The front page of Xuzhou Daily! The green upgrade of the power station!

Li Shasha, a reporter from Xuzhou Daily

Blue, yellow, red... Entering the workshop of Xuzhou Jing 'an Heavy Industry Machinery Manufacturing Co., LTD. (hereinafter referred to as "Jing 'an Heavy Industry") located in Xuzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, the first thing that catches the eye is a row of colorful and various-sized containerized "houses".

These are power stations for the operation of mechanical equipment. Whether to use diesel or electricity is up to them. They are so precious. Wei Chuiyong, the general manager of Jing 'an Heavy Industry, summed up the functions of these "houses" in one sentence.

Why does Jing 'an Heavy Industry make great efforts in these different power stations when the entire field of special pile driving machinery is driven by diesel? The reporter conducted an in-depth investigation.

Insight detects opportunities from customers

That was the first time I directly felt the unlimited potential of new energy. Recalling his experience of participating in the construction of offshore wind power pile foundations in 2020, Wei Chuiyong said with deep emotion.

As the first set of major technical equipment in Jiangsu Province in 2021, Jing 'an Heavy Industry's air-lift reverse circulation drilling rig has been widely applied in the construction of offshore wind power infrastructure. The company's decision-making level also thus perceived that new energy might be the future development trend, and a seed of wanting to make a green transformation was thus sown.

In 2022, against the backdrop of fluctuating global oil prices, many long-term and stable customers constantly passed on the cost pressure of mechanical operation to Chairman Chen Wei, which made Chen Wei see the market advantages of switching from diesel to electricity.

Not only should we meet the usage demands of our customers, but also find ways to save their usage costs. Only in this way can we maintain our core competitiveness. Recalling the scene when the enterprise decided to make a green transformation, Chen Wei was filled with deep emotions.

As the first "pioneer" in the field of special pile driving machinery, what should one do if they can't find direct experience in power transformation? The R&D team of Jing 'an Heavy Industry has set its sights on the fledgling new energy vehicle industry.

Shanghai, Guangzhou, Suzhou... The R&D team has visited new energy vehicle manufacturers time and again for study and learning, gaining an on-site understanding of the power structure and design concepts of new energy vehicles, and seeking valuable references.

Exploring the best does not equal the most suitable

This "small house" is the first batch of battery packs we purchased. Wei Chuiyong pointed at the smallest blue "house" while recounting the scene at that time.

At the beginning of its research and development in 2022, Jing 'an Heavy Industry invested one-third of its R&D personnel and a large amount of funds, striving to create a power station with performance similar to that of new energy vehicles.

However, after multiple rounds of experiments, the R&D team found that the original goal was not easy to achieve. On the one hand, electricity is not a necessary condition for construction sites, and a single machine is worth millions of yuan. The option of power is more in line with the needs of most customers. On the other hand, for Jing 'an Heavy Industry, which has just ventured into the new energy sector, the lack of accumulation of original technologies and parameters has led to problems such as excessive difficulty and a long research and development cycle.

Based on the actual situation, Jing 'an Heavy Industry has adopted a two-step strategy of plug-in and power battery plus range extender.

From disassembling the battery pack, conducting in-depth exploration of each circuit one by one, to comparing and testing the compatibility of various components at home and abroad; From gradually testing the optimal capacity ratio of the motor battery to finely adjusting the controller to achieve the optimal balance between accuracy and cost; From the highly anticipated first successful operation to tens of millions of prototype tests...

In 2023, after a year of exploration and research, the R&D team finally developed a power station driven by an electric motor and hydraulic transmission and put it on the market.

Nowadays, Jing 'an Heavy Industry has achieved multiple options for power stations. In the workshop, the red "house" represents the traditional diesel-driven hydraulic transmission power station. The yellow "house" is a motor-driven hydraulic transmission power station, suitable for customers who have purchased diesel-driven machinery but still have the need for motor drive. The blue "big house" is a motor direct drive station integrated with the machinery, suitable for construction sites with complete power supply facilities.

At Jing 'an Heavy Industry, mechanical equipment has changed from traditional diesel-driven hydraulic transmission to motor-driven hydraulic transmission, which can reduce users' costs by about 50%. If the integration of motors and machinery is achieved and direct motor drive is realized, the user's cost can be reduced by about 60%.

The expansion of the blue ocean market brings continuous surprises

It's very simple. I didn't encounter any difficulties. When asked about the first order after the green transformation, Chen Wei said that it was signed very smoothly.

Upon further inquiry, the reporter found that behind this "simplicity" lies nothing simple.

Our products with completely independent intellectual property rights, such as full-rotation drilling RIGS, air-lift reverse circulation drilling RIGS, and TRD chain knife continuous wall trenching machines, can not only completely replace imported products in China but also be exported to many countries in Japan, the United States, Southeast Asia, as well as Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions. They enjoy a high level of recognition in overseas markets.

With the support of new energy, Jing 'an Heavy Industry's special pile driving products have greater advantages, such as power not being affected by altitude and the minimum emissions meeting higher requirements, and the market has also expanded further as a result.

The new product has low energy consumption, low noise and saves materials. Mr. Wang from Hong Kong told the reporter the reasons for choosing Jing 'an Heavy Industry's new energy machinery.

Due to noise issues, construction sites in Hong Kong usually stop working after 5 p.m. However, after using Jing 'an's new energy equipment, the construction team can appropriately extend the daily construction time according to the construction progress, which has improved the construction efficiency.

At present, Jing 'an Heavy Industry has achieved a green transformation of all its products, and some product orders have been scheduled until the end of the year. Jing 'an Heavy Industry will also accelerate the research work on range extender type new energy systems. Once successfully put into use, even if the customer's construction site has no power supply, the equipment can still be directly driven by the motor.