With an annual output value exceeding 1 billion yuan and directly creating 1,200 jobs, a 60,000-ton high-end knitted fabric project has just broken ground in the Kaiyuan Green Textile Science Park. Behind these numbers lies a strategic westward move by a top fabric trader from Guangzhou's Zhongda market, and a key step to fill the gap in high-end knitted dyeing capacity in southwest China.
Energy and Location: Dual Gravitational Forces for Capacity Transfer
The Bohai Tai project involves a total investment of 650 million yuan, planning 20 intelligent knitted fabric production lines with a full-capacity annual output of 60,000 tons. The decision to locate in Kaiyuan is driven by two core variables: energy costs and cross-border access.
Kaiyuan has abundant and low-cost clean energy, significantly reducing steam and electricity expenses—a critical factor for the energy-intensive dyeing and finishing processes. Meanwhile, the city's proximity to Kunming and the Hekou port allows the company to serve both domestic and Southeast Asian markets, forming a dual-circulation sales model.
From a national perspective, the orderly transfer of eastern textile capacity to central and western border regions is an established trend. The Kaiyuan Green Textile Science Park is the only industrial park in Yunnan with built-in textile dyeing capacity. In 2023, it was incorporated into the Hekou Border Industrial Park master plan, amplifying its policy advantages.
Filling the High-End Knitted Capacity Gap and Reshaping Supply Chains
Currently, the southwest region faces a significant shortage of high-end knitted fabric supply, with much demand still met by shipments from the east coast. Once operational, the Bohai Tai project will directly fill this gap and shorten procurement distances for downstream garment manufacturers.
The investor, Guangzhou Delaika Textile, ranks among the top ten fabric traders in the Zhongda market, with annual sales exceeding 1 billion yuan. Its business covers the full chain from raw materials and yarn to weaving, dyeing, inspection, and trading. This background suggests the project is not an isolated capacity expansion but a replication of an established supply chain system.
Three points raised by the China Dyeing and Printing Industry Association at the project launch deserve attention: green production (low-liquor ratio dyeing, water reuse, waste heat recovery), digital enablement (MES, ERP systems), and cross-border synergy (building a 'domestic weaving + Southeast Asian garment' chain under RCEP). These set technical thresholds for capacity transfer—not simple relocation, but a requirement for low-carbon and intelligent new capacity.
From 'Pilot Park' to 'Demonstration Park': Kaiyuan's Industrial Upgrade Path
Kaiyuan city government has explicitly stated its goal to upgrade the textile park from a national pilot to a national demonstration park. The Bohai Tai project is seen as a key driver for this leap.
From an ecosystem perspective, a 60,000-ton knitting base will attract upstream yarn suppliers and downstream garment assembly plants. The China National Textile and Apparel Council's industrial park office also recommends linking eastern partners to complete the spinning and garment segments. This suggests a new textile cluster may form around Kaiyuan in the coming years.
For buyers, new high-end knitted fabric capacity in the southwest means supply chain diversification. Those previously reliant on Guangdong or Fujian can now evaluate logistics costs and lead times from Yunnan, especially for orders targeting Southeast Asia, where direct shipment from Yunnan may be more competitive.