Original Title: In the First Half of the Year, Value-Added Output of Large-Scale Industrial Enterprises in Our Province Increased by 7.6% Year-on-Year, Exceeding the National Average by 1.6 Percentage Points

Accelerated Transformation Toward High-End, Smart, and Green Industries

According to information released at the press conference on the development of Hebei Province’s industrial economy in the first half of 2024, held by the Provincial Government Information Office on July 26, from January to June, the province’s industrial output value of enterprises above designated size grew by 7.6% year-on-year. This growth rate was 1.6 percentage points higher than the national average and 0.4 percentage points faster than the same period last year. Among these, the output value of high-tech industries increased by 13.1% year-on-year, accounting for 22% of the total industrial output value of enterprises above designated size.

In the first half of this year, the province improved its mechanisms for analyzing and monitoring industrial operations, strengthened coordination among departments and between provincial, municipal, and county levels, and enhanced support for enterprises, resulting in steady progress in industrial production. During this period, total industrial value-added accounted for 32% of the province’s GDP, with manufacturing contributing 26.3%. The industrial economy has served as a “stabilizing force” in maintaining overall economic stability.

Ma Yue, Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, noted that since the beginning of this year, the provincial industry and information technology system has fully implemented the work arrangements of the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government, vigorously promoted new industrialization, and accelerated the development of new-quality productive forces. With the concerted efforts of relevant departments at all levels, the province’s industrial economy in the first half of the year showed steady growth with positive momentum, with production and investment growth rates outperforming the national average and exceeding those of the same period last year.

In the first half of the year, the province seized the policy opportunities presented by the large-scale equipment upgrade initiative, implemented key project breakthrough initiatives, and planned and executed 6,371 industrial projects, leading to accelerated growth in industrial investment.

From January to June, the province’s industrial investment grew by 14.1% year-on-year, an increase of 1.4 percentage points compared to the same period last year and 1.5 percentage points higher than the national industrial investment growth rate. Industrial investment accounted for 31.0% of the province’s total fixed-asset investment and contributed 64.1% to the growth of fixed-asset investment. Among these, investment in high-tech manufacturing grew by 31.4% year-on-year.

Ma Yue noted that in the first half of the year, the province’s leading industrial sectors provided solid support. Among the nine major industrial sectors, high-end equipment, next-generation information technology, green chemicals, and new materials saw relatively rapid growth.

Specifically, the high-end equipment manufacturing sector continued to serve as the “main engine,” with its value-added output growing by 14.4% year-on-year, contributing 34.5% to the province’s industrial growth. The value-added output of the next-generation information technology industry increased by 14.8% year-on-year, that of the green chemical industry by 9.6%, that of the new materials industry by 8.4%, and that of the advanced steel industry by 6.3%.

Focusing on high-end, intelligent, and green development, the province’s “three-pronged” industrial transformation is accelerating.

Regarding high-end transformation, in the first half of the year, the province accelerated research and development efforts on major key industrial technologies, establishing 653 new R&D institutions within industrial enterprises. Hebei Jinmu Musical Instruments Group Co., Ltd. was selected for the National Demonstration Base for the Integration of Culture and Technology.Efforts to cultivate innovative enterprises were intensified, resulting in 1,182 new innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), bringing the total to over 14,800. Additionally, 1,208 new specialized, refined, distinctive, and innovative SMEs were added, bringing the total to 6,591, and 14 enterprises are striving to become National Manufacturing Single-Champion Enterprises.

Regarding the transition to intelligent manufacturing, our province continued to advance the "100,000 Enterprises on the Cloud" initiative; by the end of June, the total number of enterprises on the cloud had reached over 96,000. We accelerated the development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Industrial Internet Collaborative Development Demonstration Zone and the "Industrial Internet + Work Safety" pilot program, with our province’s industrial information security index ranking first nationwide.

In terms of green transformation, our province has improved the green manufacturing system. Three data centers were selected for the latest batch of national green data centers, and a pilot program for the provincial “Enterprise Green Code” for green factories was launched, with 134 enterprises applying for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s “Enterprise Green Code.” Efforts to promote energy and water conservation in industry were advanced, with three enterprises selected for the national “Energy Efficiency Leader” list in key industries.

New growth drivers have played a significant role, and the cultivation of new-quality productive forces has accelerated.

In the first half of the year, in terms of industrial structure, the added value of our province’s high-tech industries grew by 13.1% year-on-year, accounting for 22% of the total output of large-scale industrial enterprises.

In terms of product output, the production of new energy vehicles increased threefold year-on-year, integrated circuits rose by 1.35 times, sensors grew by 1.34 times, lithium-ion batteries increased by 1.11 times, and robots saw a 94% year-on-year increase.

In terms of new enterprises, the province added 703 industrial enterprises above designated size, including 114 newly established and commissioned enterprises, representing increases of 370 and 53, respectively, compared to the same period last year.

In terms of industrial clusters, 107 county-level specialty industrial clusters generated operating revenue of 1.5 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 9.5%. (Reporter Mi Yanze)