Some high-tech products of "one hot and one cool" have encountered market difficulties

The "Economic Reference News" reporter found that the high-tech products of some high-tech enterprises are very popular in foreign markets, but they have not performed well in the domestic market and even repeatedly encountered walls, encountering the dilemma of "one hot and one cool" in the foreign and domestic markets.

Industry insiders said that similar situations reflect that there are still institutional and institutional obstacles in the application of innovative products in the mainland, and it is recommended to further emancipate the mind, break down the "invisible barriers", create a healthy environment that is more conducive to the application of high-tech products, and help mainland enterprises take the lead in high-tech competition.

Domestic and international market "ice and fire double day"

The low-temperature melting technology of high melting point metal can solve the defects of metal materials in the traditional alloying process, which is crucial for the high-quality development of metal materials. "We can achieve rapid melting of high melting point metals with a melting point of 1500 °C-2500 °C at a low temperature of 710 °C -735 °C, thereby avoiding metal fatigue caused by high temperature melting, improving the properties of metal materials and reducing environmental pollution." Li Hang (pseudonym), head of a new materials enterprise in Chongqing, said that as an innovative new material high-tech enterprise with independent intellectual property rights, the company's high-concentration alloying element additive technology won the first prize of the China Nonferrous Metal Industry Science and Technology Award in 2020, but the product encountered "ice and fire" in both domestic and international markets.

Li Hang introduced that the product performed well in the international market such as Europe and the United States, and the core customers included many well-known enterprises such as Alcoa. "In the application of truly high-tech materials, the United States relies on this product to solve the problem of metal fatigue, thereby improving the performance of high-end materials."

However, the performance of high-concentration alloying element additives in the domestic market is a different scenario. According to Li Hang, due to the lack of competitors in the domestic products developed by the company, the "reference standard" cannot be found when bidding, and even the price of raw materials can only be referred to to bid, which is basically the "cabbage price", resulting in the profit level of the product in the domestic market is much lower than that of the international market, which affects the enthusiasm of enterprises to open up the domestic market.

"Although we have also established a relatively good relationship with domestic customers, when production capacity is insufficient, because foreign customers are more willing to pay technology premiums, we can only reduce the sales volume of domestic customers, after all, enterprises have to survive and develop." Li Hang said.

The reporter's investigation learned that the company's encounter has a certain universality. A transformer company in Jiangsu is currently the head enterprise in the global transformer industry, and its products are exported to 63 countries and regions around the world, but it has not been smooth in developing the domestic market. Zhang Hong (pseudonym), general manager of the company, said that the projects in the transformer industry have long relied on the products of large foreign companies in the past, and they dare not easily try domestic equipment, resulting in many domestic transformer manufacturers being forced to take the road of export.

A number of heads of science and technology enterprises revealed that the high-tech products developed by enterprises once could not find buyers in the domestic market, and many downstream customers firmly believed in foreign products, even if the technical content of domestic products was not lower than or even higher than that of foreign products, they did not dare to use them hastily. In the application field of the first set of major and key equipment, the application and development opportunities of domestic technology are less, which is not conducive to the entry of domestic technology into the internal circulation system.

Multiple factors cause product application "one hot and one cool"

The reporter's investigation and understanding that domestic scientific and technological innovation products have encountered the dilemma of "one hot and one cool" in the foreign domestic market, reflecting the shortcomings of the domestic scientific and technological product application environment and other aspects of institutional mechanisms.

First, the unreasonable bidding system leads to the "expulsion of good money by bad money". "After contacting us, some large enterprises said that the things we produce are very advanced in the country and even the world, but they can't use them because the bidding requirements must have more than two companies bidding at the same time, and it is difficult for a single company to pass the internal audit after purchasing its products." Li Hang said that the mainland metallurgical industry is well aware of the value of high-concentration alloying element additives, but it is difficult to let go of their hands and feet due to various constraints.

Second, the assessment mechanism is not perfect, and there is a lack of trial and error mechanisms. A number of interviewed enterprise leaders said that some large domestic enterprises lack trial and error mechanisms, and their risk tolerance is low in the process of product development and application. In the procurement of related products, they are more inclined to use the products of well-known foreign enterprises to achieve the effect of "exemption", which leads to some domestic products, although good, but can not enter the "legal eye" of these companies.

"In terms of the application of electronic components, many domestic companies uphold the attitude of 'if they can use foreign products, they will not use domestic new products', and they are worried about being held accountable for quality problems." A person in charge of an enterprise in Huangshi, Hubei Province, said.

Third, the interest protection mechanism hinders the application of innovative products. Some business leaders said that some domestic enterprises have a supply chain interest protection mechanism. For example, some large enterprises produce products of the whole industry chain, even if some products in the industrial chain are backward, but in order to protect the production line and protect employees, they still use these backward products, resulting in the application of innovative products encountering obstacles.

The person in charge of the interviewed enterprises said that under the background of the state's vigorous advocacy of accelerating the formation of a new development pattern with the domestic cycle as the main body and the domestic and international dual cycles promoting each other, the phenomenon that some high-tech products are "favored" and "blocked" abroad has greatly dampened the enthusiasm of scientific and technological innovation enterprises.

Improve institutional mechanisms and break down resistance to innovative applications

A number of interviewees said that we should actively break down institutional and institutional obstacles, be careful to seek verification, boldly use, constantly improve the application environment of scientific and technological innovation, and continuously enhance the core competitiveness of mainland science and technology enterprises.

First of all, establish a bidding system that adapts to the environment of scientific and technological innovation in the new era. Zhang Hong and other respondents suggested changing the traditional similar comparison system, and taking expert evaluation and product trial to verify their effects for innovative enterprises and products that lack competitors, so as to provide them with application opportunities. At the same time, the low-price winning bid is changed to a reasonable price winning bid, providing corresponding profit margins for innovative enterprises, helping such innovative enterprises with larger R&D investment in the early stage, and forming a virtuous circle from innovation to application to feeding innovation.

Second, establish a fault-tolerant mechanism that conforms to the application law of scientific and technological innovation products. Lin Mingming, chief engineer of Guangxi Liugong Machinery Co., Ltd. and director of the Global R&D Center, said for example, that in order to achieve independent control of core components such as hydraulic components and transmission components, it is necessary to give the mainland more opportunities to test the products independently developed by the mainland, so as to continuously improve in practice, and it is recommended that relevant departments introduce incentive measures to encourage domestic enterprises to use localization of key components, and at the same time establish a scientific fault tolerance mechanism to let enterprises unload their "ideological baggage".

Third, further break the resistance of innovative applications. Some interviewees said that the application of innovative products will inevitably touch the existing interest pattern, and suggested that relevant departments introduce measures to encourage enterprises to actively participate in the innovative application process and enjoy the results of innovative applications through the purchase of technology, share cooperation and other forms, so as to help industrial transformation and upgrading.

Author: □ reporter Qin Xingxing, Han Zhen, Deng Huaning, Wang Xian, Nanning, Chongqing, Nanjing, Wuhan

Source: Economic Reference