Wenling to boost growth in shoe industry

chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2020-08-31

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Staff work hard at a shoe workshop in Wenling county, Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

A groundbreaking online procurement platform designed for the shoe industry, a traditional pillar industry in Wenling county, Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province, was launched on Aug 27, according to local media reports.

The platform, jointly developed by a local shoe manufacturing service provider and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, is the first of its kind in Taizhou, which aims to expand and optimize the supply chain in it substantial shoe industry.

The platform will enable overseas trading companies to place orders online to the local shoe manufacturers - and the shoe manufacturers can also communicate online with suppliers after receiving orders. 

All the procedures - ranging from procurements, deliveries to warehousing and payments - can now all be done online via the platform.

Businesses will also be able to apply for financing on it, according to Su Li, general manager of Zhejiang Huifu Chuntian Shoe Manufacturing Service Co Ltd, the platform's developer.

On top of the platform, great efforts have also been made to seek growth through technical upgrades in the industry.

A smart transformation has been completed in the manufacturing plants of Taizhou Naiqi Shoes Co Ltd, where seven robotic arms have replaced 70 percent of the original manpower and can produce 180 to 200 pairs of shoes per hour.

Machine operations can also standardize production, improve shoe quality and increase customer satisfaction, said Ruan Chunhui, general manager of Zhejiang Heshengrong Intelligent Technology Co Ltd, parent company of Naiqi.

Wenling is a major shoe manufacturing hub in China as the saying goes that "one out of 10 pairs of shoes in the world is made in Wenling". 

As of November 2019, the city was home to more than 5,300 footwear companies, employing over 100,000 people in total and producing over one billion pairs of shoes annually.