小应用的编程。
上述工信部门负责人建议，要大力推进短板装备攻关，引导企业充分利用数字化、网络化技术，研发智能化装备产品。把提升智能制造供给能力放在更为突出的位置，加快突破智能制造核心装备及工业软件系统，尽快补齐关键装备、基础零部件、系统软件等短板。
业内人士指出，破解新的“卡脖子”问题，传统制造企业不能单打独斗，而要整合行业资源，形成能力互补、利益共享、风险共担的产业生态圈。记者了解到，有的企业已在和国内供应商“齐头并进”，探索构建智能化、数字化时代的协同创新模式。
Information source: Economic Reference Report
