Ningbo – The World's Largest High-End Manufacturing Base for Magnetic Materials

Yesterday, at the regional (city) industrial brand construction conference, "Ningbo · City of Magnetic Innovation" was officially unveiled as Ningbo’s first industrial brand.

According to the plan, the city will leverage the advantages of Ningbo’s magnetic materials industry cluster to enhance regional soft power. By 2025, it aims to establish a globally leading high-end manufacturing base for magnetic materials, a world-class collaborative innovation base for magnetic materials, and a globally significant demonstration base for the magnetic materials industry ecosystem. This will fully polish the golden brand of "Ningbo · City of Magnetic Innovation."

An industrial brand, as the term suggests, is a regional industrial symbol that reflects the cultural heritage, industrial foundation, and urban characteristics of an area, while also attracting talent, capital, enterprises, and other key resources.

At the end of last year, the Industrial Culture Development Center of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology identified seven cities, one district, and one county as pilot regions to explore the upgrading and development of industrial brands. Ningbo is one of the first pilot cities.

"The creation of 'Ningbo · City of Magnetic Innovation' represents a pioneering effort in Ningbo’s industrial brand development," said Dong Wenyan, Director of the Industrial Culture Integration Division at the Industrial Culture Development Center of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. In her view, "Made in China" is still not synonymous with high-end, high-quality products in the eyes of some consumers. This is largely due to the lag in China's industrial culture development, insufficient cultural empowerment of industry, and a weak cultural soft power.

Against this backdrop, Chinese manufacturing needs to employ a combination of cultural, branding, standardization, design, and communication strategies to drive the high-end development of industrial and value chains and enhance the cultural soft power of a manufacturing powerhouse.

Currently, global industrial and supply chains are undergoing accelerated adjustments, and China's development logic is also shifting. The traditional development model reliant on cost advantages, policy benefits, and abundant resources is no longer sustainable. There is an urgent need to innovate and explore new approaches that highlight regional culture and industrial characteristics, integrate into major regional strategies, and foster complementary strengths and optimized development.

Focusing on development positioning to build an industrial brand will be an essential path.

Prior to Ningbo, several cities have already taken pioneering steps, such as "Wuhan · China Optics Valley," "Hangzhou · China Visual Valley," "Hefei · China Sound Valley," and "Jiangyou · Hometown of Li Bai · Special Materials New City." The development of these industrial brands has not only established distinctive regional industrial images but also contributed significantly to regional economic growth.

Taking "Wuhan · China Optics Valley" as an example, as a symbol of Wuhan’s manufacturing brand and strength, this industrial brand not only provides assurance for Wuhan’s related manufacturing brands but also makes it synonymous with innovation and industrial excellence in the optical electronics field. The successful establishment of Optics Valley has enabled Wuhan to continuously attract capital, talent, and enterprises in related industries, creating a siphon effect.

"Ningbo has a solid manufacturing foundation and a comprehensive range of industries. However, despite its scale and diversity, it lacks a unique and influential industrial brand," said Wei Jianling, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Brand Planning Institute, who has unique insights into Ningbo’s brand development. In her view, Ningbo’s green petrochemicals, high-end equipment, and new energy vehicle industries all have their own characteristics. "The stars are shining brightly, but what’s regrettable is the absence of the brightest star."

Currently, as China’s economy transitions from high-speed growth to high-quality development, the role of cultural empowerment in the economy is becoming increasingly important. Industrial brands not only highlight regional culture, industry, and urban characteristics but also promote the tangible expression and value realization of cultural resources. At the same time, they help foster the clustering of characteristic industries and establish regional industrial images.

"Although Ningbo holds the titles of 11 industrial capitals, even locals find it hard to name a few. There is a lack of recognition and brand effect," industry insiders pointed out. Ningbo needs to concentrate its efforts, mobilize all resources, and forge a path that highlights regional culture and industrial characteristics. By focusing on its development positioning, it can create a unique industrial brand.

Ningbo’s magnetic materials industry cluster is one of the 45 national advanced manufacturing clusters. Ningbo’s output of magnetic materials accounts for over 40% of the national total. It is the only city in China with a complete industrial chain spanning "rare earth magnetic materials—magnetic material components/permanent magnet motors—high-end equipment," hosting over 20% of the country’s magnetic materials manufacturing enterprises.

"This is Ningbo’s advantage and the foundation for building an industrial brand," said a relevant official from the Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology. According to the plan, the city will consolidate and enhance the development advantages of the magnetic materials industry, focus on cultivating high-performance soft magnetic materials, accelerate the development of cutting-edge magnetic materials, and deepen downstream applications of magnetic materials. By 2025, the total output value of the magnetic materials industry is expected to exceed 70 billion yuan, with its share of national magnetic materials output exceeding 45%, and annual import-export volume surpassing 10 billion yuan.

Reprinted from Yongpai/China Ningbo Network. Please contact us for removal if there is any infringement.