On July 11, Zhuodu Metering Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Zhuodu), a subsidiary of The Hong Kong and China Gas, established a joint venture with Japan's Aichi Timepiece Motor Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Aichi Timepiece) and Shandong Start Measurement and Control Equipment Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Start") to jointly develop a new generation of ultrasonic flowmeters and announced the official production. Huang Weiyi, Chief Executive Officer of The Hong Kong and China Gas and Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Towngas Smart Energy, Kenji Kunijima, President of Aichi Timepiece of Japan, and Guo Qi, General Manager of Shandong Start, attended the commissioning ceremony.
▲Huang Weiyi, Chief Executive Officer of The Hong Kong and China Gas, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Towngas Smart Energy (middle), Kenji Kunijima, President of Aichi Timepiece of Japan (right), Guo Qi, General Manager of Shandong Start (left)
Representatives of the leaders of the three parties cut the ribbon for the commissioning ceremony
Kenji Kunishima, President of Aichi Timepiece of Japan, said in his opening speech: "The successful establishment of this joint venture is inseparable from the joint efforts of the three parties, and I would like to thank all the colleagues of China Gas and Shandong Start for their efforts. At present, there is a growing demand for more accurate and convenient ultrasonic flowmeters in the Chinese market, and we hope that through our joint research and development of this ultrasonic flowmeter product, we can provide more accurate measurement and better services for the customers of Towngas Group, which is also the original intention of our joint venture company, Aichisidu. ”
Wong Wai Yee, Chief Executive Officer of The Hong Kong and China Gas and Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Towngas Smart Energy, said: "Looking back, this cooperation has been discussed since the pandemic in 2021 and the cooperation agreement was signed in 2023. In the process of negotiations, although there are many differences and changes, the original intention of the three parties to jointly introduce high-quality products to the domestic market has never wavered, which has prompted today's production ceremony, which is the result of the joint efforts of the three parties! Looking forward to the future, we will be committed to developing into the leading supplier and service provider of smart gas metering solutions in the gas industry, and we will adhere to the business philosophy of 'integrity, innovation, excellence and win-win' to provide customers with high-quality products and services." Guided by market demand, continuous innovation, the pursuit of excellence, and strive to become a leader in the industry. ”
The natural gas ultrasonic flowmeter developed by the joint venture is equipped with a unique high-precision sensor, a gas leakage warning safety algorithm, and 4G low-power advanced communication technology. When it detects that indicators such as pressure flow rate deviate from normal values, the system will automatically notify the gas company to ensure the safety of users.
In terms of energy consumption, the new product has a built-in lithium battery, which can ensure that the battery does not need to be replaced for more than 10 years, effectively solving the measurement error caused by low power. At the same time, the new product is guaranteed to be maintenance-free for 10 years, which can greatly reduce the operating costs of gas companies and customers, and is easier and more convenient to maintain than traditional turbine and other technologies.
Since Hong Kong and China Gas entered the mainland market 30 years ago, Towngas Group, a subsidiary of Towngas Group, has become one of the major city gas service providers in China, with more than 400,000 industrial and commercial users in the mainland.
The high-quality development of China's economy is bringing a steady stream of new opportunities to foreign companies. At the same time, governments at all levels have made efforts to attract and utilize foreign investment by introducing a series of policies to expand high-level opening-up and increase efforts to attract and utilize foreign investment, and strive to create a better business environment for foreign investors. This tripartite cooperation reflects the confidence of multinational companies to invest in China and deepen their cultivation in China, and will contribute to the transformation and upgrading of the gas industry using industry-leading technology.
According to the latest data from the Ministry of Commerce, from January to April this year, 16,805 foreign-invested enterprises were newly established in the country, a year-on-year increase of 19.2%. On the one hand, China's super-large market scale and perfect industrial chain have created a good economic development environment for foreign-funded enterprises. On the other hand, the state has introduced a series of policies to continuously increase opening-up and optimize the environment for foreign investment, which has strengthened China's "gravitational pull" on foreign-funded enterprises.
Founded in 1898, Japan Aichi Timepiece, as a well-known foreign-funded enterprise with a history of more than 100 years, is one of the most well-known water meter and gas meter manufacturers in the world, based on the precision processing technology accumulated in watch manufacturing, is committed to combining metering technology and IoT, providing core products and services centered on pillar industries such as gas meters and water meter manufacturing, and is industry-leading in terms of technology and quality. The increase in investment in China through the tripartite joint venture shows the importance it attaches to the Chinese market. As a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hong Kong and China Gas, a century-old enterprise, Zhuodu has inherited the excellent genes of the group's safety and service, and is committed to the research and development and practice of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) mass measurement and intelligent flow measurement and control technology. Starter focuses on the flowmeter industry and has professional calibration instrument technology. Based on the years of experience accumulated by the three parties in their respective fields, Aichisidu, established through this cooperation, will be committed to developing safe and accurate smart gas metering solutions for the majority of gas users in China.