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Views: 0 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2025-09-04 Origin: Site
China’s hydraulic industry has developed alongside the founding and modernization of the nation. Since Shanghai Machine Tool Plant produced the country’s first hydraulic component—a gear pump—in 1952, the industry has progressed through several phases: initial foundation, system building, expansion and diversification, and advancement through technology transfer and innovation.
In the early 1950s, China lacked specialized manufacturers for hydraulic components. Machine tool plants in Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, and Changsha produced pumps and valves mainly for their own use, modeled on Soviet designs such as radial piston pumps, vane pumps, hydraulic control boards for combination machines, grinder control boxes, hydraulic planers, and high-pressure pumps for hydraulic presses. Products during this period generally used pipe connections, with poor structural integrity and performance comparable only to international standards of the 1940s.
In 1959, the Tianjin Hydraulic Components Factory was established, becoming China’s first dedicated enterprise in this field. This marked the transition from in-house production to specialized, industrial-scale manufacturing.
During the 1960s, hydraulic technology spread from the machine tool sector to agricultural and construction machinery. To overcome the limitations of single-type, bulky, and outdated Soviet-style components—and to meet growing demands from equipment manufacturers—China’s hydraulic industry began moving toward independent design and R&D.
The government assigned responsibility for centralized planning and technical development to major institutes, including the Beijing Machine Tool Research Institute, Jinan Foundry & Forging Machinery Research Institute, Guangzhou Machine Tool Research Institute, and Dalian Combination Machine Tool Research Institute, forming the backbone of the country’s research network.
1965: The Yuci Hydraulic Components Factory was founded to support the industry’s shift from medium/low-pressure to high-pressure technology. The factory imported 21 MPa hydraulic valve technology and complete manufacturing/testing equipment from Yuken (Japan), along with foreign prototypes valued at USD 300,000 for reverse engineering.
1966–1968: Led by the Guangzhou institute, a medium/low-pressure series rated at 2.5 MPa and 6.3 MPa was developed, covering directional, pressure, and flow valves, as well as pumps and motors. The project included 187 models and over 1,000 specifications, many of which entered mass production.
1966: The Beijing institute developed a nozzle-flapper electro-hydraulic servo valve, later applied in EDM machines.
1967: The Jinan institute completed the design of the CY14-1 axial piston pump, rated at 32 MPa.
1968: Building on the 21 MPa series, research institutes and factories created China’s first relatively complete 31.5 MPa high-pressure valve series, which soon entered production and achieved wide industrial use.
By the late 1960s and early 1970s, the drive toward mechanization—particularly the supply of automated equipment for the Second Automobile Works—spurred rapid growth in hydraulic manufacturing. Numerous small and medium enterprises emerged as specialized producers. By 1968, China’s annual production of hydraulic components approached 200,000 units, signaling the formation of an independent industrial system.
As the range of high-pressure valves expanded, China turned its focus toward standardization, series design, and interchangeability. The goal was to broaden product variety, improve quality, and close the gap with international leaders.
1973–1978: Over ten organizations—including research institutes, universities, and valve manufacturers—formed a joint valve design group. They compared domestic and foreign designs, performance, and manufacturing methods, eventually producing drawings for a 32 MPa high-pressure valve series. This system integrated advantages from both domestic and international designs, covering 100+ models and 3,000+ specifications. Importantly, mounting and connection dimensions were aligned with international standards. By 1978, the series passed design reviews, prototype trials, and testing, and was promoted nationwide.
Breakthroughs of the 1970s included:
Electro-hydraulic proportional relief and flow valves (Guangzhou Institute)
JK-series integrated valve blocks (with Shanghai Hydraulic Plant No.1, 1973)
Stack valves (Dalian Institute, 1974)
QDY2 servo valve and DYM electro-hydraulic pulse motor (Beijing Institute, 1975)
Cartridge valves and hydraulic systems (Jinan Institute, 1977)
Cycloidal rotor pumps and bladder accumulators
The 1970s became one of the most prolific decades for China’s hydraulic component development.
With reform and opening-up, gaps between advanced host machinery and lagging basic components became evident. In 1982, the General Bureau of Basic Components was established to unify management of hydraulic factories previously scattered across industries. This allowed centralized planning, investment, technology transfer, and R&D support.
Over the following years, China introduced 40+ advanced technologies:
Rexroth (Germany): axial piston pumps, motors, high-pressure valves
Vickers (USA): hydraulic valves
FAG (Germany): ultra-high-pressure pumps and valves
Through assimilation, localization, and process innovation, these technologies entered mass production and became industry benchmarks.
From 1991 to 1998, approximately 1.6 billion RMB was invested nationwide in technical upgrades. This strengthened process equipment, raised technical standards, and laid the foundation for specialized, large-scale production.
With policies encouraging multiple ownership structures, SMEs of various types grew rapidly. Foreign-invested enterprises, both joint ventures and wholly foreign-owned, also expanded, boosting industry standards and exports. By the 1990s, China had 50+ such enterprises, producing piston pumps/motors, steering units, control valves, hydraulic systems, hydrostatic transmissions, castings, and sealing products, with over USD 200 million in foreign investment.
Meanwhile, domestic R&D continued:
1980: Electro-hydraulic proportional compound valve (Guangzhou Institute)
1985: Electro-hydraulic digital valve
1989: GE series medium/high-pressure valves
Additional achievements: stack valve series, low-power solenoid valves, cam-rotor pumps, low-noise vane pumps, new-generation proportional valves, and integrated blocks
By the mid-1990s, after nearly half a century of effort, China’s hydraulic sector had grown into a system with a broad product range and solid technical capacity.
According to the 1995 Third National Industrial Census, China’s hydraulic industry included around 700 enterprises with annual sales exceeding 1 million RMB, spanning state-owned, collective, private, cooperative, and foreign-funded firms. This created a diverse ecosystem of independent R&D, imported manufacturing, joint-venture production, and localized imitation.
By the late 1990s:
Products included ~1,200 types and 10,000+ specifications.
Major equipment matching rate exceeded 60%.
Exports began modestly.
1996: Industry output reached 2.348 billion RMB, ranking 6th globally.
1998: Annual output hit 4.8 million units, sales ~2.8 billion RMB, sell-through rate 97.5%.
2004: Output value surpassed 10.3 billion RMB, a record milestone.
Hydraulic components were now supplying a wide array of industries: machine tools, automotive, metallurgy, power generation, oil & gas, construction, agriculture, defense, aerospace, and environmental engineering.
In 1990, the China Hydraulics Pneumatics & Seals Association was founded, promoting industry coordination. By 2004, China had issued 145 standards (79 national, 66 industry), most harmonized with ISO standards. This strengthened series design, standardization, interchangeability, and supported exports and international cooperation.
Despite progress, several shortcomings remain:
Product limitations: Fewer varieties (about 1/6 of the U.S., 1/5 of Germany), lower reliability, higher noise, shorter service life. Example: domestic gear pumps rated at ~14 MPa vs. 21–28 MPa abroad; piston pump life ~5,000 h vs. double that internationally.
Scale and specialization: Most enterprises remain small, with weak economies of scale. For example, in 2000, 135 factories averaged 51,600 units/year, while Rexroth produced 1.3 million units annually and Parker reported USD 4.6 billion in sales (1999).
R&D investment: Domestic firms often spend only ~1% of sales on R&D, versus 5–10% at major multinationals.
International market penetration: Exports are still in early stages, leaving significant room for growth.
China has placed high importance on hydraulics. In the 2000 Catalogue of High-Tech Products, items such as high-pressure piston pumps/motors, hydraulic valves, monoblock directional valves, variable vane pumps, and medium/high-pressure gear pumps were listed under “High-Performance Mechatronic Components.”
With continuing improvements in national strength, scientific progress, and industrial restructuring, China’s hydraulic technology is expected to advance further, closing gaps with global leaders and contributing to intelligent, efficient, and sustainable machinery systems.
