Since the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), China Coal Technology & Engineering Group (CCTEG) has boosted its core competitiveness, accelerated the development of strategic emerging industries, and driven industrial transformation and upgrading through technological innovation. Up to now, the revenue of strategic emerging industries has reached 55 percent of the total, marking an increase of 17.7 percentage points from 2020 and sustaining an average annual growth of over 3 percentage points in the past two years.
Technological Breakthroughs and Empowerment
CCTEG owns over a dozen national-level R&D platforms, including four key laboratories and four engineering research centers. It is also striving to build two hubs for pioneering original technologies. These platforms focus on the country’s major needs for intelligent, green development as well as clean and low-carbon utilization of coal, conducting basic research and tackling cutting-edge technological challenges. The world’s first set of intelligent fully-mechanized mining technology and equipment with extra-large shearing height of 10 meters was developed by CCETG, setting multiple mining records. The R&D of the comprehensive support system for transparent geology has enabled digital, visual and precise perception of underground geological conditions, significantly improving mine safety and operational efficiency.
The super high seam shearer has set two new world records in mining height and installed power. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
The unmanned intelligent mining project has successfully developed a series of core hardware and software technologies including industrial software for intelligent decision-making, high-precision navigation and remote centralized control, and established a new unmanned intelligent mining mode featuring automated operation at the working face and remote monitoring from the ground. The project was piloted in enterprises such as China Energy Investment Corporation Co., Ltd. and Shandong Energy Group Co., Ltd., increasing the coal mining efficiency by more than 20 percent. The “AI+” special initiative has driven the in-depth integration of next-generation information technology and mining operations. It has released China’s first native general-purpose large model in the mining sector, Sunstone, and the country’s first geology-specific vertical large model, GeoGPT, equipping mines with a "smart brain."
The value of innovation is ultimately reflected in market application. CCTEG has implemented authorization for over 1,200 patents. The value of rights transferred to inventors has exceeded 30 million yuan ($4.28 million), greatly boosting the R&D enthusiasm of scientific researchers. In the past two years, CCTEG has produced 18 major achievements, and 43 outcomes have been included in the promotion catalogs of the country’s ministries and commissions.
Blueprint of Future Growth
CCTEG not only empowers its clients with new technologies, but also pioneers the intelligent transformation of its own manufacturing system. It has built 10 smart factories and 17 smart workshops, with two of them recognized as among the country’s first batch of Excellent-grade Smart Factories. Leveraging its robust technology integration capabilities, CCTEG has been providing solutions for over 75 percent of the country’s intelligent demonstration coal mines. It has implemented a number of landmark intelligent coal mine projects, such as Yujialiang and Caojiatan projects, leading the development of smart technologies in the coal industry.
While consolidating its core responsibilities and main business, CCTEG is expanding into new fields with greater efforts. It has fostered a number of emerging enterprises in various domains such as next-generation information technology, artificial intelligence, new energy and new materials. The emerging companies have spurred the growth of various new industries such as coal mine informatization, special robots and high-end new materials, creating new momentum for the group’s long-term development.
In recent years, CCTEG has cultivated a total of 11 national-level manufacturing champions in a single key product, and 47 specialized, refined, distinctive and innovative enterprises at all levels, including 17 Little Giant enterprises. CCTEG Beijing Tianma Intelligent Control Technology Co., Ltd. has been listed on the SSE STAR Market and recognized as a demonstration unit in building world-class specialized enterprises. Three CCTEG subsidiaries have assumed leading roles in key industrial chains in regions like Shanxi Province, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, and Shaanxi Province, fostering a virtuous cycle between technology, industry and capital and serving as a growth pole for regional industries.
A view of the flexible and intelligent assembly workshop for electro-hydraulic control directional valves of CCTEG Beijing Tianma Intelligent Control Technology Co., Ltd. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
In the future, CCTEG will focus on its core functions and competitiveness by advancing innovation and strengthening its main businesses. These efforts are directed toward cultivating new quality productive forces and accelerating CCTEG's development into a world-leading, technology-driven enterprise.
(Executive editor: Yuan Ting)
