Unveiling the "Technology Time Lag" in the Fastener Industry
2026-05-27
Over the past decade, my country's fastener manufacturing technology has seen intangible improvements through cooperation with foreign equipment manufacturers. While my country's fastener industry holds a pivotal position globally, a closer look reveals significant gaps in product variety, quality levels, technological standards, and resource and environmental contributions compared to advanced international levels. This is primarily manifested in the dual pressures of "overcapacity" and "shortage" in my country's fastener production. However, beyond the availability of advanced hardware, the "technology lag" is a hidden and crucial factor contributing to China's lagging fastener manufacturing technology.Despite the existence of strong domestic fastener manufacturers, why do foreign equipment utilization rates and product output differ significantly when used in Chinese companies? This gap lies in what we call the "technology lag"—the difference in processes, usage methods, and production management beyond hardware equipment. Based on an assessment of the average domestic fastener manufacturing level, especially in areas involving complex processes, irregular parts, and process support, the overall "technology lag" between domestic and advanced international levels is approximately 10 to 20 years.The "technology time lag" has certain background reasons.Educational background and the development history of China's fastener industry.People's thinking patterns come from two sources: education and work experience. China's current fastener professionals, from those born in the 1960s to the 1980s, have largely followed an "introduction, digestion, absorption, and improvement" model in their education and work experience. This makes it difficult to stimulate original, innovative thinking. Most people act based on "feasible experience," knowing what to do but not why. Many of these feasible experiences are flawed or lack theoretical basis. Is this approach truly better?In domestic fastener companies' drawing workshops, when discussing the "die matching scheme" for wire drawing machines, almost everyone seems knowledgeable. However, a common phenomenon is that when foreign experts review these schemes, they are often surprised. They find that most Chinese fastener wire drawing "die matching processes" (based on abundant existing practical experience) are logically "chaotic and illogical," some even completely contradicting the theory of metal material processing deformation. The result, of course, is that while not necessarily infeasible, they consume resources or produce poor product quality. This is one reason why products made with foreign equipment often don't perform as well for domestic users.There is a lack of acceptance of the existing "technology time lag."Domestic fastener experts typically disagree that their technology is not advanced enough, especially those from large fastener companies. Having worked in the industry for over 30 years, their extensive experience ironically becomes an obstacle to accepting new ideas. They are reluctant to admit their own shortcomings and often attribute outdated products to outdated equipment. In fact, every scientific and technological breakthrough is a process of negating the existing system; negation or questioning is a prerequisite for innovation.In other words, if we allowed today's technical experts to "travel" to China 20 years from now, would they still be the industry experts of "that era"? The answer is no. This proves the existence of the "technology time lag" mentioned above.How to accelerate and shorten this "technology time lag"? First, we must acknowledge the existence of a "technology time lag." How can we accelerate and shorten this lag? Some say we must wait until the post-90s or post-00s generations become the backbone, cultivating innovative thinking in them from a young age. But what about now? Should we just wait?Generally, what we perceive as "advanced foreign technology" refers to "advanced equipment." While many domestic technicians have years of experience using foreign equipment, this doesn't necessarily mean they understand its design principles. They may not be able to replicate, absorb, or improve upon it effectively. During equipment use, the foreign company personnel they frequently interact with are primarily "after-sales service" staff, not technical designers, thus preventing them from learning core technologies.Furthermore, processes and equipment are inseparable. Advanced equipment only represents a part of "advanced." Here, our understanding of process should encompass all aspects of product manufacturing, including equipment usage methods, conditions, material pretreatment, configuration schemes, daily maintenance management, and other comprehensive macro-level processes, rather than the scope of a company's internal "technical process department." Hardware representing advanced technology can be bought, but the "craftsmanship" representing software is hard to acquire; it can only be learned, and learned at an accelerated pace!We must recognize our shortcomings and catch up with the "technology time lag."The "technology time lag" is an objective reality. First, we must clear our preconceived notions—the "empty cup principle"—especially acknowledging our own gaps. We must create learning opportunities. Fortunately, Industry 4.0 and Made in China 2025 complement each other. Many foreign experts are already at the "other end of the time lag," living in the same era as us without needing to travel to their countries. Four dimensions (time) can become three. If we can create or utilize opportunities to learn every detail of technology, delve into the root causes, and understand not only what but also why, it's not impossible to accelerate the reduction of the "technology time lag" and stop producing an oversupply of low-end fasteners.Facing 2019, the first year of the 13th Five-Year Plan, the development and widespread application of some revolutionary technologies have made the transformation of fastener technology an irreversible trend. This requires the improvement of the system, the role of the market, and even more so, a change in our awareness and the cultivation of core technologies. The development and glory of the fastener industry cannot be separated from the efforts of every industry professional.
