On January 14, the inauguration conference of the Linyi High-End Construction Equipment Industrial Technology Research Institute (hereinafter referred to as the Research Institute) was held at SDLG. Sun Deshi, Vice Mayor of Linyi City, attended the meeting and delivered a speech, while Jia Qinqing, Director of the Yihe New District Administrative Committee, presided over the conference.

 

Wang Zhizhong, Chairman of Lingong Group and the inaugural Chairman of the Research Institute, and Wan Yi, Dean of the School of Mechanical Engineering at Shandong University and Vice Chairman of the Research Institute, attended the event and addressed the audience.

 

Chi Feng, Executive General Manager and Chief Engineer of SDLG, as well as Vice Chairman and President of the Research Institute, together with representatives from relevant municipal departments, industry chain task forces, co-founding enterprises, universities, expert representatives, all members of the Research Institute’s Board of Directors, and representatives from more than twenty upstream and downstream enterprises across the industry chain, were present at the conference.

 

The Research Institute is led by SDLG, and jointly established with Shandong University, Linyi University, and key backbone enterprises across the industry chain. Its establishment marks a new stage of platform-based and systematic collaborative innovation for Linyi’s high-end equipment industry.

 

Bringing together 12 participating organizations, the Research Institute operates under a president-responsibility system guided by a board of directors. It will focus on frontier fields including new energy power systems, intelligent control, and hydraulic transmission, and is committed to becoming both a “source of technological innovation” and a “catalyst for results transformation,” driving Linyi’s high-end construction equipment industry from “single-point breakthroughs” toward “system-level advancement.”

 

Lingong Group Chairman Wang Zhizhong Outlined the Platform’s Mission

 

At the inauguration conference, Wang Zhizhong, Chairman of Lingong Group and the inaugural Chairman of the Research Institute, delivered a keynote address. He noted that SDLG is currently advancing a new phase of development with the mindset of a “second entrepreneurship,” and that the establishment of the Research Institute comes at a critical and timely moment. The Institute will serve as a key platform for aggregating innovation resources and driving industrial upgrading.

 

Chairman Wang Zhizhong systematically outlined three major development directions for the Research Institute.

 

First, anchoring technological innovation to strengthen the industrial foundation. The Research Institute will integrate SDLG’s national-level enterprise technology center, university research teams, and industry chain resources, with a focus on achieving breakthroughs in “chokepoint” technologies such as new energy power systems and intelligent electronic control, and building a source of innovation for new-quality productive forces.

 

Second, leveraging Lingong Group’s strengths to promote industrial collaboration. By relying on Lingong Group’s industrial cluster, the Institute will establish a collaborative platform that encourages deep participation from upstream and downstream enterprises in R&D and standards development, fostering an efficient and coordinated industrial ecosystem.

 

Third, connecting international resources to expand industrial space. Aligned with SDLG’s internationalization strategy, the Institute will introduce global innovation resources while supporting local products in going global, positioning itself as a bridge linking Linyi’s industry with the global market.

 

Chairman Wang Zhizhong emphasized that SDLG will fully fulfill its responsibilities as a chain leader, open its resources, and work closely with all partners to advance the development of the Research Institute.

 

 

University Empowerment: Deepening Industry–Academia–Research Integration

 

Wan Yi, Dean of the School of Mechanical Engineering at Shandong University, delivered remarks as a representative of key partner universities. He reviewed the long-standing foundation of cooperation between Shandong University, Linyi City, and SDLG, including the joint establishment of multiple national- and provincial-level innovation platforms and the achievement of a series of practical outcomes.

 

Dean Wan Yi noted that the establishment of the Research Institute provides a higher-level platform for deepening cooperation. Going forward, Shandong University will fully align with the development needs of Linyi’s industries and provide comprehensive support for the construction and development of the Research Institute.

 

First, focusing on key technological breakthroughs to enable industrial upgrading. Leveraging the research teams and platform strengths of Shandong University, dedicated task forces will be formed around technological bottlenecks in areas such as core components, intelligent electronic control, and new energy power systems. Through an “enterprise-defined problems, university-driven solutions” mechanism, organized research will be carried out to help overcome critical “chokepoint” technologies.

 

Second, deepening the integration of industry and education to cultivate professional talent. Collaborative talent development models, including the “dual-supervisor system,” will be promoted to jointly train a high-caliber engineering workforce and achieve deep integration across the “discipline chain, industry chain, and talent chain.”

 

Third, advancing results transformation to realize tangible value. Drawing on successful models of university–local cooperation, efficient transformation mechanisms will be established to accelerate the application of Shandong University’s achievements in areas such as intelligent operations and maintenance and structural design within Linyi, effectively enhancing the core competitiveness of the industry.

 

Dean Wan Yi emphasized that Shandong University will participate deeply in the work of the Research Institute with the greatest sincerity and the strongest possible resource support, contributing Shandong University’s strength to enhancing the reputation of China as a leading hub for construction machinery.

 

The establishment of the Research Institute marks a new starting point for innovation-driven development in Linyi’s high-end engineering equipment industry. By building a closely integrated innovation community that brings together government, industry, academia, research, and application, the Research Institute will focus on technological breakthroughs, ecosystem development, and enterprise empowerment, providing systematic support for Linyi to forge new competitive advantages in the industry.

 

Building a collaborative ecosystem to empower the future of the industry. From strategic planning to platform implementation, SDLG, in its role as a chain leader, is joining hands with partners to open a new chapter of collaborative innovation across the industry. The Research Institute is set to become a vital force in guiding regional industries toward high-end development and in supporting the strategy of building China into a strong manufacturing nation.