Hebei province is accelerating the transformation of its textile industry from traditional manufacturing to smart manufacturing. Recently, the Hebei Modern Textile Digital Transformation Technology Exchange and Matchmaking Event was held in Jinzhou City under the theme "Digital Innovation in Textiles, Smart Wins the Future." The event aimed to build an efficient bridge for collaboration among government, enterprises, and research institutions.
Over 300 participants, including representatives from key textile and apparel industry clusters, leading enterprises, and digital technology service providers, gathered to explore transformation pathways through policy interpretations, keynote speeches, technical exchanges, and project signings. The discussions focused on charting a new blueprint for high-quality industrial development.
Hebei, a major textile and apparel hub in China, boasts a complete industrial chain spanning spinning, weaving, dyeing, and garment processing. The province is home to specialized clusters such as Jinzhou Textiles, Wuji Leather, and Shenze Textile Art, as well as leading enterprises like Changshan Textile and Jihua 3502, which provide strong support for regional economic growth.
With digital transformation becoming a core driver for high-quality manufacturing development, Hebei's textile industry is at a critical juncture—transitioning from scale expansion to quality and efficiency improvements. Jinzhou, a key textile hub with over 2,300 enterprises, has actively embraced digital transformation, fostering deep integration between textile production and digital technologies. The city has cultivated several benchmark enterprises and aims to become a national model for textile digital transformation.
Shijiazhuang, historically known as the "Textile City," remains Hebei's largest textile industrial base, hosting two national-level industrial design centers. The city has prioritized digital transformation as a key lever for upgrading traditional industries, supporting clusters like Jinzhou Textiles and Zhengding Children's Wear in their intelligent upgrades.
The Hebei Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology has emphasized textile industry upgrades, introducing policies to support smart manufacturing. The event facilitated a "policy + technology + enterprise" matchmaking platform to align technological solutions with industry needs. Moving forward, the province will focus on high-end material and product development, intelligent manufacturing processes, and digital "micro-transformations" for SMEs, aiming to elevate Hebei from a "textile powerhouse" to a "textile leader."
Industry experts highlighted key trends and challenges in textile digital transformation. Yang Xiaodong, Vice President of the China National Garment Association, noted that while China's textile digitalization investment grew 28% YoY in 2024, Hebei still has room for improvement in smart equipment adoption and data collaboration. He identified three critical bottlenecks: transitioning from single-point automation to full-chain coordination, enhancing AI in flexible production, and building industry-wide digital platforms.
For Hebei, Yang recommended prioritizing personalized customization, integrating 5G and industrial internet, expanding AI applications (e.g., defect detection, smart scheduling), and guiding SMEs in phased digital upgrades. He emphasized that textile industry models leveraging "data + AI" will be pivotal, suggesting Hebei develop a regional digital ecosystem combining digital design, smart production, and flexible supply chains.
Technology providers showcased practical solutions. Zhejiang LinkDigital demonstrated how its 3D simulation engine can reduce garment R&D cycles from 30 days to 3–5 days while lowering sampling costs by 85%. China Mobile Hebei introduced passive IoT technology, which enables efficient warehouse management with 10-minute unmanned inventory checks and 20% productivity gains. Zhejiang Chuantian Intelligent shared a "template + automation + digital + AI" garment production model, citing a case where a Hebei manufacturer achieved 99.5% product qualification rates and doubled efficiency in key processes.
Local enterprises shared success stories. Benfa Garment cut R&D time to 48 hours for samples and 7 days for bulk delivery, reducing defects to below 1%. Delida Textile improved equipment automation to 98%, slashing energy costs by over ¥3 million annually. Weichen Garment shortened delivery cycles by 30% and boosted inventory turnover by 25% through smart equipment and management systems.
The event also featured exhibitions by 20+ tech firms, showcasing AI design tools, 5G-A passive IoT systems, and smart sewing equipment aligned with six key application scenarios outlined in national digital transformation guidelines. Multiple preliminary cooperation agreements were signed in smart equipment procurement and digital platform development.
Hebei plans to strengthen talent development, establish training mechanisms, and encourage leading firms to build industry-wide data platforms and AI models to support SME digitalization. With a focus on AI, 5G-A, and passive IoT, the province aims to achieve deep "data + model" integration across design, production, and supply chains. Industry representatives expressed commitment to accelerating this transformation, signaling a new era of smart manufacturing for Hebei's textile sector.