Interview China's die and mould makers increasingly internationally competitive

This year’s Die and Mould China exhibition (28 June - 7 July, Shanghai) will mark the 16th time this trade show has been held. In an exclusive interview, Wu Bingshu, deputy vice-chairman and secretary general, China Die & Mould Industry Association, discusses the current situation in the industry.

How did Chinese die and mould sales develop in 2015?

Sales revenue of China die and mould industry in 2015 reached RMB171.8bn, (approx. $27.3bn calculated based on the average exchange rate), up 5.1% over 2014. The sales revenue growth of approximately 200 key die and mould enterprises in this industry (including more than 30 listed companies) averaged almost 12%, and the sales income of most medium-sized enterprises equaled or grew a little more than the previous year. Many small-sized enterprises, affected by the influence of the slowing growth of Chinese manufacturing industry and the radical increasing of market competition, operate at a loss.

What was the export situation like last year for dies and moulds? What countries are the main export markets for injection moulds and sheetmetal dies? Are there any new markets evolving?

In 2015, China's die and mould export was $5.08bn, up 3.3% over 2014, with plastic mould accounting for 66.6%, sheetmetal stamping die 17.96% and the total of the two accounting for 84.56%. The main export target countries and in 2015 territories (the top ten ranked in the sequence of export volume) were China Hong Kong (transit trade), the US, Japan, Germany, India, Thailand, Mexico, Vietnam, France and the U.K., the main export target countries and territories (the top ten ranked in the sequence of export volume) in 2014 were Hong Kong, China (transit trade), the US, Japan, Germany, India, Thailand, Vietnam, the U.K., Mexico and Spain. The significant change is that France now ranks 9th, and Spain drops out of the top ten.

Are you affected by the "reshoring" trend in countries like the US?

The "return of manufacture industry" is connected but not fully consistent with "return of die & mould manufacture". We are conscious of the phenomena of “return of mould manufacture” occurring in Japan and Korea, and particularly in Japan one part of the mould manufacture industry returns to Japan, the other part transfers to the countries and territories outside of mainland China.

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