In MLTOR's exhibition hall, dozens of gears in various models and specifications are on display. [Photo by Li Xusheng]

Gears are often compared to the engine of the manufacturing industry. Intelligent door locks, smart home products, wind power, intelligent lighting and other domains are all closely related to gears. Currently, a number of machine tool enterprises represented by Zhongshan MLTOR Numerical Control Technology Co Ltd are redefining the concept of "Zhongshan Intelligent Manufacturing".

According to Lin Shoujin, general manager of MLTOR, in recent years, Zhongshan has strongly supported the development of machine tool enterprises, set the trend of "high-grade, high-precision, advanced and special technology" for the industry, and made great efforts to develop the advanced equipment manufacturing industrial belt along the west coast of the Pearl River. Gear companies, like MLTOR, are the foremost experts among machine tool enterprises. Their expert ability defines "Intelligent Manufacturing in Zhongshan".

Lin Shoujin said, their products were sold to only 5 countries before MLTOR settled in Zhongshan in 2016. Now MLTOR's products have been exported to 31 countries and regions including Switzerland, Russia, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Austria, South Korea, Japan, India and Vietnam. At the same time, MLTOR has obtained more than 50 patents for invention and innovative technology.

In recent years, the development of "Zhongshan Gear" has attracted the attention of the industry. The 2018 China Gear Technology Conference, with the theme "Intelligent Manufacturing, Coordinated Linkage, Moving Forward" was held in Zhongshan in June of last year.

"At present, we are in an intelligent era of pursuing upgrade from pure mechanical gear drives to complex products that highly integrate machinery, electronic, hydraulic transmission, numerical control, and information technology. It has been a great opportunity for China's gear industry to realize these important breakthroughs; its also been the right time for Zhongshan to develop the gear industry," said Lin Shoujin.

Lin Xiaocong, general manager of Zhongshan Hantong Laser Science Co Ltd, indicated that intelligent equipment would be the largest pillar industry for Zhongshan's future development. Speeding up the development of intelligent equipment requires the combination of software and hardware, in which the software means intelligent control system, while the hardware includes such key devices as gears, lasers and bearings.

Lin Xiaocong also suggested that since Zhongshan only had some core gear manufacturing experts, it should vigorously develop the entire industrial chain to truly allow gear design, production, sales, and application to take root in the city and form a complete industry.