As Keqiao's textile industry enters an era of stock competition, a new generation of entrepreneurs—the 'second-generation textile heirs'—is rewriting the rules with completely different strategies. Chen Biao, general manager of Shaoxing Hongxin Printing, presents a compelling case: 90% of products exported overseas, daily printing capacity exceeding 8,000 meters, and over a thousand proprietary pattern designs developed annually. These numbers represent a complete transformation from traditional printing to a tech-driven enterprise.
From Million-Yuan Assets to Digital Workshops: A Fundamental Shift in Capacity Logic
When Chen's parents founded Hongxin Printing in 1993, the industry was in its golden age—a printing paper costing just 1.5 yuan could be reused 5-8 times, with the first print run covering all costs. By 1996, the company's assets exceeded one million yuan, driven purely by market dividends and a 'good wine needs no bush' passive order-taking model. But after taking over, Chen's first move was to break this path dependency.
In 2006, he led the construction of a 16,000-square-meter standardized factory on 15 mu of self-owned land, significantly improving space utilization. More critical was the shift in capacity logic: 'To increase output, you can't simply pile up equipment—the core is achieving a qualitative leap in efficiency through smart transformation.' Previously, a workshop could only complete 8,000 meters of printed fabric in 10 hours; now, with digital equipment upgrades, capacity has doubled within the same timeframe, avoiding the industry-wide risk of blind expansion.
90% Export Ratio: How Regional Customization Breaks the Homogeneity Trap
Currently, 90% of Hongxin's products are exported to South America, the Middle East, and Africa—an exceptionally high ratio among Keqiao printing companies. Chen's export strategy isn't about low-price volume but precise differentiation: South American markets prefer clean, minimalist stone-look fabrics, while the Middle East favors high-saturation dark prints.
This 'one region, one strategy' product adaptability has freed the company from dependence on the local domestic market. For buyers, it means suppliers must possess flexible production capabilities to quickly switch patterns and processes, rather than simply competing on price. Chen's team develops 1,000-2,000 new patterns annually to meet fragmented, customized global orders.
AI-Assisted Design: Balancing Efficiency Gains with Creative Boundaries
In digital implementation, Chen prioritizes practical cost reduction over flashy technology. Traditional pattern sampling required engraving, garment sewing, photography, and video recording—taking days. Now, using the AI Fabric app developed by the China Textile City Group, uploading a single image generates realistic fabric texture and model-wearing videos, drastically shortening the development cycle.
However, he maintains a clear view of AI's role: 'AI is an efficient auxiliary design tool, but core creativity still relies on the designer's craftsmanship.' AI-generated drafts still need manual screening, adjustment, and professional color optimization to meet diverse global client needs. This division of labor—'machines for efficiency, humans for decisions'—represents a rational path for digital transformation in textile printing and dyeing.
University-Industry Collaboration: Using Patents to Escape Low-Price Competition
Facing margin compression from homogeneity, Chen chose the most difficult but defensible path—patent-driven technology. The company is collaborating with university research resources to develop functional printed products with cooling and anti-radiation properties, integrating cutting-edge functions with traditional printing.
This means per-meter profit margins will leap from ordinary processing fees to technology premiums. More notably, he proposed an 'industrial park closed-loop' concept: leveraging existing park resources to attract upstream and downstream partners such as printing and lamination companies, creating a collaborative ecosystem that reduces cross-factory logistics and communication costs while retaining the entire value chain's profits. This shift from 'factory thinking' to 'platform thinking' may be the key step in elevating Keqiao textiles from a manufacturing base to an industrial ecosystem.
Practical Recommendations
For Buyers - Prioritize suppliers with proven smart transformation results: capacity data, equipment upgrade cycles, and pattern development timelines are hard metrics. - Verify regional customization capabilities: request past pattern cases and process adaptation plans for target markets. - Focus on patent portfolios: functional printed fabrics (e.g., cooling, anti-radiation) will become key to high-premium orders.
For Export Enterprises - Build a 'one region, one strategy' product database: pre-stock differentiated patterns and fabric solutions for key markets like South America, Middle East, and Africa. - Adopt AI design tools to reduce sampling costs: prioritize tools that integrate with existing ERP systems. - Engage in industrial park ecosystems: join or partner with upstream/downstream clusters to lower overall operational costs.
Conclusion
Chen Biao's journey from inheriting a family printing business to leading a tech-driven export powerhouse offers a replicable blueprint for Keqiao's textile transformation. By embracing smart manufacturing, regional customization, AI tools, and patent-driven innovation, he demonstrates that traditional printing can evolve from a low-margin commodity to a high-value, technology-intensive industry. The key lies not in abandoning tradition but in reimagining it with modern tools and global vision.