What should we do after filling the gaps in Chinas agricultural machinery technology
Unconsciously, domestic agricultural machinery has filled many technological gaps in various categories and entered the stage of large-scale production and sales, which is much faster than expected. For example, large hydraulic flip plows, cotton harvesters, large silage harvesters, large balers, power shift tractors, pneumatic electric drive tractors, and combined harvesters of cutting and double longitudinal axis flow have been developed. Of course, the core technologies of categories such as large tomato harvesters and large chili combine harvesters have not been overcome yet. However, in the agricultural machinery category with huge capacity and development space in the Chinese market, most of their core technologies have been overcome. It is particularly worth mentioning that most of these technologies are not monopolized by a few enterprises, but have achieved collective breakthroughs and shared mastery through industrial cluster cooperation. It is a widespread technological breakthrough that will bring about a huge ripple effect, It will affect the entire industry chain.
But today, let's not talk about the technology itself. What we need to explore is what to do after filling in the gaps in technology? This is actually a crucial issue, just like the brief confusion Huawei experienced when it suddenly entered the "no man's land" after surpassing the benchmarks and competitors of Europe, America, and Japan one by one.
The technology that once made us stand tall and the expensive agricultural machinery that we coveted have now settled in our own factory; Where should we go next after becoming a technology leader? Domestic enterprises in industries such as tractors, seeders, and balers are likely facing such confusion. The author provides several suggestions:
1、 Fill in the gaps of core components
At present, in some advanced agricultural machinery that have achieved technological breakthroughs, there is an awkward situation where the overall technology has made breakthroughs but the core components still need to be imported from abroad, such as precision bearings, gears, seeders, hydraulic components, electronic control systems, algorithms, etc. There are various reasons for this situation: some technologies have not yet been mastered, and there is a gap in the quality of some domestic components compared to imported ones. As relevant data shows, the average time between failures of domestic diesel engines is only one-third of that of imported products, and the leakage rate and efficiency indicators of domestic hydraulic systems also lag behind imported products; There is still room for improvement in user recognition of domestically produced components.
Taking gears as an example, there is a gap between the domestic gear industry and the international advanced level in basic research, production equipment accuracy, tool performance, etc., which leads to the dependence of high-end gears on imports. But regardless of the reason, domestic agricultural machinery enterprises need to tackle these core components one by one, otherwise the so-called technological breakthroughs that still rely on foreign parts suppliers are pseudo breakthroughs, and the label of domestic agricultural machinery "assembly plants" will never be torn off.
2、 Fill in the gap in craftsmanship
If technology is an explicit element, then craftsmanship is an implicit competitive element. On the technical level, as long as you obtain the drawings or disassemble the machine, open the key components inside, and understand their working principles, you can master the core technology. However, the process is different. It is something that cannot be seen or touched, accumulated experience and indescribable organizational ability accumulated over a long period of time in an organization. It is a product of time and mind, and the most difficult thing to replicate and catch up with.
At present, the gap between domestic agricultural machinery and its European and American counterparts is mainly the gap in technology after technological breakthrough. For example, the 6-row packing cotton picker of a domestic brand is almost the same as the hardware configuration of John Deere, or even higher, but its stability is much worse, and the fuel consumption is 30% or 40% higher. These gaps need to be polished in the process of slow work and meticulous work over the years, which can not be solved with money, nor can it be caught up with several sets of advanced equipment.
3、 Rapid maturation of technology
The maturation of technology, in other words, means bringing enough products to the market, exposing a large number of problems through on-site operations, and continuously improving and optimizing. The vast majority of advanced agricultural machinery is complex machines, even a complex system. It can be said that there is never a completely perfect agricultural machinery in the world, and good agricultural machinery is the result of continuous optimization and improvement.
Although domestic agricultural machinery enterprises have mastered power shifting and CVT technology, there is still a big gap in the reliability of our tractors compared to John Deere, Case New Holland, Fantawild, and others. This is not due to our outdated technology, but rather the immaturity of our products. Mature products are undoubtedly the result of long-term use. Currently, the main problem with the unstable performance of some advanced agricultural machinery in China is that there are not many actual sales in the market, and there are not many that can operate continuously on a large scale. Due to the lack of effective operational verification, some advanced agricultural machinery technologies cannot be technically matured. As a result, we continue to break through, but we are unable to achieve large-scale production and sales, nor can we truly contribute revenue and profits to the enterprise.
4、 Technological innovation
As a follower, Chinese agricultural machinery has learned immeasurable advanced technologies from its counterparts in advanced countries such as Europe, America, Japan, and South Korea, and has filled its own technological gaps on its own basis, making agricultural machinery at the same level as its counterparts in these advanced countries. However, the contribution of Chinese agricultural machinery to the global agricultural machinery industry cannot be limited to replication, but rather to innovation based on learning and inheritance.
Cotton picking machine companies have actually done a very good job in this regard. For example, domestic brands such as Boshiran and Wode have replicated advanced packaging technology on three row, four row, and five row mini machines, allowing small-scale growers at home and abroad to also use advanced cotton picking machines. Among them, a certain brand of cotton picker in Xinjiang can achieve a net harvesting rate of 97%, which is 3 percentage points higher than foreign brands. A certain brand of cotton picker in Jiangsu has reduced the cost of cotton harvesting to 60% of traditional mechanical harvesting. At the same time, domestic agricultural machinery enterprises have optimized and improved technologies such as cotton removal and impurity removal, allowing small-scale growers to harvest cotton cleaner, avoiding secondary harvesting, increasing profits while reducing planting costs.
Data shows that in 2020, domestic cotton picking machines accounted for 84% of sales. Nowadays, domestic cotton picking machines have not only become the main force in cotton harvesting in Xinjiang, but also exported to countries such as Uzbekistan. These optimized technologies have been learned, borrowed, and used by European and American companies such as John Deere in their new products. This is a mutually beneficial behavior for both parties and is beneficial to the global agricultural machinery industry.
Chinese agricultural machinery cannot always be followers, it will inevitably become a leader in the global agricultural machinery industry.
This is the most difficult aspect, but if successful, it will be the greatest contribution of Chinese agricultural machinery to the world. Currently, Chinese agricultural machinery enterprises have made certain achievements and provided some learning and reference templates for domestic brands, such as plant protection unmanned aerial vehicles. After Wuxi Hanhe, Anyang Quanfeng and other companies introduced Yamaha technology from Japan, they made bold breakthroughs and innovations on the basis of Japanese enterprises. Later, Jifei, DJI, Jimu and others launched electric unmanned aerial vehicles, greatly reducing costs, improving intelligence level, and enhancing operational efficiency. Later, they went global from China and became the new industry standard setters and leaders for plant protection unmanned aerial vehicles.
At present, China's new energy agricultural machinery is also replicating the successful model of crop protection unmanned aerial vehicles. For example, the extended range route, which accounts for a high proportion of domestic hybrid tractors, is similar to the oil electric hybrid principle of crop protection unmanned aerial vehicles. The engine only charges the battery and does not participate in mechanical work. Domestic hybrid tractors have taken the lead in application technology globally. Not only have Zoomlion's hybrid tractors achieved mass sales in countries such as Russia and Kazakhstan, but their world's largest 700 horsepower hybrid tractor has also been successfully exported recently. Leading domestic agricultural machinery brands such as Dongfanghong have also exported their products to multiple countries and regions around the world through intelligent and automated technology innovation. All signs indicate that after mastering a series of core technologies, domestic agricultural machinery is redefining global technical standards through innovation, and on this basis, it is expected to achieve a transformation from a follower to a leader.
Conclusion: Making up for technological shortcomings is only the starting point, not the endpoint, for China's agricultural machinery to mature. From independent controllability of core components to long-term polishing of processes; From the rapid maturation of technology, to the innovation of products, and finally to the innovative leadership of standing at the forefront - this is a path that requires patience, determination, and foresight. Technology can be introduced, but craftsmanship can only be precipitated; Breakthrough can be achieved overnight, but maturity must take time. Fortunately, Chinese agricultural machinery is no longer the backward student who only looks up to and imitates, but is standing shoulder to shoulder with global powerhouses in more and more fields, and even leading the way. In the future global agricultural machinery landscape, China should not only be a "manufacturing base", but also a "source of innovation". This road is destined to be uneven, but the direction is clear: from chasing to running, from running to leading, Chinese agricultural machinery is writing its own answer.
