A smart production base capable of producing 60,000 tons of high-end knitted fabric annually is taking shape in Kaiyuan, Yunnan. On July 21, the construction of Yunnan Bohaitai Textile Co., Ltd.'s 60,000-ton knitted fabric project officially started, with a total investment of 650 million yuan and covering 294.79 mu. Once fully operational, it is expected to generate an annual output value exceeding 1 billion yuan and directly create over 1,200 jobs. Behind these figures lies a precise industrial move targeting the supply gap for high-end knitted fabrics in Southwest China.
Energy and Location: Dual Engines of Southwest Textile Transfer
Bohaitai's parent company is Delaika Textile, one of the top ten fabric traders in Guangzhou's Zhongda Market, with annual sales exceeding 1 billion yuan. This westward move to Kaiyuan is not a simple capacity replication but a strategic shift based on cost and market considerations. Kaiyuan Green Textile Science Park is the only industrial park in Yunnan with complete textile printing and dyeing capacity, and it has been integrated into the Hekou Border Industrial Park since 2023. Abundant local clean energy significantly reduces steam and electricity costs, which directly improves profit margins for weaving and dyeing processes. Additionally, the location near Kunming and the Hekou port allows companies to cover both domestic and Southeast Asian markets, aligning with the cross-border synergy logic under the RCEP framework.
For eastern fabric enterprises, rising labor, land, and energy costs in the Pearl River Delta have made Kaiyuan's full-process service and employment guarantees attractive. This is not an isolated choice but a microcosm of the industry trend of orderly capacity transfer from the east to border regions.
Chain Gap Filling: From 'Spinning Without Weaving' to High-End Knitted Breakthrough
Dong Shuxiu, Vice President of the China Dyeing and Printing Association, noted at the launch that the textile industry is accelerating its transition toward green, low-carbon, and smart manufacturing, with the southwest being a core destination for industrial transfer. The Bohaitai project fills a critical gap in the local high-end knitted fabric supply chain. Previously, Yunnan's textile sector relied heavily on external sources for premium knitted fabrics. The injection of 60,000 tons of capacity means local garment manufacturers can source high-end knitted fabrics nearby, shortening supply chain distances and reducing logistics costs and lead times.
From a chain completeness perspective, the Kaiyuan park still needs to strengthen spinning and garment assembly links. Bai Limin, Deputy Director of the Industrial Park Office of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, suggested promoting east-west industrial synergy to complement these segments. The Bohaitai project, as a flagship in the weaving segment, will attract more upstream and downstream enterprises to the park, forming a cross-border synergy of 'fabric in Yunnan, garments in Southeast Asia, sales in Europe and America.'
Green and Smart: A Model for Southwest Textile Transformation
The project plans to build 20 modern smart knitted fabric production lines and deploy MES and ERP systems for flexible customization and high-value fabric manufacturing. On the environmental front, the park promotes technologies such as low-liquor-dyeing, water reuse, and waste heat recovery, leveraging local clean energy to create a low-carbon dyeing model. For buyers, this means access to sustainable fabrics meeting international environmental standards, crucial for passing carbon audits from European and American brands.
For factories, smart transformation brings not only efficiency gains but also a qualitative leap in order response speed. Traditional dyeing plants have long lead times and high minimum order quantities, while smart lines with flexible customization can handle small-batch, multi-variety quick-response orders—a key pain point for current apparel brand procurement.