In 2019, the number of high-tech enterprises in Lianjiang Economic Development Zone increased from 21 to 32, with the output value of high-tech products reaching 2.3 billion yuan ($327.06 million), an increase of 11.1 percent over 2018. 

Located in Lianjiang, Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, the development zone was founded in May 1992 and became a provincial economic development zone in 1996. There are currently 217 enterprises in the development zone, mainly producing small household appliances like rice cookers and electric kettles.

In 2019, the output of rice cookers exceeded 30 million, accounting for 30 percent of the national rice cooker output, while the output of electric kettles was 150 million, making the zone an important global production base.

The entire park has invested 85 million yuan since last year to transform and update production lines into automated production lines utilizing high-tech equipment, completing the transformation of four electrical assembly lines.

The Lianjiang government has also taken measures to solve the talent problem in the zone, such as carrying out school-enterprise cooperation, providing technical training for enterprise technicians, as well as cultivating smart manufacturing talents for enterprises through the talent platform of the Guangdong Small Appliance Smart Manufacturing Regional Innovation Center.

The innovation and upgrading of enterprises in the zone have brought advantages to the export of products. In 2019, the export rate of products reached 55 percent, an increase of 10 percent to 15 percent over 2018. In addition, the overseas markets of the exported products have expanded from Southeast Asia and Africa to the United States, Japan, Korea, and Russia.

Currently, the zone has strong scientific and technological innovation capabilities, with three provincial-level and nine municipal-level engineering technology research and development centers. In the future, the zone will extend the industrial chain to create a small household appliance industry cluster.