Sweden is known as “small country, big industry”, especially in the manufacturing industry, with aviation industry, nuclear industry, automobile manufacturing, advanced military industry and the world's leading telecommunications industry and pharmaceutical research and development capabilities, taking the leading position in software development, microelectronics, telecommunications and photonics. While Swedish design, which focuses on “human-oriented”, also enhances product taste and consumption levels from human life to industrial technology, and has built Hasselblad, Volvo, H&M and other companies into the international famous brand. The combination of industry and design is an important promoter of the high-end development of the Swedish industry. From November 27th to 30th, Stockholm time, Sweden, the Hebei Industrial Cooperation Delegation led by the Hebei Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology visited Sweden, known as the “Global Manufacturing Power,  One of the World's Most Knowable Automobile Countries, and a Design Power”, conducting research and innovation exchanges with Swedish design institutes and enterprises, exploring the experience of the high-end intergration development of Swedish manufacturing and design, and expanding innovative exchanges and strategic cooperation between Hebei and Sweden's high-end resources.

Exchange in Chinese Embassy in Sweden

Understanding the trade cooperation between China and Sweden

At the Summer Davos Forum in 2017, President Xi Jinping met with Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Levine and said that Sweden is the first Western country to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. Under the new situation, he hopes to carry out bilateral cooperation in various fields with innovative thinking so as to promote China-Sweden relations to a new level. On the trip to Sweden's design and innovation journey, Gong Xiaofeng, director of the Hebei Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, and the Hebei Industrial Cooperation Delegation visited the Economic and Commercial Counsellor's Office of the Chinese Embassy in Sweden, and had an exchange with Counselor Han Xiaodong to learn about trade between China and Sweden and promote Sweden and Hebei industry docking cooperation.

At the symposium, Counselor Han Xiaodong gave a detailed introduction about Sweden's social and economic development and trade between China and Sweden, and expressed his expectation for the cooperation between Hebei and Sweden. In particular, the ice and snow industry of Zhangjiakou Winter Olympics and Xiong'an New District would be the cooperation opportunity. He hopes that more Hebei enterprises will invest in Sweden in the future, complementing and strengthening cooperation with the Swedish industry. The Embassy will also actively build bridges for innovative cooperation between the two companies and promote the communicating and cooperating between Hebei and Sweden.

At the meeting, Director Gong Xiaofeng said that there were mainly four purposes for the Hebei Industrial Cooperation Delegation to visited Sweden. “ The first is to introduce Swedish resources for the development of high-tech industry in Xiong'an New District, and to supplement the short board of Hebei; the second is to explore collaborative projects between Zhangjiakou Winter Olympics and the Sweden's industry-wide chain like ice and snow equipment, medical structure and other systems; the third is to introduce Swedish design power, promoting the Hebei’s development environment and Sino-Swiss design port project to Swedish creative design institutions around Hebei's industrial design and development; The fourth is to strengthen the pragmatic progress of the project and the results around the existing Nordic investment or cooperation projects in Hebei. At present, Hebei faces three historical opportunities of the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the planning and construction of the Xiong'an New District and the organization of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and Zhangjiakou. It will usher in the economic restructuring and accelerate the industrial transformation and upgrading. Our visit to Finland and Sweden is profound and enlightening. Sweden is a country with leading global technological development and innovation. We are eager to integrate Swedish high-end resources to enhance Hebei's independent innovation capability and achieve high-quality industrial development."

Shirley Feng, director of the Hebei Industrial Design Innovation Center, said that the Swedish design focused on simple and clean lines and a strong pragmatic orientation, combining traditional aesthetics with modern design methods and business culture to bring Swedish fashion and furniture industries to the world. The introduction of its industrial and design development experience and resources is an important starting point for promoting Hebei's industrial design and development to promote industrial transformation and upgrading. Since the vigorous development of industrial design in Hebei last year, we have established a cooperative relationship with Swedish industrial design to construct Qinhuangdao Sino-Swiss Design Port, to introduce Swedish design resources like design houses and other Swedish design institutions. We hope that this Swedish design innovation tour can strengthen the exchange and cooperation between Sweden and Hebei, further introducing the advanced design power of Sweden to promote the transformation and upgrading of Hebei's industry.

Constructing Qinhuangdao Sino-Swiss Design Port

Introducing Swedish advanced design agency

Qinhuangdao Sino-Swiss Design Port is the supporting carrier platform for the key construction of Hebei industrial design development. It was officially launched in September this year with the support of the Qinhuangdao Municipal People's Government and jointly initiated by Shenzhen Industrial Design Industry Association and Hebei Industrial Design Innovation Center, in order to create a one-stop comprehensive service for Qinhuangdao industry with a full range of top-level design, technical research, design guidance, rapid mold hand printing, industrial docking, event exchange, product release, design promotion, exhibition display, etc.. With a total construction area of 12,238 square meters, renovated from 59 independent harbour buildings, it is an international design park that integrates the three core elements of urban brand, industrial design and human nature, aiming to introduce the simple design style of Sweden into Qinhuangdao, thus to promote industrial transformation and upgrading.

The Hebei Industrial Cooperation Delegation traveled to Stockholm's well-known industrial design incubator The Power of X to hold a symposium with representatives of Swedish industrial design agencies such as Boys Don't Cry and A FOUND to learn about the development of Swedish industrial design institutions. Director Gong Xiaofeng gave a detailed introduction about Hebei industrial design development environment and the introduction of Qinhuangdao Zhongrui Design Port. The participants were very interested in the favorable policies and environment of Hebei industrial design development, and said that Hebei's development opportunities and market environment were huge. It is the foothold of the Swedish design agency to open the Chinese market, they are expecting to have the opportunity to set up branches in Hebei.

In addition, the Hebei Industrial Cooperation Delegation also went to Volvo Car Group Headquarters, CEVT Geely Automobile Europe R&D Center, Borås Science Park, Swedish Schaeff University Industrial Innovation Center (ASSAR), Swedish Incubator and Science Park (SISP), Swedish Science and Technology Research institute RISE and other famous Swedish companies and industry organizations to visit and inspect, learning about the innovation and development of local enterprises, introducing the high-end development experience of local manufacturing for Hebei.

Volvo

One of the world's top 20 car companies

Volvo is the largest auto company in Northern Europe and one of the top 20 auto companies in the world. Its group headquarter is located in Gothenburg, Sweden. As the largest industrial enterprise in Sweden, Volvo Car has production bases in more than 20 countries and regions in the world, and engaged in business activities in more than 190 markets, with customers concentrated in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

The Hebei Industrial Cooperation Delegation visited the Volvo Car Group headquarters and held discussions with Anders Karrberg, Vice President of Government Affairs, to learn about Volvo's history of automobile development and automobile manufacturing technology, and to visit Volvo Museum and car production lines. At the Volvo Car Museum, the Hebei Industrial Cooperation Delegation traveled through time and space to explore the development of Volvo Cars. The exhibition area of the museum is 8,000 square meters, showing Volvo's entire product range, including cars, trucks, buses, engineering equipment, marine engines and other products. 

Subsequently, the Hebei Industrial Cooperation Delegation took the blue train of the Volkswagen Volvo car factory and visited the behind-the-scenes factory of the Volvo product line to learn about the production process from sheet metal to finished car and experienced the Volvo car manufacturing process. As one of Sweden's important industries, Volvo presented its members of the Hebei Industrial Cooperation Delegation with their unique insights in the Swedish automotive industry and advanced development experience in smart car communication systems, safety, design and environmental protection.

CEVT, Europe R&D Center of Geely Automobile

Core Link of Volvo and Geely R & D and design

CEVT, Geely Automobile Europe R&D Center, is affiliated to Geely Holding Group. It is the core link of coordinated R&D and design between Volvo and geely in the future. At the beginning of its establishment in 2013, the total number of CEVT employees was only 10, and now CEVT has become one of the 15 largest companies in Gothenburg. Currently, CEVT has nearly 2,000 employees from 28 countries, and its research and development scope covers Geely's future strategic products and R&D platform, including shared architecture, chassis, powertrain, transmission system, body and model design, vehicle procurement, quality management and new product marketing.

The Hebei Industrial Cooperation Delegation and Wei Gang, Senior Vice President of CEVT, and Lin Xu, Vice President of Digital IT, held a discussion and exchange, and visited the new Lectra model based on CMA structure jointly developed by Geely Automobile and Volvo Car, and experienced the latest model VR activity to learn about advanced automotive R&D technologies and design concepts.

Borås Science Park

Swedish Textile Industry Center

Borås is located in the West Yotland region of southwestern Sweden. It is a city famous for its textile industry. In 1900, the Borås textile industry began to flourish, which greatly promoted the development of the entire Swedish textile industry. The Borås Science Park showed the growth of Swedish textile companies, including spinning, knitted fabrics and warp knitted fabrics.

The Hebei Industrial Cooperation Delegation visited the Boras Textile Fashion Center and the Textile Museum, and held a discussion with Erik Bresky, President of the Boras Science Park, to learn about the mechanical history of Boras Textile, the history of mechanical workers, and the Swedish textile design process since the 20th century. 

Industrial Innovation Arena, University of Schaeffd, Sweden(ASSAR)

Under the major opportunities such as the coordinated development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the planning and construction of Xiong'an New District, and Beijing's cooperation with Zhangjiakou to organize the 2022 Winter Olympics, Hebei's traditional advantageous industries are facing unprecedented opportunities and challenges. Industrial transformation and upgrading are imminent. As the important means and strategic tools for transforming the economy development mode and optimization of industrial layout, industrial design have been valued and recognized by all countries in the world, and it is also the starting point for Hebei to promote industrial transformation and upgrading. Swedish design leads the world in a “simple” style, which is one of the global design trends for fashion and furniture. The visit and exchange of the Hebei industrial cooperation delegation to Sweden is a key step for Hebei to move towards Swedish design strategic cooperation. It is of epoch-making significance and influence for Hebei to build an open design innovation development system and lead the industrial transformation and upgrading in line with the international community.