On May 11th, the China Brand Development Conference Steel Industry Conference was held at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition Hall, marking the first time that the China Brand Development Conference has established a steel industry conference. The reporter learned from the meeting that China’s steel industry has consistently ranked first in global steel production and consumption for 28 consecutive years, and has become a shining business card of “Made in China”. However, compared to overseas markets, China’s steel industry still faces problems such as low brand awareness and outdated brand design.
At the meeting, Lu Health, Director of the Industrial Development Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, pointed out that China’s steel industry has established the most complete and largest industrial chain in the world, with a strong industrial foundation and technological strength, and is one of the most globally competitive industries in China. However, compared to world-renowned steel companies, China’s steel industry still has a long way to go in brand building.
He further stated that in the face of the complex and severe industrial development situation, strengthening brand building is not only a necessary requirement to consolidate traditional competitive advantages, but also an important measure to enhance the core competitiveness of the industry and promote the industry to move towards the high-end of the value chain. Therefore, he proposed, “Steel enterprises should establish brand awareness, improve their brand operation management system, and continuously improve their innovation capabilities, product quality, and service level to create a group of world-renowned steel enterprises.”
At this meeting, Feng Chao, Deputy Secretary General of the China Iron and Steel Industry Association, also stated that the overall foundation of China’s steel brand is still relatively weak, and there are still problems such as low awareness and outdated enterprise brand design in brand construction. In the international market, there has not been a real establishment of a brand image that matches the image of a steel and strong country.
It is reported that from 1949 to 2023, China’s steel production increased from 158000 tons to 1.019 billion tons, ranking first in global steel production and consumption for 28 consecutive years. China is accelerating independent innovation and product upgrading, with the self-sufficiency rate of 22 major categories of steel products exceeding 100%. A batch of steel products, including automotive steel, electrical steel for large transformers, high-performance long-distance pipeline steel, high-speed steel rails, and steel for construction and bridges, have entered the international first tier; Technical equipment and engineering construction have become world-class, and the localization rate of large-scale metallurgical equipment has reached over 95%.
“Brand not only affects the market positioning and price of steel products, but also profoundly affects the market competitiveness, technological innovation, internationalization process, and the fulfillment of social and environmental responsibilities of enterprises. It is an important driving force for promoting the high-quality development of the steel industry.” Based on industry work, Feng Chao proposed five suggestions for brand building in the steel industry.
One is to focus on the cornerstone of quality. Steel enterprises should focus on improving supply quality, strengthen comprehensive quality management, and create high-quality steel products and services through long-term accumulation; The second is to ignite the innovation engine, guided by meeting user needs, continuously promoting core technology innovation, green transformation, and product service model innovation, and leading downstream users to achieve consumption upgrading. We need to concentrate our efforts on tackling key core technologies and breaking through bottleneck technologies and products; The third is to cultivate the institutional foundation, combine the requirements of national ministries and enterprise practices, continuously form and improve various systems, and lay a solid foundation for brand building; The fourth is to play a leading role in standards, and in the process of brand building in the steel industry, there are “standards” to follow in brand management, brand design, brand cultivation, and brand value evaluation. Pre layout in the field of green and low-carbon, and play a guiding role. Support the formulation of standards led by well-known brand enterprises, and set a benchmark for the industry; The fifth is to strengthen media communication, fully tap into the connotation of Chinese steel brands, tell the story of Chinese steel brands well, and enhance the image and influence of Chinese steel brands.
Zhang Longqiang, Deputy Secretary General of the China Iron and Steel Industry Association and Secretary of the Party Committee and President of the Metallurgical Industry Information Standards Research Institute, also emphasized in his speech at the meeting that brand is a comprehensive reflection of the competitiveness of enterprises, industries, and even countries. With the deepening development of economic globalization, competition in various fields of the global market has become increasingly concentrated in brand competition. “Today, China’s steel industry has become one of the most globally competitive advantageous industries in China, and brands are an important asset for steel enterprises and a crucial resource for them to participate in global competition. Based on” Made in China “, looking at global steel, and looking forward to future development, it is of great significance for the steel industry to further strengthen brand building.”
Post time: May-20-2024