Anchored by the Hefei metropolitan area and the Xinqiao Airport hub, the Shou County Economic Development Zone is leveraging its strategic location to build a "one-hour industrial circle" that connects major automakers in Hefei and across the Yangtze River Delta. This proximity is fostering a unique "Neighbor Economics" model, where the distance to the factory floor is the key to success. With the arrival of three major headhunted companies, a powerful 100-billion-yuan industrial corridor is rapidly taking shape along the Xinqiao riverfront.

The "One-Hour Circle": Closer to the OEM, Closer to Success

Why choose Shou County? The answer lies in the wheels. Within a one-hour drive from the Shou County Economic Development Zone, major new energy vehicle OEMs like Volkswagen Anhui, NIO, JAC, BYD, and Changan are all within reach. Components such as steel coils and seat frames can be delivered in "hours," dramatically cutting logistics costs—a key advantage for out-of-town companies choosing to settle here.

At the intelligent production facility of Anhui Lilai Automobile Technology Co., Ltd., multiple fully automated steel-aluminum lightweight processing lines operate at high speed, performing uncoiling, cutting, and blanking in one seamless process. Each line requires only five workers. Assistant General Manager Li Pengcheng stated with confidence: "We process 250,000 tons of automotive steel and 120,000 tons of lightweight aluminum annually, primarily supplying major clients like NIO, Tesla, and Jaguar." The company settled in Shou County in 2022, purchased its own land, and began production in 2024, focusing on lightweight steel-aluminum parts for new energy vehicles, including doors, hoods, and trunk lids. "After settling in Shou County, we can reach our core customers in one hour, collaborate with numerous local upstream and downstream suppliers, and achieve 100% recycling of scrap materials. Both production costs and delivery cycles have been optimized."

Also attracted by the "one-hour industrial circle" is Yahoo Technology (Anhui) Co., Ltd., a leading domestic player in the automotive seat frame sector. The group is consolidating its national stamping production capacity in Shou County, with full production expected in 2025. The facility will produce 600,000 seat frame assemblies annually, with thousand-ton-level intelligent stamping lines capable of producing dozens of precision parts per minute. "Anhui is centrally located, radiating north to Northeast automakers, south to the Guangdong and Guangxi markets, and east to the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai industrial belts. Shou County's hub location allows us to serve customers nationwide with nearby supply," said Zhong Rui, a representative from Yahoo Technology. He further noted that the current 168-mu factory site uses only 80 mu, leaving ample room for future expansion. Once market demand increases, new plant construction can begin immediately.

Unlike automotive parts suppliers, Anhui Youdu Intelligent Robot Co., Ltd. targets the education and science sectors. Leveraging Hefei's concentration of research and educational resources, the company has established a production base for AI-powered educational building blocks. "The park is adjacent to Hefei, providing ample access to university talent and scientific innovation resources. The province's primary and secondary education market is vast, and our products can be quickly distributed to schools across the province via the one-hour transportation circle. They are also exported to over 80 countries worldwide through the Bengbu Port, creating a dual-flow pattern for domestic and international sales," explained Wang Xueru, an assistant to the board at Youdu Intelligent Robot. The common thread among these three companies is their choice of Shou County as a base to embed themselves into Hefei's trillion-yuan new energy vehicle ecosystem and the Yangtze River Delta's manufacturing division of labor, transforming geographic location into a competitive industrial chain advantage. This "Neighbor Economics" model moves supply chains from cross-province logistics to adjacent supply, amplifying the industrial clustering effect.

Local Employment: Over 70% of Staff Hired from the Community

Industrial development is, at its core, about enriching the people. At the factory sites of all three companies, local workers are a common sight. A single production line or a single workshop provides the foundation for residents to increase their income close to home. Anhui Lilai currently employs over 100 people, with 70% being local residents. The company has established a two-way talent development mechanism: technicians from the Suzhou headquarters are stationed in Shou County for hands-on training, while outstanding local employees are sent on rotations to other bases nationwide to master the complete steel-aluminum processing process. A local worker from Shou County's Xinqiao Community, surnamed Wang, shared his experience: "I used to work far away from home for years. Now that the company is here, I have stable employment right at my doorstep. It's a 15-minute commute, I can take care of my parents and children, and my monthly income is stable. I no longer have to travel far." Yahoo Technology has an even more pronounced local hiring rate. Out of its 230 employees, 95% of front-line workers are local, with an overall localization rate exceeding 80%. The factory provides dormitories to address the housing needs of workers from farther away, and positions in stamping, welding, and quality inspection are prioritized for the local workforce. The company uses targeted training programs with vocational schools to continuously supply skilled workers, making stable, local employment a common reality in the park. Anhui Youdu has over 300 employees. Aside from management and technical staff sent from the headquarters in Shantou, all other positions are filled by local workers. The company also collaborates with the Hefei R&D center to recruit local post-graduate talent. Automated production lines have significantly reduced physical labor intensity, allowing ordinary workers to be trained quickly for their roles, thus balancing industrial development with income growth for residents. The common path of these three companies is clear: the group's cross-regional layout facilitates technology transfer, dividing labor between headquarters R&D and local manufacturing, and using "two-way training" to address local skill gaps. The government supports this by building factories, providing dormitories, and optimizing the business environment, allowing companies to operate with minimal burden.

"Start Construction on the Day of Land Acquisition": Government Services at Full Speed

For companies to develop with peace of mind, a supportive business environment is essential. The Shou County Economic Development Zone is aligned with top-tier Yangtze River Delta service standards, using a full-cycle closed-loop service and robust resource guarantees to build a reputation for being business-friendly, pro-business, and wealth-creating. Policies like "start construction on the day of land acquisition," "pre-approval with missing documents," and "full-process agency services" are standard for new projects. All three headhunted companies in Shou County have benefited from a full chain of dedicated support. During the land acquisition and factory construction phase for Anhui Lilai, dedicated personnel were assigned to handle land use, construction, environmental protection, and approval processes. For the installation of Yahoo Technology's thousand-ton-level large stamping equipment, the park coordinated with authorities to obtain oversized transport permits and planned exclusive transport routes to ensure the new factory could start production on schedule. Youdu Intelligent Robot had its factory buildings, dormitories, and canteens built by the government, and was connected to industry resources, achieving "zero obstacles" in its establishment. In response to the four core concerns of companies—land, labor, financing, and infrastructure—the park has introduced five major guarantee measures: on the land front, it is continuously revitalizing over 2,000 mu of inefficient and idle land, prioritizing major projects like new energy vehicles and high-end manufacturing; on the facility front, it has built 750,000 square meters of standardized factory buildings to support asset-light entry; on the labor front, it has partnered with 7 provincial universities and over 10 key colleges to build training bases, attracting over 120 high-level talents and more than 2,000 skilled workers; on the financing front, it regularly holds government-bank-enterprise matchmaking events to solve financing difficulties; and on the supporting infrastructure front, it is addressing the need for integrated urban development. The Xinqiao campus of Shou County No.1 High School will open for enrollment in September this year, the south branch of the County People's Hospital is accelerating construction, and the Xinqiao Huimin Neighborhood Center will be operational by the end of September, meeting the education, healthcare, and consumption needs of workers in one place. Data speaks to the effectiveness of these services. From January to July of this year, the park handled over 75,000 administrative approval items, averaging over 10,000 per month. It resolved 120 business demands related to labor, financing, and policy implementation, achieving a 100% resolution rate and a 100% satisfaction rate. From project signing, to factory construction, to production and expansion, a dedicated team follows the entire process, ensuring that pro-business policies are delivered directly and efficiently, allowing companies to settle in worry-free, operate smoothly, and develop strongly.

"15th Five-Year Plan" Blueprint: From an Industrial New City to a "Bridgehead"

Looking back from July 2026, the trajectory of the Shou County Economic Development Zone's rise is clear. Yahoo Technology, which was attracted to the zone in 2022, began trial production in 2024 and saw its output value double in 2025. Lilai Automobile achieved leapfrog growth in the same period. Youdu Intelligent Robot plans to list on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in June 2027. Shou County is deeply implementing its strategy to become a strong industrial county, with new energy vehicles and parts as its leading industry, accelerating its clustering. The focus is on the future of intelligent connected vehicles, conducting targeted industrial chain and business-to-business investment attraction. In April 2026, the Special Vehicle Parts Innovation Research Institute and the Industry-University-Research Innovation Joint Base were inaugurated, marking a new phase of collaborative innovation between universities, local governments, and enterprises. Advancing towards integrated urban development and leveraging its advantages, Shou County is aiming high. From a single steel plate to a robot, from attracting investment to building an industrial ecosystem, the Shou County Economic Development Zone has undergone a remarkable "industrial evolution" in just four years. The zone is precisely targeting investment in the new energy vehicle and intelligent equipment manufacturing clusters. With many companies starting production and rapidly scaling up, it is simultaneously improving its science and innovation, talent, and urban infrastructure systems, fostering a symbiotic growth between industry and city, and continuously strengthening the foundation for high-quality development. With the wind at its back and the tide surging, it is time to set sail. The journey is long and arduous, requiring constant effort. The Shou County Economic Development Zone is using the "Neighbor Economics" as its blueprint to write a new chapter in the comprehensive revitalization of northern Anhui.