Analysis of Investment in the Development of the Mold Standard Parts Industry Market

Developed countries with advanced molds, such as Japan, the United States, Germany, etc., have a history of nearly 100 years in mold standardization work. The formulation of mold standards, production and supply of mold standard parts have formed a complete system. The standardization work of Chinese molds only began in 1983 after the establishment of the National Mold Standardization Technical Committee. At present, there are about 20000 mold production units in China, and mold production has made great progress. However, compared with industrial production requirements, it is still not suitable, and one important reason is the low degree and level of mold standardization.     

The standardization system of Chinese molds includes four categories of standards, namely: basic mold standards, mold process quality standards, mold component standards, and technical standards related to mold production. Mold standards can be further classified into ten categories based on the main types of molds: stamping mold standards, plastic injection mold standards, die-casting mold standards, forging mold standards, fastener cold heading mold standards, wire drawing mold standards, cold extrusion mold standards, rubber mold standards, glass product molds, and automotive stamping die standards. At present, China has over 50 mold standards with more than 300 standard numbers and 14 universal devices and 244 varieties in the field of automotive stamping die components, totaling 363 standards. The formulation and promotion of these standards have improved the standardization level and level of Chinese molds.     

With the increase of international exchanges, the development of domestic production of imported molds, and the international standardization requirements for their supporting molds proposed by foreign-funded enterprises, on the one hand, attention has been paid to adopting international standards or advanced national standards as much as possible in the formulation of standards, including adopting standards from advanced enterprises; On the other hand, many mold standard parts production enterprises produce mold standard parts according to market demand, in addition to producing mold standard parts according to Chinese standards, they also produce mold standard parts according to the standards of advanced foreign enterprises. The standards of companies such as Japan's "Futaba" and Germany's "Hasco" have become widely popular in China.     

The concept of "standardization level of molds" often mentioned in the mold industry is more complex and different from the "standardization level" commonly used in the mechanical industry. The latter can generally be measured by the adoption rate of standard parts, while the former often refers to the "coverage rate of mold standard part usage". Due to the late standardization of molds in China, the production, sales, promotion, and application of mold standard parts are also relatively backward. Therefore, problems such as limited variety and specifications of mold standard parts, untimely supply, and poor compatibility have long existed, resulting in a low coverage rate of mold standard parts usage. Although the proportion has increased significantly this year due to the involvement of foreign-funded enterprises, overall it is still very low. According to preliminary estimates, the current turnover rate is roughly between 40% and 45%. Internationally, it is generally above 70%, with small and medium-sized molds accounting for over 80%. Due to the nature and location of Chinese mold companies, there are significant differences in the coverage of standard mold parts. Three capital enterprises are higher than other enterprises, and enterprises in the south are higher than those in the north. This is most evident in Guangdong.

Countries with relatively developed industries attach great importance to standardization work because it can bring quality, efficiency, and benefits to the industry. Molds are specialized forming tool products, although highly personalized, they are also industrial products, so standardization work is very important. The standardization work of molds mainly includes the formulation and implementation of mold technical standards, the production and application of mold standard parts, and the promotion, implementation, and dissemination of relevant standards