Robotic arms transport components at a plant of Taiyuan Heavy Machinery Group. [Photo by Du Juan for China Daily]

Shanxi province is pushing forward an economic transformation move to upgrade its traditional industries and foster emerging industrials as new engines for growth.

Taiyuan Heavy Machinery Group, a traditional manufacturer of mining and metallurgical machines based in the Shanxi provincial capital of Taiyuan, has proven the two missions of transformation can be fulfilled by a single company.

"While using the latest technologies to upgrade our conventional industries for mining and metallurgical equipment building, we are also developing new equipment for rail transit, wind power generation and marine exploration, as well as hydraulic machines," an executive of the company said. "We have seen growing strength in both traditional and emerging sectors."

Yue Haifeng, head of a THMG research institute for mining equipment, said he is proud that the extensive use of digital technologies has brought the group into the ranks of advanced domestic manufacturers for mining and coking equipment.

He said one of the cutting-edge products that the THMG presented to clients is the WK-12C intelligent mining excavator.

The machines, now in use at an open-pit coal mine in Huuliin Gol city in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, have pleasantly surprised the mining workers.

"It revolutionized the concept of excavator operation," said Wang Yongsheng, an excavator operator at the mine. "A driver is no longer needed on the excavator. We operate the machine at the control center some seven kilometers away."

He added that driverless excavator operation can greatly improve both safety and efficiency.

Yue said the secret behind the smart operation is the use of 5G technologies, which make coal cutting possible from a long distance.

In addition to smart coal mining, the THMG smart solutions also include automation for metal smelting, and the "push-button" coking, which realizes the whole-process of coking through a remote control at an operational center.

While upgrading its traditional industries, THMG is also diversifying its operations to the areas of rail transit equipment manufacturing and the production of wind power generation equipment.

THMG Rail Transit Equipment, for instance, is a unit dedicated to the production of train wheels.

Han Yuming, an executive at the unit, said his team has used one of the world's most advanced production lines at its production plant, which is capable of making a train wheel in less than a minute.

"We realized an output value of 200 million yuan ($28.98 million) in the first month of this year, growing 34.6 percent year-on-year," Han said.

Zhang Lei, another executive at the unit, said the rail transit equipment company has prioritized innovation since the very beginning of its establishment, thus pushing it to the forefront of the industry.

In June 2022, the world's largest cross-wedge rolling machine was launched in the company. It was jointly developed by THMG Rail Transit Equipment and several renowned research institutions in China.

The company's executives said the machine can help to improve efficiency by 100 percent and reduce costs by nearly 10 percent, compared with its previous versions.

Boasting a provincial-level corporate technology center, a provincial-level key laboratory and several other research and development facilities, THMG is now one of just a few companies in the world that can produce a full portfolio of train wheels, axles and other components.

Du Juan contributed to this story.