Keqiao's printing and dyeing industry is undergoing a generational shift. When the era of first-generation entrepreneurs making huge profits from printing paper costing only 1.5 yuan faded, the 'second generation of fabric entrepreneurs' faced a new challenge: how to find profit growth in a market plagued by overcapacity and price competition.
Chen Biao, general manager of Shaoxing Hongxin Printing, provides an answer: break away from the passive business model of 'good wine needs no bush,' and instead boost efficiency through smart transformation, expand into global markets, reduce costs with AI tools, and build barriers with patented technology. Founded in 1990, this veteran printing company now exports 90% of its products to South America, the Middle East, and Africa.
From 'Printing Machine' to 'Actuary': Restructuring Capacity Logic
When Chen Biao's parents founded Hongxin Printing Factory in 1993, a sheet of printing paper costing 1.5 yuan could be reused 5 to 8 times, with the first print covering costs. It was the golden age of the printing industry. By 1996, the company's assets had exceeded one million yuan.
But Chen Biao understood that such extensive dividends could not last. His first move after taking over was to shift capacity growth from 'adding equipment' to 'improving efficiency.' Previously, the workshop could only complete 8,000 meters of fabric printing in 10 hours. Now, through digital and smart equipment upgrades, output per unit time has significantly increased. This 'precise investment' approach avoids the common trap of blind expansion.
In 2006, Chen Biao oversaw the construction of a standardized factory covering over 16,000 square meters on 15 mu of self-owned land. Instead of using all space for production, he reserved 1,800 square meters for self-use and meticulously planned the remaining area for operation—a sign of asset management thinking: turning land and factories into income-generating resources.
Global Customization and AI Assistance: Solving Small-Batch, Multi-Variety Challenges
The change in Hongxin Printing's product mix best illustrates the transformation. Initially focused on domestic sales, now 90% of its printing products are exported overseas, with customized solutions for different markets: South America prefers simple stone-textured fabrics, while the Middle East favors high-saturation dark prints. This high adaptability has allowed the company to break through local limitations.
Supporting such multi-variety, small-batch orders is the application of digital tools. Chen Biao highlighted the AI Fabric mini-program launched by China Textile City Group. Traditional pattern sampling requires plate making, sample sewing, physical photography, and video recording—a time-consuming process. In contrast, the AI fabric visual creation function can automatically generate fabric texture and application videos from a single uploaded image, with highly realistic drape and model effects.
But Chen Biao has a clear view of AI's role: 'AI is an efficient auxiliary design tool, but core creativity still requires the artisan touch of designers.' The company develops one to two thousand new patterns annually. After AI generates initial drafts, manual selection, adjustment, and professional color optimization are still needed to meet the personalized demands of global customers.
Technical Barriers: The Only Path to Escape 'Involution'
Facing low-price homogeneous competition, Chen Biao's strategy is to 'build differentiated competitive advantages through patented technology.' The company plans to collaborate with universities to develop functional patented products with features like cooling and anti-radiation.
The logic is clear: when profit margins for ordinary printed fabrics are squeezed to the limit, functional fabrics can significantly increase per-meter profitability. Once technical barriers are established, it becomes difficult for competitors to undercut prices through simple imitation.
Even more noteworthy is Chen Biao's concept of an 'industrial park closed loop.' He plans to revitalize idle resources in the park by precisely introducing upstream and downstream supporting enterprises such as printing and laminating, building a complete industrial ecosystem. Through collaborative production within the park, cross-plant logistics, communication, and coordination costs can be substantially reduced, retaining the entire chain's profit.
This shift from 'going it alone' to 'joining forces' essentially rethinks the profit distribution model of the printing and dyeing industry—keeping profits within the system through park agglomeration rather than letting them be siphoned off by upstream and downstream links.