Pingyao takes cue from Botou on developing metal casting industry

A business delegation from Pingyao county in North China's Shanxi province visited Botou, a county-level city in neighboring Hebei province, on Sept 1-2, to learn more about its metal casting industry.

Located in the southeast of Hebei, Botou has a history of casting that dates back over 1,400 years. It was formerly known as one of the three major casting bases in the country, along with Foshan in South China's Guangdong province and Wuxi in East China's Jiangsu province. 

This county-level city's annual casting production capacity and output now stand at 3.2 million metric tons and 2 million tons, respectively. The main focus is on industrial products, handicrafts, and municipal facilities, with thousands of products exported to countries such as the United States, Japan, and Italy. 

For Pingyao, casting is one of its pillar industries, and one that plays a significant role in local employment. In recent years, the county has been improving both the technology and environmental protection efforts of the industry, as well as generally upgrading the casting sector, despite problems related to over-complicated management and a reliance on outdated processes. 

As such, the delegation of over 50 entrepreneurs from casting enterprises in Pingyao studied the production processes, management, innovative achievements, advanced industrial development concepts, production processes, transformative measures, and management practices of casting enterprises in Botou during its visit.