Summary: Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other relevant departments have jointly issued several important policies for the development of the aggregate industry...

Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and other relevant departments have jointly issued several important policies for the development of the aggregate industry, pointing out the direction for the development of the sand and aggregate industry.

China Aggregates Association gave an exclusive interview to SBM's executive vice president Fang Libo on some related issues about aggregates equipment and industry.

Q: As an aggregates equipment enterprise, we all know SBM sponsored the Fifth "SBM Cup" National Sand Aggregates Competition, so how does the aggregates equipment improve the development of high-quality sand aggregates?

Mr Fang: It's a very important step (refers to sponsor competition), there is always included comparison for sand aggregates product in the competition every year. This fills the domestic research gap in sand and aggregate technology, and has greatly promoted the improvement of application standards for sand and aggregate in concrete.

Q: In the process of improving the quality of sand and aggregate products, what kind of impacts and opportunities do you think the country will bring to the aggregate equipment industry?

Mr Fang:President Hu Youyi (the president of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology) had mentioned that sand aggregates industry may be the last big industrial one. There is no doubt that these policies show the importance of government to the sand aggregates industry including industrial transformation and industrialization upgrading. This is the result of our joint efforts: maximizing the full potential of each mineral resource.

Q: In recent years, China has vigorously promoted the development of the "Belt and Road Initiative". As a representative of China’s sand and aggregate equipment enterprises "going global", what tips or approaches can you share for other enterprises?

Mr Fang:Everyone in the industry knows that SBM entered the global market very early. We participated in the global market through this new form of Internet marketing as early as in 2000. Now we have a lot of customer in more than 170 countries around the world.

As we all know, the construction of infrastructure needs sand aggregates and there's a huge demand. I think, through the "One Belt and One Road" strategy, in the future, China can better spread these "know-how" or experience we have accumulated in the aggregates industry to "One Belt and One Road" countries, including specific production process, equipment and standards. This can not only provide better "materials" for infrastructure construction, but also truly reflect the quality and image of China, proving that we are able to supply high-quality construction aggregates. From this point of view, I think the strategy of "One Belt and One Road" for industries as a whole is so meaningful.

Q: Now, AI (artificial intelligence) and 5G technology have been continuously integrated into the sand aggregates and equipment industry. The development of relevant equipment, smart mill and unmanned mines (High degree of automation) is fast, so what is the application prospect of new technology in sand aggregates industry?

Mr Fang:About it, 5G, AI, Big Data and Web of Things, these are really a hot topic in China, but they are having a common feature—they are basic general technologies. For example, nowadays artificial intelligence technology is deeply applied in face recognition, speech recognition and other fields, unmanned mines, and sand aggregates industry is in this context can be combined with new technology. I believe, sand aggregates industry is a very good application platform for new technologies.

For SBM, with a number of companies, we are also in initial stages of exploration and collaboration. Whether it comes to smart mines or the application of new technologies in the sand and aggregate industry, it will be a field where various new phenomena emerge.

(Fang Libo, the executive vice President of the group, was interviewed by CCTV, dragon TV, Guangdong TV, Xinhua News Agency, thepaper.cn and other media,)

Q: At present, under the influence of high price and shortage of sand aggregates in market, the topic of recycling construction solid waste into recycled aggregate products is very hot. And we want to know what has SBM done in this regard?

Mr Fang:About this, I think it has been introduced very clearly by President Hu at the International Report Conference. At present, the price of sand and aggregate is relatively high. When it comes to recycled aggregate exports, although the price is not as high as other aggregate products, there is still a certain profit margin. It is able to operate in the business to the same extent.

SBM has established the resources and equipment regeneration department which focuses on solid waste, including recycling of construction waste. SBM started developing mobile crushing products in the early years. In addition to our own mobile crusher, we also provide customers with Northern Ireland cost-effective caterpillar mobile crushing and screening equipment. The combination of advanced European equipment and technology with the products of SBM can jointly solve the new demands of the construction solid waste market.

Q: Let's talk to the Eighth "SBM Cup" National Calligraphy, Painting and Photography Competition in Sand Aggregates Industry, would you please share some experience of aggregates equipment in the construction of enterprise culture?

Mr Fang:The competition named by SBM is not just a competition but a platform for cultural promotion and communication. It's important to develop our enterprise culture which is a soul of a company. On the other hand, this competition was also advocated and has been hosted by President Hu.

Many people doubt that we spent such a high cost to build a manufacturing base in Lingang, Shanghai. The investment in this project located in Shanghai Lingang Special Area is indeed substantial, as we aim to build a platform for fair, face-to-face competition with world-class players in the industry.

So, from the above points, showcasing SBM's image in various ways (including our exhibition hall) is intended to inspire confidence in our team and our customers. I believe it also boosts confidence in China's sand and aggregate industry, demonstrating that we can excel and reach world-class standards.

At the end of the interview, Mr Fang said: Considering that the situation of the epidemic situation in various places is gradually improving, as more and more SBM's employees return to work, SBM resume production is starting "acceleration". We hope release production capacity as far as possible and try to complete order delivery, minimizing the impact on customers, production and operation of enterprises. That will be our duty and pursuit.