In the field of high-end electronic fabric weaving machines, China is expected to fully surpass the international top-level standards around 2030. However, completely resolving the "technology chokepoint" issue at the high-end level may require a longer period. This is a process of catching up with a clear breakthrough direction, but it needs to be achieved in stages.
Catching-up timeline: Three key milestones Currently, the industry and academia generally agree on a phased catching-up path, with the core milestones as follows: Stage time estimate Milestone event Initial breakthrough 2026-2027: Achieve domestic substitution for the mid-to-low end: Domestic equipment is widely applied in the ordinary electronic fabric field, initially breaking the import dependence and alleviating the supply bottleneck. Key breakthrough 2027-2030: Break through technical barriers and enter the high-end market: Make key breakthroughs in ultra-thin, low dielectric and other high-end product fields, and start small-scale application in some high-end scenarios.
Comprehensively catch up and achieve benchmarking and leadership after 2030: Domestic equipment fully benchmarks against international giants such as Toyota in terms of stability, efficiency and yield rate, and achieves parity or leads in some areas. Current main challenges: The gap is still obvious. The technical gap between domestic electronic looms and the international top level is an objective fact, mainly manifested in the following aspects: Insufficient equipment precision and yield rate: High-end electronic cloth requires nearly "zero defects", and the maximum number of defects allowed on 1000 meters of cloth is 3. The domestic equipment still has a gap in tension control and other aspects, resulting in a high defect rate and feather rate of the products, and the yield rate is difficult to reach a stable high-quality level. Short lifespan of core components: Taking the key component "auxiliary nozzle" as an example, the lifespan of Toyota products is approximately 2.5 years, while even after multiple upgrades, the lifespan of domestic products is only about 1 year. Poor system stability: Toyota equipment is well-designed and can achieve "no leakage of air pipes for 30 years". The domestic equipment still has a gap in air tightness, electromagnetic valves and other basic links, which affects the long-term stable operation of the equipment. Patent barriers hinder development: Japanese enterprises have laid out a large number of basic patents in areas such as loom structure and control algorithms, setting very high legal and technical barriers for the independent research and development of domestic equipment.
The high-end market is monopolized: Japan's Nippon Gosei controls approximately 90% of the global high-end electronic fabric market. The market share of domestic enterprises for high-end products is relatively low. For instance, Jieshi, which has the largest production capacity, has a market share for its high-end products of less than 5%. Breakthrough hope: Domestic forces are on the rise, although the gap is significant, the pace of domestic substitution is accelerating. This is specifically reflected in the following points: Strong top-level policy drive: The country has listed high-end electronic fabric equipment as a strategic research and development focus.
The "14th Five-Year Plan" emphasizes breakthroughs in high-end product categories, while the "15th Five-Year Plan" focuses on the research and development of high-end equipment and the replacement of imported products with domestic ones. Enterprises have achieved breakthroughs: Companies such as Zhejiang Wanli Textile Machinery Co., Ltd., have independently developed the WLP910 ultra-start automatic jet loom, which has achieved significant industrialization results. The core components of this equipment are 100% independently developed. Compared with traditional models, it saves 20%-30% of electricity and has already reached strategic cooperation with industry leaders like Jieshi and Zhongcai Technology. Collaborative innovation in the industrial chain: Industry associations are promoting collaborative innovation among the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain. For example, Shandong Rifa has established a special division and cooperated with enterprises like Jieshi, although it has not yet met the standards, it has taken an important step towards joint research and development. Overall, the prospect of domestic substitution for electronic fabric looms in China is optimistic. Especially with the dual driving of policy support and enterprise independent innovation, it is expected to make significant breakthroughs in the high-end market by around 2030. However, achieving a complete technological catch-up still requires persistent efforts.