A New Year Brings New Momentum. On February 19, 2024, the Mobilization Meeting for Liaocheng’s “Year of Gathering Strength for High-Quality Development Breakthroughs” was convened. This inaugural key meeting of the year officially sounded the clarion call for advancing courageously and resolutely on the path of high-quality development.

On the morning of February 20, 2024, reporters visited Shandong Dongfa Refrigeration Technology Co., Ltd., an enterprise within the Liaocheng Jiaming Economic Development Zone. Inside the workshop, workers were carrying out production in an orderly manner. Dong Chao, Vice General Manager of Shandong Dongfa Refrigeration Technology Co., Ltd., detailed to the reporters the achievements his company has made in pursuing high-quality development.

I. Quality as the Foundation: Enhancing Market Competitiveness

In the warehousing workshop of Shandong Dongfa Refrigeration Technology Co., Ltd., valves of various specifications—with diameters as small as 6 mm and as large as 350 mm—were neatly arranged, ready to be packaged and shipped worldwide.

Dong Chao explained that the company primarily produces system valves for large-scale cold storage facilities. The products boast characteristics such as low-temperature resistance and corrosion resistance, significantly enhancing safety and receiving consistent praise from customers.

As system valves are critical components of large cold storage rooms, directly related to life and property safety, the company has always adhered to a quality-first business philosophy, believing that ensuring quality means ensuring safety.

“Based on market feedback, the quality of our valves is considered to be firmly among the top tier in the national industry. Prioritizing quality has always been our core focus,” Dong Chao stated.

Back in 2016, numerous domestic competitors attempted to capture market share already developed by Dongfa through price wars. Faced with this situation, the company’s leadership unanimously decided against engaging in price competition. Instead, they chose first to improve quality, aiming to break through the predicament by enhancing product value. Ultimately, the company’s product prices increased rather than decreased. Time has proven that superior quality is the fundamental basis for a company to establish itself in the market.

II. Emphasizing R&D: Achieving Domestic Leading Standards

The Shandong Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology announced the list of provincial Gazelle Enterprises for 2023. Three companies from the Liaocheng Jiaming Economic Development Zone—Liaocheng Taitong Precision Machinery Technology Co., Ltd., Shandong Dongfa Refrigeration Technology Co., Ltd., and Xinpengyuan (Liaocheng) Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.—were selected.

Shandong Dongfa Refrigeration Technology Co., Ltd. has invested significant effort in valve R&D. Dong Chao recounted that from September 2012 to October 2015, the company focused intensely on valve development. It wasn’t until October 2015, after successfully developing a complete set of valves, that they began marketing their products.

“Refrigeration valves are somewhat unique; only after developing a complete set could we start sales, as customers require more than just a single valve model. This necessarily extended our R&D period,” Dong Chao explained.

Dong Chao indicated that the company engages in industry-university-research collaboration with Liaocheng University and foundry enterprises. This cooperation has yielded numerous invention patents and utility model patents related to low-temperature alloy materials and multi-functional combination valves.

“The ‘Six-in-One Combination Valve’ we developed and produced has significantly improved installation efficiency for frontline workers and has been well-received by the market. A task that previously required one person 8 hours to complete can now be finished by one person in just 20 minutes using our combination valve,” Dong Chao said.

III. Expanding International Markets & Participating in Industry Standard Setting

“Our overseas markets include Egypt, Russia, Mexico, and Southeast Asian countries,” said Wang Chao, Operations Deputy General Manager of Shandong Dongfa Refrigeration Technology Co., Ltd. He emphasized that Dongfa specializes in the R&D and production of various refrigeration valves, including pressure regulating valves, pneumatic valves, solenoid valves, and manual valves. Their products match or even surpass foreign equivalents in terms of air tightness and low-temperature reliability. Leveraging their robust quality, the company has participated in formulating industry standards and successfully entered the international market, now capable of competing with top global enterprises.

“We plan to participate in eight international refrigeration exhibitions overseas this year to promote our products worldwide, enabling ‘Intelligent Manufacturing from China’ to go global,” Wang Chao stated.

Staff from the Liaocheng Jiaming Economic Development Zone noted that the zone currently hosts 1 national-level “Little Giant” SME specializing in niche markets, 4 national champion enterprises in specific segments, 5 provincial-level Gazelle Enterprises, and 25 provincial/municipal-level “Specialized, Refined, Unique, and Innovative” SMEs. This provides a solid foundation for building a strong zone for high-end equipment. Having been recognized as a Shandong Provincial Gazelle Enterprise in 2023, Dongfa Refrigeration will receive full support from the zone to further increase R&D investment and expand production capacity.

“Due to limited capacity, we are collaborating with the Liaocheng Jiaming Economic Development Zone on a new project,” Wang Chao added. “We are investing nearly 900 million RMB in the Tiexi area of the zone to establish the Liaocheng Jiaming High-End Automated Control Refrigeration Valve Production Project. Spanning more than 150 acres, this project provides new momentum for our company’s future development.”