At present, low-carbon development has become the core issue of the automobile industry. Various vehicle companies and parts companies are trying their best to reduce the vehicle curb quality to reduce fuel consumption without affecting product performance and safety. Because of the "innate" disadvantage of the large weight of the power battery and the pursuit of driving range, the demand for lightweight of new energy vehicles is more urgent.

Plastics with the characteristics of light weight, high strength, good toughness, easy processing, and reusability are one of the most ideal alternative materials for automobile lightweight and environmental protection. As the plastic injection molding machine (hereinafter referred to as "injection molding machine") with the largest output and the most usage among the plastic processing machinery at this stage, it is also taking advantage of the development of new energy vehicles to usher in new opportunities. Therefore, how domestic enterprises grasp the development opportunities of the injection molding machine market has become a hot topic in the current industry.

01
New energy vehicles pay more attention to lightweight

The research results of a professional organization show that every 100 kilograms of vehicle weight can save 0.3 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers; a 10% reduction in vehicle weight can improve fuel efficiency by about 7%, and the effect of energy saving and emission reduction is remarkable. Among them, the weight of pure electric vehicles can be reduced by 10 kilograms, and the driving range can be increased by 2.5 kilometers.

The Society of Automotive Engineers of China proposed in the "Technical Roadmap 2.0 for Energy Saving and New Energy Vehicles" that by 2035, the lightweight coefficient of fuel passenger vehicles will be reduced by 25%, and the lightweight coefficient of pure electric passenger vehicles will be reduced by 35%. %.

Sun Xiaohong, secretary general of the Automobile Branch of the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Mechanical and Electrical Products, said in an interview with a reporter from China Automotive News that electric vehicles are generally more than 10% heavier than fuel vehicles of the same level. On the premise of ensuring the strength and safety of the vehicle, electric vehicles The need for cars to lose weight is even more urgent.

The trend of lightweight development of new energy vehicles and vehicles has caused a substantial increase in the demand for plastic parts in the automotive industry. A car weighing 1.5 tons contains an average of 12% to 15% of plastic materials and more than 2,000 plastic components. Plastics have become the most important raw material for automobiles besides metal.

As the most important industrial machine for plastic products, injection molding machines are used in the automotive industry to manufacture complex and critical parts, including interior and exterior trim components, electrical and electronic components, and under-hood application components. At present, the domestic injection molding machine industry presents a situation of "one superpower and many strong". The top three companies in the market share are Haitian International, Yizumi, and Chen Hsong Group, which will occupy 36.17%, 4.78%, and 4.68% respectively in 2020. market share. These companies have strengthened their cooperation with auto companies in recent years.

Among them, Haitian International has customized a batch of large-scale multi-component injection molding machines for BYD, which are used in the production of multi-color automobile lights, mainly used in BYD automobile conventional taillight series, through-type light series, conventional two-color headlight series, large thick wall Light guide series and other multi-color and multi-station products in the automotive lighting industry, not only meet the two-station two-color and three-color manufacturing processes, but also realize the three-station three-color process at the same time, which fully reflects Haitian International's expertise in the multi-component field. Advanced ideas and technologies.

According to the needs of the automotive industry, Yizumi has deployed and developed products such as horizontal turntable multi-material injection molding machines, vertical turntable injection molding machines, and special machines for vehicle lights; in terms of new technologies and processes, it has developed PU injection molding technology, physical foaming And chemical foaming and other lightweight technologies, long glass fiber online compounding enhancement technology, etc. In addition, Yizumi has increased the development of all-electric injection molding machines and hybrid injection molding machines. At present, the product specification of the all-electric injection molding machine has been extended to 1380 tons; the DCIM system for online compounding and injection molding and the solution for forming degradable materials are now in use, so as to better meet the needs of customers in the automotive industry.

02
Businesses benefit from new energy vehicles

In recent years, the sales and development of new energy vehicles have grown by leaps and bounds. In 2021, the global sales of new energy vehicles will reach 6.47 million, and the cumulative domestic sales of new energy vehicles will be 3.521 million, showing a good development situation. In the first three months of 2022, domestic sales of new energy vehicles reached 1.257 million, a year-on-year increase of 138.6%.

The continuous growth of new energy vehicle sales has brought huge market demand to the injection molding machine industry. Injection molding machine companies have strengthened cooperation with the automotive industry to ensure that products and technologies have a high degree of matching with the needs of the automotive industry. When new energy vehicles are growing rapidly, their products and technologies can quickly meet customer needs and enjoy market growth dividends. These three injection molding machine companies all attribute their performance growth to new energy vehicles.

Haitian International pointed out in its 2021 annual report that the recovery of high-end manufacturing at home and abroad and the continued recovery of the automotive industry, especially the new energy vehicle market, have enabled the company to achieve sales of Zhafia Electric series injection molding machines and Jupiter series two-platen injection molding machines. This made a historic breakthrough, with year-on-year growth of 44.3% and 54.8% respectively.

Yizumi's global sales of injection molding machines in 2021 will increase by 27.7% year-on-year. Zhang Tao, deputy director of the company and general manager of the injection molding machine division, said: "The growth in sales of injection molding machines in 2021 is largely due to the rapid development of the new energy vehicle market. Growth, the performance revenue brought by the automotive industry business has increased to 18.85% of the company's total revenue."

Zhengxiong Group’s 2021 annual report shows that the company’s turnover in China in 2021 will be HK$1.146 billion, a year-on-year increase of 38%. The increase in sales in the mainland is mainly due to the increase in the production and sales of new energy vehicles.

03
Entering the high-end injection molding machine market

The injection molding machine products in countries and regions such as Europe, America and Japan are all high-end types. Precision injection molding machines and large-scale injection molding machines manufactured in Germany, Austria and other countries have high technology content, high added value, and high profit margins. Typical companies include Engel, Arburg, and KraussMaffei. Electric injection molding machines produced in Japan occupy an important position in the world, and high-precision miniaturized injection molding machines have significant advantages. Typical companies include Fanuc, Sumitomo Demag, Nissei, and Toshiba Machinery.

At present, Chinese companies mainly occupy the low-end market, and large companies are gradually narrowing the gap with foreign high-end companies in the high-end market.

"The era of injection molding machines being monopolized by foreign companies has passed, and the era of Chinese injection molding machines is coming." Zhang Tao said, "Although the domestic injection molding machine manufacturing industry started late, domestic products can basically replace imported products; only a small amount of performance Products with particularly high requirements and some special and complex processes also depend on imports. The gap between domestic injection molding machine brands and foreign high-end brands is mainly reflected in new processes, application technologies, reliability technologies, and intelligent technologies. , European companies are faster in R&D than domestic companies.”

Sun Xiaohong said: "As an equipment manufacturing industry, many domestic injection molding machine companies have done a good job, and they have the strength to compete with foreign brands."

China has become the world's largest injection molding machine market and production base, and China's injection molding machine import and export trade has maintained a surplus for three consecutive years. According to customs statistics, in 2021, the export value of China's injection molding machines will be 1.758 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 38.43%, an increase of 43.41% over 2019, accounting for 46.69% of China's total plastic machinery exports; the injection molding machine import value is 789 million US dollars, a year-on-year increase 25.41%, an increase of 9.67% over 2019.

Industry insiders believe that although domestic injection molding machine companies have continuously improved their technical level in recent years, they started later than those in developed countries. Therefore, there is still a certain gap. develop. In this regard, the automotive industry is an important market for injection molding machines.

The person in charge of Haitian International said that in the future, the application of technological achievements in the field of new energy vehicles will be accelerated, and with more than 20 years of technical accumulation in the multi-component professional field, continuous innovation will be made to explore more paths for the development of the new energy vehicle industry.

Yizumi has carried out in-depth cooperation with domestic and foreign auto companies and high-end parts manufacturers such as BYD and Röchling. With the continuous introduction of new processes and overall solutions, Yizumi is expected to replace imported equipment manufacturers, enter the manufacturing chain of high-end automotive users, and become the most cost-effective solution provider.