Known as the factory of the world, Dongguan is home to over 220,000 industrial enterprises, including global giants like Samsung, Walmart and Nestlé.
The city’s vast manufacturing base produces everything from electronics and garments to toys and furniture. However, in recent years, it has undergone a remarkable transformation, shifting to advanced technology and now boasts over 10,000 high-tech enterprises.
To gain insight into the city’s evolution and explore new opportunities, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) led a delegation of representatives from Hong Kong’s professional services, advanced manufacturing, healthcare and food industries to Dongguan in July.
The tour provided a first-hand look at how the city’s industrial transformation supports China’s broader drive for high-quality development.
Hub for robotics start-ups
The delegation first visited the Xbot Park robotics hub founded in 2014 by Prof Li Zexiang from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
To date, the hub has successfully launched more than 60 robotics and smart hardware start-ups, covering manufacturing, agriculture, smart home tech, education, healthcare and more. Some 80% have become profitable and six have achieved unicorn status, each valued at over US$1 billion.
At the park, the delegates learned about the incubation process and its strategic role within the intelligent hardware ecosystem and explored potential collaborations in robotics applications.
After a networking lunch with local officials and business leaders, the contingent visited LBD Robotics, a leading developer and manufacturer of industrial robots.
Through its tailor-made intelligent production solutions, LBD plays a pivotal role in helping traditional manufacturing industries enhance efficiency and competitiveness.
Its innovations have not only driven success in China, but have gained traction internationally, with export partnerships in ASEAN, South Asia, South America and Africa.
The visit to LBD highlighted to the delegation how traditional industries are harnessing technology to optimise their products and business models, leading to greater efficiency and cost savings.
Cooking up innovation
For the final stop, the delegation toured the facilities at Rongchuang Kitchen Equipment, a prominent manufacturer of industrial-grade kitchen appliances, such as ovens, dishwashers and cookers.
Its products are installed in hotels, schools, food factories and chain stores across China, Southeast Asia, Europe and the United States.
The company focuses on environmentally friendly cooking solutions, including cookers capable of multiple functions within the one unit.
These innovations deliver significant savings in time, energy and cost compared to traditional kitchen setups.
This visit was particularly engaging for delegation members from the food industry who were impressed by the firm’s commitment to research and development.
Mr Yuen Chung-on, from the Hong Kong Food Science and Technology Association, said the trip has been useful in building networks and gaining an understanding of potential business opportunities.
Participants from other industries expressed appreciation to the organisers for deepening their understanding of Dongguan's smart manufacturing development, and looked forward to visiting other cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).
Organised with the Greater Bay Area Development Office in the Hong Kong SAR Government’s Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau, the visit was the latest milestone in the HKTDC’s GoGBA initiative – a support programme designed to help businesses expand across the GBA.
The programme offers policy updates, advice, training and networking activities, with the support of GoGBA support centres in all GBA cities in the mainland and Macao and the GoGBA website and WeChat mini programme.
Since its launch in 2021, GoGBA has held over 130 events and helped more than 13,000 businesses, empowering them to tap into the region’s dynamic growth potential.