Industrial machinery—including subtractive manufacturing equipment such as metal-cutting machine tools; additive manufacturing equipment such as casting, forging, welding, heat treatment, and surface treatment equipment; and 3D printing equipment—serves as the cornerstone of industrial modernization. This Action Plan has been formulated to implement national strategic deployments, fully carry out the work requirements of the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government, promote the high-quality development of the province’s industrial machinery sector, and further enhance foundational manufacturing capabilities.

I. General Requirements

Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will fully implement the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and thoroughly carry out General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions regarding Shandong’s work. Taking the construction of a pilot zone for green, low-carbon, and high-quality development as the overarching priority, we will fully leverage Shandong’s leading national advantages in manufacturing, actively integrate into the national strategic layout, and pursue coordinated planning, in-depth deployment, open innovation, and full-chain advancement.Adhering to a demand-oriented approach, scenario-driven development, pilot and demonstration verification, and the integration of individual elements into a cohesive chain, we will implement the “1131” Breakthrough Project, namely the “One Cluster, One High-End Enterprise, Three Core Areas, and One System” Breakthrough Project: “One Cluster” refers to building a world-class industrial mother machine industry cluster; “One High-End Enterprise” refers to cultivating one globally leading high-end CNC machine tool enterprise; “Three Core Areas” refers to the leadership of Jinan, Weifang, and Zaozhuang, with multi-point coordinated development across other cities;“One System” refers to establishing a nationally leading technological innovation system for industrial mother machines, thereby making Shandong’s contribution to the high-quality development of the national industrial mother machine industry.

By 2027, Shandong Province’s leading position in the national industrial mother machine industry will be further consolidated. The industry’s scale will continue to expand, independent innovation capabilities will be continuously enhanced, industrial and supply chains will be gradually improved, product and service support systems will become increasingly robust, corporate competitiveness will be significantly strengthened, and the advantages of industrial agglomeration will become more pronounced. The province will be developed into a national hub for R&D and innovation, a high-end production base, and a demonstration zone for industrial mother machines.

(1) Continuous Expansion of Industrial Scale. By 2025, the province’s industrial machine tool sector will maintain rapid growth, achieving operating revenue exceeding 70 billion yuan; by 2027, operating revenue will exceed 85 billion yuan.The development level of industrial clusters will be significantly enhanced. By 2027, the industrial scale in both Jinan and Weifang will exceed 20 billion yuan; Zaozhuang will expand and optimize its small and medium-sized machine tool industrial cluster, further highlighting its advantages in clustering and supply chain integration, with an industrial scale exceeding 10 billion yuan.

(2) Continuous Enhancement of Innovation Capabilities. By 2025, efforts will be made to establish an innovation research platform for industrial machine tools, build three provincial-level or higher innovation centers for industrial machine tools, and cultivate 1–2 pilot verification platforms for industrial machine tools and key functional components—as well as domestic and international product comparison and evaluation platforms—that exert industry influence. A high-level CNC technology innovation system will also be established.Shandong’s leading international edge in stamping technology will become more pronounced, with breakthroughs achieved in a range of high-end industrial mother machine products and key core technologies. By 2027, more than 10 landmark research achievements will be established; the competitiveness of the industrial chain will be significantly enhanced, with the localization rate of industrial mother machines at key enterprises reaching approximately 75%. International scientific and technological exchanges and cooperation will be expanded, attracting world-class enterprises to establish operations in Shandong and forming an open innovation ecosystem with global competitiveness.

(3) Gradually Deepen Industry Applications. Focusing on Shandong’s flagship industrial chains, by 2025, create more than 20 typical application scenarios in key sectors such as new energy vehicles, electronics and information technology, rail transit, construction machinery, agricultural machinery, shipbuilding and offshore engineering, aerospace, and nuclear power. Achieve comprehensive, integrated, and large-scale demonstration applications of domestically produced industrial mother machines, significantly improve the market environment where users are confident and willing to adopt these products, and establish a continuously iterating application ecosystem.Promote the application of a range of Shandong’s industrial mother machine products, continuously enhance application support capabilities in key sectors, and by 2027, cultivate 50 new provincial-level “first-of-its-kind” industrial mother machine products.

(IV) Significantly Enhanced Corporate Capabilities. Strengthen “chain-leading” enterprises; by 2025, cultivate one world-class high-end industrial machine tool manufacturer, foster five high-quality enterprises with strong international competitiveness in niche sectors, and establish 3–5 well-known brands with international influence.We will foster innovative enterprises and specialized, refined, distinctive, and new (SRDN) enterprises. By 2027, we aim to add 20 new national-level SRDN “Little Giant” enterprises and 60 provincial-level SRDN innovative enterprises; we will also cultivate 1 enterprise with annual revenue exceeding 10 billion yuan, 3 enterprises with revenue over 5 billion yuan, and more than 20 enterprises with revenue exceeding 1 billion yuan.

II. Key Measures

(1) Implement the Innovation Breakthrough Initiative. Focusing on national strategies and the actual development of Shandong’s industrial sectors, and benchmarking against international leaders, we will organize major basic research efforts. We will increase support for innovation breakthroughs in industrial machinery through provincial science and technology programs, targeting high-end host machines, key functional components, as well as generic technologies, basic materials, and industrial software. We will conduct joint research and development with “chain-leading” enterprises and upstream and downstream “Specialized, Refined, Unique, and New” enterprises along the industrial chain.We will improve the innovation breakthrough mechanism and launch a targeted campaign to “address weaknesses.” Guided by the principles of flexibility, intelligence, and connectivity, we will adopt innovative research organization models such as “open challenges,” “performance pledges,” and “competitive selection.” Each year, we will organize and implement approximately 10 major key technology breakthrough tasks. Enterprises will lead the formation of innovation consortia by collaborating with universities, research institutes, and other leading entities to cultivate major technologies and products with strong market traction.Launch a “Strengthening Strengths” quality enhancement campaign. In key sectors such as high-speed stamping lines, five-axis gantry machining centers, and laser processing equipment, strengthen resource support to cultivate “game-changing” technologies and develop high-end machine tool products characterized by high technological content and strong industrial driving force. Actively seek support for the innovative development of Shandong’s machine tool industry through national major special projects, major engineering initiatives, and the National Natural Science Foundation, and encourage high-quality large, medium, and small enterprises to participate in national strategic initiatives.(Lead Agency: Provincial Department of Science and Technology; Responsible Agencies: Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, Provincial Development and Reform Commission)

(2) Implement the Chain-Based Development Leapfrog Initiative. Fully leverage the “chain leader system” to promote the coordinated development of industrial and innovation chains, and establish an integrated system for the leapfrog upgrading of the industrial mother machine industry chain. Support “chain leader” enterprises in taking the lead to coordinate upstream and downstream enterprises within the industry chain, focusing on the R&D, production, iteration, and application of core products. This will ensure that key component manufacturers within the chain can supply host machines, thereby driving the development of the entire industry chain through the growth of the host machine sector.Accelerate the improvement of the supply rate for key components of industrial mother machines. Encourage enterprises within the industrial chain to jointly formulate product supply standards, collaboratively tackle weak links such as CNC systems, and support enterprises in enhancing their supply capabilities for high-end components such as tool holders, rotary tables, lead screws, and guideways, thereby building a chain-linked ecosystem for industrial mother machines. (Lead Agency: Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology; Responsible Agencies: Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Provincial Market Regulation Bureau)

(3) Implement the Action Plan for Deepening Application. Focusing on key sectors such as new energy vehicles, electronics and information technology, rail transit, construction machinery, agricultural machinery, shipbuilding and offshore engineering, aerospace, and nuclear power, establish a long-term mechanism for supply-demand matching between users and manufacturing enterprises. For users, identify the demand for machine tool products in new projects and the technical requirements for product replacement and upgrades in existing production lines, and compile a machine tool demand catalog;For manufacturing enterprises, we will conduct a nationwide survey to identify leading brand products, comprehensively assess the province’s existing supply capacity, and outline future R&D priorities to compile a supply catalog for industrial mother machines. Based on these two catalogs, we will organize supply-demand matching conferences to accelerate the adoption of key industrial mother machine products. We will support the construction of pilot verification platforms for industrial mother machines and key functional components, as well as platforms for comparative evaluation of domestic and international products, to enhance the collaborative service capabilities of the quality infrastructure and verify improvements in product consistency, stability, and reliability.Encourage key users to develop and open up a batch of typical application scenarios, and establish demonstration lines for the integrated and interconnected application of industrial mother machines, thereby “linking pearls into a chain” to form advanced productive forces. Promote comprehensive cooperation between application enterprises, research institutes, and industrial mother machine manufacturers to conduct production-oriented application verification and accelerate the adaptation and adoption of domestically produced industrial mother machine products. (Lead Agency: Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology; Responsible Agencies: Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Provincial State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, Provincial Market Regulation Bureau)

(4) Implement the Industrial Cluster Quality Improvement Initiative.We will vigorously advance the construction of industrial mother machine industry clusters, formulate and refine targeted supporting policies for innovation, digital transformation, and public services. Focusing on Jinan, Weifang, and Zaozhuang as core cities, and supported by Yantai, Jining, Weihai, Tai’an, Dezhou, and other cities, we will jointly build regional and corporate brands to form a development pattern of “three core cities leading, multiple points collaborating,” striving to create a national advanced manufacturing cluster for industrial mother machines.Jinan City will accelerate the development of its competitive products, such as large-scale high-speed stamping lines, five-axis gantry machining centers, and laser cutting equipment, and expedite the construction of the “International Laser Valley” and “Qilu Optics Valley”; Weifang City will focus on developing five-axis machining centers, turning-milling composite machining centers, and precision machining centers, and promote the establishment of a relatively comprehensive industrial chain and supply chain covering basic materials, castings and forgings, functional components, and host machine manufacturing;Zaozhuang City will upgrade its CNC machine tool products to the mid-to-high end, promote the clustering of the industry, expand and enhance Tengzhou City’s status as the “Capital of China’s Small and Medium-Sized CNC Machine Tools,” and establish a supply system of small and medium-sized CNC machine tools with distinct characteristics to meet diverse application scenarios; Yantai City will focus on overcoming technical challenges in key functional components such as tool holders and precision CNC rotary tables;Jining City will strengthen the development of green and environmentally friendly precision machine tools, and refine precision transmission components such as precision ball screws and guideway pairs; Weihai, Tai’an, Dezhou, and other cities will accelerate the quality improvement and upgrading of products such as presses, grinding machines, and drilling machines to further increase market share. Support will be provided to all cities to leverage the roles of leading enterprises and brand exhibitions, actively attracting high-end whole-machine and component manufacturers to establish operations locally.(Lead Agency: Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology; Responsible Agencies: Provincial Development and Reform Commission)

(5) Implement the Innovation System Development Initiative. Leveraging innovation platforms such as national key laboratories and national enterprise technology centers, attract top-tier domestic research resources, optimize and integrate provincial universities, research institutes, and innovation R&D platforms, improve Shandong’s CNC machine tool innovation system, and actively participate in the development of the national industrial mother machine innovation system.Promote the construction of innovation research platforms for industrial mother machines; establish three “High-End CNC Machine Tools” Innovation Centers in Jinan, Weifang, and Zaozhuang; support enterprises in building corporate technology innovation centers; accelerate the transfer and commercialization of innovation outcomes; construct an effective industrial technology innovation chain; conduct strategic and applied innovation research; and promote collaborative research on key core technologies as well as the promotion and application of innovative products.Leveraging public platforms such as the National Machine Tool Testing Center, we will continuously expand the scope of services and provide diversified public services in areas including technological innovation, precision manufacturing, testing and certification, and standard formulation. We will intensify efforts in open innovation, strengthen cooperation with leading global enterprises, implement a batch of high-end projects in Shandong Province, and accelerate the enhancement of manufacturing and supporting capabilities for high-end complete machine products through the process of introducing, digesting, absorbing, and re-innovating. (Lead Agencies: Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology; Responsible Agencies: Provincial Development and Reform Commission, Provincial Market Regulation Bureau)

(6) Implement the Enterprise Digital Transformation Initiative. Comprehensively promote the digital development of industrial machine tool enterprises, actively address the challenges and pain points faced in enterprise digital transformation, elevate the digital capabilities of industrial clusters, and establish Shandong as a benchmark for the digital development of industrial machine tools. Support enterprises in researching and developing intelligent industrial machine tools to enhance their capacity to provide intelligent and integrated solutions.Encourage enterprises to develop technologies such as digital twins and 3D printing to achieve intelligent and digital transformation in product design, modeling and simulation, prototype manufacturing, and design feedback, thereby enhancing R&D, design, and manufacturing capabilities. Guide enterprises to systematically advance digital and intelligent upgrades in quality control, remote operation and maintenance, financial management, procurement and outsourcing, and warehousing and logistics, ultimately achieving integration and interoperability across all processes to comprehensively elevate the level of enterprise digitalization and intelligence.Establish a provincial-level industrial internet platform for the CNC machine tool industry chain and a digital transformation promotion center. Leveraging the industry’s CNC equipment industrial internet communication protocol (NC-Link), achieve extensive interconnectivity across upstream and downstream sectors and across industries, and promote the development of an “industrial brain” for the machine tool industry. (Lead Agency: Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology)

III. Policy Support

(1) Strengthen Organizational Leadership. Improve the coordination and promotion system for the development of the machine tool industry. Relying on the “chain leader system” working mechanism for the high-end equipment industrial chain, hold regular meetings to study and refine policies, strengthen operational monitoring and scheduling of key projects, and coordinate the resolution of major issues. Fully leverage the role of the Provincial Academy of Sciences and Experts Advisory Committee for the Construction of a Strong Province in Advanced Manufacturing to establish a regular consultation mechanism for the development of the machine tool industry.Strengthen overall coordination; relevant provincial government departments and municipalities must, in accordance with their respective responsibilities, advance key tasks through project-based and checklist-driven approaches to ensure detailed implementation. (Lead Agency: Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology)

(2) Increase Policy Support. Actively engage with and seek to fully utilize relevant national and provincial policies to enhance support for the development of industrial mother machine enterprises, technological breakthroughs, and application promotion. Implement national tax incentives, such as additional deductions for R&D expenses of industrial mother machine enterprises, to reduce the tax burden on enterprises and stimulate the vitality of market entities. Actively recommend that Shandong’s industrial mother machine products be included in the “Catalog of Major Technical Equipment and Products Not Eligible for Import Tax Exemptions.”Leverage comprehensive national and provincial policies for the first-of-a-kind major technical equipment to support the promotion and application of domestically produced high-end industrial mother machines and key components. Incorporate the development of industrial mother machine operations, the undertaking of national tasks, improvements in localization rates, and the use of domestically produced industrial mother machines as key performance indicators for relevant state-owned enterprises. (Lead Agencies: Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, Provincial Department of Finance, Provincial State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, Provincial Tax Bureau)

(3) Strengthen Financial Support. Coordinate special funds for provincial-level scientific and technological innovation development and industrial transformation to support R&D and innovation in industrial machine tools, equipment upgrades and renovations, and the construction of platforms for major technological innovations and pilot testing. Explore support policies for application demonstration scenarios and pilot production lines. Focusing on critical core technologies requiring urgent breakthroughs, benchmark against leading standards, catch up, innovate, and surpass them to establish a first-mover advantage and gather momentum for innovation in Shandong’s industrial machine tool industry.Encourage industrial machine tool enterprises to apply for national major projects and ensure the provision of local matching funds in accordance with regulations. Encourage end-users in Shandong Province to purchase innovative industrial machine tool products for technological upgrades or expansion of production; eligible enterprises may receive equipment subsidies of up to 5 million yuan per entity.Fully leverage the role of the Provincial Fund for the Transformation of New and Old Growth Drivers to guide and mobilize various forms of social capital to increase investment in industrial machine tool projects. Establish a “whitelist” of high-quality enterprises and comprehensively utilize multiple tools such as credit, bonds, financing guarantees, and industrial funds. Optimize financial advisory services and financial partnership mechanisms, strengthen precise matching between financial supply and demand, and support the development of industrial machine tool enterprises. Promote the development of supply chain finance projects, implement risk compensation mechanisms for loans to small and micro enterprises, and strengthen financial support for upstream and downstream small and micro enterprises.(Lead Agencies: Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Provincial Department of Finance, Provincial Bureau of Local Financial Supervision, People’s Bank of China Shandong Branch, Shandong Regulatory Bureau of the National Financial Supervisory Administration)

(IV) Strengthen Talent Support. Fully leverage the integration mechanism of the “four chains”—talent, education, industry, and innovation—to attract and gather high-level talent in the industrial mother machine sector, and cultivate a cohort of Taishan Industrial Leading Talents, outstanding entrepreneurs, distinguished engineers, and highly skilled professionals. Support higher education institutions in strengthening the development of disciplines and programs related to industrial mother machines, and intensify efforts to train technical talent—including undergraduates, master’s students, and doctoral candidates—specializing in this field;Support and guide vocational schools in establishing practical training bases focused on industrial mother machines, and organize vocational skills competitions in areas such as CNC machine tool operation, programming, installation, debugging, and maintenance to mass-produce the versatile skilled talent urgently needed for industrial development. Encourage enterprises to improve equity incentive mechanisms for high-end talent, and guide enterprises and talent training institutions to collaborate in cultivating engineering and technical personnel through targeted commissioned training and order-based training programs. (Lead Units: Organization Department of the Provincial Party Committee, Provincial Department of Education, Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security, Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology)