As one of the well-known textile machinery manufacturers in China, Zhejiang Rifa Textile Machinery Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "RIFA") has been committed to the research, development, manufacturing, and sales of a complete set of textile equipment for many years. Particularly in the weaving machine field, RIFA's meticulous work has led to a variety of weaving machines of international standards spreading across the country and exported to more than 30 countries and regions globally. Its market share at home and abroad ranks among the top. At the same time, RIFA has established good cooperative relationships with many well-known textile enterprises through its excellent machine performance and meticulous service.
China Textile News will launch an exclusive report titled "Weaving Machine Frontline Survey" to delve into user enterprises and experience firsthand the advantages and achievements of RIFA's weaving equipment.
On the corporate development history wall in the product display room of Changxing Jet Weaving Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Changxing Jet Weaving") in Jiaxing City, the glorious development over decades is clearly visible, and Zhejiang Rifa Textile Machinery Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "RIFA") is undoubtedly an indispensable presence.
"In the seven years of cooperation with RIFA, our enterprise has developed rapidly. Despite the great market pressure due to the influence of the domestic and international environment in recent years, some enterprises in the industry have been eliminated, but the timely purchase of RIFA's equipment has greatly improved Changxing Jet Weaving's production efficiency and product quality. To do a good job, one must first improve their tools. By choosing reliable equipment, Changxing Jet Weaving's fabric sales have continued to increase in the past two years. Last year, we produced more than 70 million meters of high-end textile fabrics, achieving a total output value of about 350 million yuan. This year, the production of high-end fabrics is expected to reach more than 80 million meters." said Wang Yonglin, Chairman of Changxing Jet Weaving.
As an enterprise that started producing fabrics in the 1980s, in recent years, in line with the ever-changing trends in textile fabrics, Changxing Jet Weaving has innovatively developed and promoted technological changes through equipment renewal, continuously expanding its business scale.
"The development of enterprises must adapt to the new environment and find a sustainable development path to achieve perpetual operation. We plan to purchase 74 more pieces of equipment from Rifa Textile Machinery soon. If not for the limitations of the plant area, we originally planned to purchase more Rifa's equipment to expand production." said Wang Yonglin.
Walking into the production workshop of Changxing Jet Weaving, hundreds of RFJW10 water jet looms from Rifa Textile Machinery are running at high speed. In the vast workshop, only three to five workers are checking the operating condition of the looms back and forth.
Located in Wangjiangjing Town, a famous weaving town in China, Changxing Jet Weaving has relied on technological innovation since its establishment in 2002, comprehensively building an integrated control system for high-speed intelligent textile and weaving centers, continuously advancing towards the goal of full-process intelligent development of business production integration, automated production planning, and intelligent warehouse management. For many years in a row, it has been rated as the "Industrial Leading Enterprise" in Wangjiangjing Town.
Speaking of Changxing Jet Weaving's digital and intelligent transformation in recent years, Wang Yonglin elaborated: "Good equipment is crucial for the sustainable development of the textile industry. Fabric production enterprises must have uniqueness if producing the same kind of products, targeting high-end - high-end equipment, high-end technology, high-end management, to have room for survival and to extend the product life cycle."
According to Wang Yonglin, the current synthetic fiber fabric products of Changxing Jet Weaving have several major series: sports series, multifunctional series, etc. "We develop products based on customer needs. Orders have been generally stable since last year, showing an upward trend. In the past three years, the sales of Changxing Jet Weaving's fabrics have maintained an annual growth of 10%-15%." Wang Yonglin said.
Wang Yonglin admitted: "As a fabric production enterprise, we believe that hardware improvement determines product quality. Only by purchasing advanced and high-quality equipment can we produce good fabric products. Therefore, since the inception of the business, we have had an almost obsessive dedication to equipment. Good management, good equipment, good varieties, only by integrating these three can we have a foothold in the market and gain customer recognition."
Currently, the two major plants of Changxing Jet Weaving own more than 700 domestic and foreign water jet looms and more than 350 air jet looms, of which over 60% of the water jet looms come from Rifa Textile Machinery. As the next step in technological transformation deepens, this proportion will continue to expand.
"Our cooperation with Rifa Textile Machinery began in 2017. At that time, after using some domestic equipment gradually, we found a common problem with these devices, which is that they perform well in the first one or two years with stable operation and few problems; however, after two years, issues continuously emerge during use. Although problems could be solved through communication, the recurring issues made it difficult to control product quality and slowed down the delivery speed, seriously affecting the production schedule. Hence, we decided to replace the equipment." Wang Yonglin recalled.
Initially, when choosing equipment, Wang Yonglin considered purchasing imported equipment, but due to factors such as the price and delivery time of imported equipment, he hoped to find a cost-effective domestic equipment. Upon learning that Rifa Textile Machinery had developed a new water jet loom, Wang Yonglin almost immediately, without hesitation, led the technical team to conduct an on-site inspection at Rifa Textile Machinery.
"Good skill is no match for well-made tools. Equipment is crucial to product quality. For fabric production enterprises, the durability, stability, and adaptability of equipment are key factors in our selection. After seeing the equipment in operation on-site, we believed that RIFA's RFJW10 water jet loom fully met the production requirements, so we first purchased more than 100 units to test the effect. After a period of operation, our product quality and production efficiency have significantly improved. Moreover, RIFA has certain advantages in price, service, delivery time, and payment methods. Therefore, we have successively purchased hundreds of RIFA's water jet looms." Factory Director Liu Hongjun of Changxing Jet Weaving said: "The RFJW10 water jet loom has the characteristics of energy saving, low consumption, high speed, and high efficiency. The reinforced box frame with a combination of rigidity and toughness reduces the position of the warp and the center of gravity of the whole machine, effectively lowering running noise and vibration. Additionally, the six-link short stroke beat-up enhances the beat-up force and has a unique advantage in weaving high-density varieties. This model is ergonomically friendly, easy for workers to operate, and stable in quality."
In Wang Yonglin's view, equipment procurement should consider upfront costs, work efficiency, and comprehensive cost-effectiveness. Wang Yonglin said: "Personally, I believe Rifa Textile Machinery's equipment is top-notch domestically, with performance that sometimes even surpasses similar Japanese equipment, especially in terms of speed, meeting our demands. Particularly worth mentioning is the automatic centralized oiling of Rifa Textile Machinery's looms, which eliminates the need for manual oiling, greatly reducing labor costs."
Good equipment can not only reduce costs and improve efficiency but also help retain employees. Over the years, Changxing Jet Weaving's employee turnover rate of more than 300 employees has been less than 1%. "In the past, one person would struggle to manage 6 pieces of equipment, but now it is easy for one person to manage 30 pieces of equipment. Mainly because the equipment automation level is high, operation is simple, and it reduces the burden on workers," said Liu Hongjun.
High-end equipment is also the guarantee for enterprises to secure orders. "Once customers with high-end products have cooperation intentions, they will come to inspect the factory and visit the workshops to see if there is the strength to cooperate. Some customers, upon seeing that we are using Rifa Textile Machinery equipment, immediately finalize the cooperation agreement with us," said Liu Hongjun.
Wang Yonglin said: "In the first quarter of this year, we participated in two exhibitions. The exhibited products attracted customers from Korea and India, who immediately came to Changxing Jet Weaving's production workshop for on-site inspection. After comparing the imported equipment with Rifa Textile Machinery's equipment, they all believed that Rifa Textile Machinery's equipment was more advantageous."
In fact, Rifa Textile Machinery's air jet loom and water jet looms have an excellent reputation in the industry. Of course, such a reputation comes from years of accumulation. Throughout Wujiang District, the usage ratio of Rifa Textile Machinery is very high. Only one enterprise, Jiangsu Hengli Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd., has installed thousands of Rifa Textile Machinery's equipment. "Currently, many enterprises in Wujiang District use Rifa Textile Machinery's equipment. Despite the higher price compared to other brands, Rifa Textile Machinery's equipment belongs to high-end equipment, and good quality makes user enterprises willing to pay. In the later stage, while updating equipment, Rifa Textile Machinery's equipment will definitely still be the first choice," said Wang Yonglin.
Through long-term cooperation, Changxing Jet Weaving and Rifa Textile Machinery have established a long-term, stable, mutually beneficial, and co-growing friendly cooperative relationship. Liu Hongjun said: "In my opinion, Rifa Textile Machinery's R&D team is very attentive. I often communicate with Rifa Textile Machinery's R&D manager, giving reasonable suggestions, and they accept them humbly and improve promptly."
During the years of using Rifa Textile Machinery equipment, due to its stable performance, even if Changxing Jet Weaving often adjusts the loom speed according to product varieties, there have been no problems. So, in Wang Yonglin's view, "Good products almost don't need after-sales service."
When talking about future development plans, Wang Yonglin admitted, "While stabilizing the domestic market, the company will also layout the foreign markets. Next, we will continue to expand the product line, just like 10 years ago, we started to layout the purchase of wide-width machines to meet the current general needs of customers."
Regarding future market forecasts, Wang Yonglin is optimistic. He believes that although the textile industry is traditional, under the combined effects of factors such as the growth of domestic market demand, continuous technological innovation and industrial upgrading, industrial chain integration, and international competitive advantages, it still has broad development space. As textile enterprises, they should actively adapt to market changes, strengthen technological innovation, optimize product structures, and improve market competitiveness.
This year, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other seven departments jointly issued the "Implementation Plan for Promoting Equipment Renewal in the Industrial Sector". Wang Yonglin hopes that relevant measures will be implemented as soon as possible. He admitted this would be greatly beneficial for the upcoming technological transformation of Changxing Jet Weaving. "Currently, the approval for our Phase III plant site is underway. Once approved, we will accelerate the construction progress. At that time, we will firmly choose Rifa Textile Machinery's equipment. Due to full confidence in Rifa Textile Machinery's R&D capabilities and service levels, we look forward to higher degrees of intelligence and automation in RIFA's equipment and hope to further expand cooperation space in the future," said Wang Yonglin.
Recognized as a leading textile machinery manufacturer in China, Rifa Textile Machinery Co., Ltd. presents a selection of sought-after products designed to boost production efficiency, such as: