Baofang Printing and Dyeing: The Pearl of Batik on the Belt and Road

July should be the off-season for printing and dyeing, but in the workshop of Zhejiang Baofang Printing and Dyeing Co., Ltd., all production lines are running at full capacity. "Now we are rushing to complete a batch of orders to be shipped to Tanzania, Kenya, Togo and other African regions," said Yu Shaobo, the general manager of the company, pointing to a pile of brightly colored batik cloth in the workshop. Since the beginning of this year, the company has been operating at full capacity, and the orders on hand have been scheduled for three to four months.

Recently, the reporter visited "Baofang Printing and Dyeing" to explore the reasons behind the company's resilience during the off-season. "Firstly, we adhere to the 'processing + distribution' model, and secondly, we remain committed to our core business and continuously innovate," said Yu Shaobo. "Baofang Printing and Dyeing" was established in 2002 and has been deeply rooted in the African market for many years. It is renowned locally for its differentiated batik printed fabrics and is one of the largest suppliers of batik fabrics in Africa.

In recent years, a new wax-dyed fabric developed by our company has rapidly gained popularity in the African market, thanks to our company's dedicated research into wax-dying techniques and careful exploration of the African market. Over the years, our company has established a relatively mature sales network in the African market. Last year, leveraging this "blockbuster product", our company boosted foreign trade sales, with a year-on-year increase of 30%.

Following in the footsteps of Yu Shaobo, the reporter visited the company's R&D design center and production workshop in succession. With a few clicks of the mouse, beautiful patterns sprang to life on the computer screen. "We have a design team of over 50 people, capable of generating more than 100 new patterns every day," Yu Shaobo explained. These endless stream of new patterns have allowed the company's products to transition from merely meeting market demands to leading market trends.

Vines entwine beneath the roof, and water flows gently between the rockeries. As you delve deeper, landscape lights flicker among the tree trunks, and three-seater benches for rest are scattered everywhere under the shade of trees... Stepping into the production workshop of "Baofang Printing and Dyeing" feels like entering a "grand garden." "Managing the workshop well is the key to ensuring product quality," said Yu Shaobo. In recent years, the company has invested nearly 100 million yuan to upgrade the production workshop significantly. Besides improving the production environment, the company has also implemented green and intelligent transformations for all production lines, including steaming, printing and dyeing, setting, washing, etc. After the technological transformation, the company's energy consumption has decreased by about 50%, and its efficiency has increased by 30%.

Strong party building leads to a strong enterprise. In the production workshop of "Baofang Printing and Dyeing", the original "party member and cadre contact point" system seamlessly integrates party building work with enterprise production management. Each machine is assigned a party member and cadre contact person. Through the comprehensive performance of the party member and cadre contact points, the company conducts comprehensive assessments and rewards for party members and cadres, mobilizing their enthusiasm while also leveraging their exemplary vanguard role, ultimately improving product stability and company cohesion.

In the first half of this year, "Baofang Printing and Dyeing" delivered a splendid performance, achieving an output value of 517 million yuan from January to June, marking a year-on-year increase of 30%. Among this, exports amounted to nearly 50 million US dollars, also experiencing a year-on-year growth of 30%.