on december 22, 2021, the industry and information technology department of hunan province and hunan federation of enterprises and industrial economy announced the list of the light-gauge aluminum foil of snto (0.006–0.0065 mm) for food packaging won the honor of the single sector champion of the manufacturing industry in hunan province with its all-around leading advantages in terms of technical strength, innovation ability, and market share.
a leader, not a follower
enterprise with single sector champion of the manufacturing industry refers to an enterprise that long specializes in certain product market segments, features cutting-edge production technology and process, and tops corresponding global segment in terms of product market share. "enterprise with single sector champion of the manufacturing industry" represents the highest development level and the strongest market strength of the global subdivided industries. it is the embodiment of the core competitiveness of the manufacturing industry in china. it not only represents the first phalanx of manufacturing enterprises, but also the vanguard of "made in china". it is known as the "pearl on the crown" of the manufacturing industry in china.
since its establishment in 2003, snto has adhered to the customer-centered approach, carried out r&d innovation around products, technology, operation, and management, and led the transformation and upgrading of the product industry in many fields. as we all know, in the aluminum processing industry, the production of light gauge aluminum foil features the most difficult processing technology and the most complex process. the main sources of blanks for the production of light gauge foil are cast rolling and hot rolling. the disadvantages of hot rolling are various processes, large investment in equipment, and high production cost. the advantages of cast rolling are fast processing speed, low cost, low energy consumption, environmentally friendly, and emission reduction.
in the past, because of the difficulty of cast rolling technology and its inability to guarantee the rate of finished products, the hot rolling method still dominated the production of light gauge foil for a long time despite its many drawbacks. more than a decade ago, the industry giants, including alcoa and chinalco, all adopted the traditional hot rolling process. it was against this background that we, snto, entered into this industry and made the innovation that upended the whole rolling industry at that time. recognizing the importance of innovative change, the founder of snto was forward-looking and bold enough to propose replacing hot rolling with cast rolling to produce high-quality light gauge aluminum foil blanks.
despite the pessimistic attitudes of peers and many industry experts, after a long period of hard work and dedicated research and development, snto became the first company in the world to stably produce high-end aluminum foil in large quantities by cast rolling through the use of chinese equipment and the self-developed short process of "cast rolling instead of hot rolling".
with years of continuous r&d and innovation, snto's technology and productivity in the field of ultra-thin aluminum foil is steadily leading in the world and has become the no. 1 chinese brand in this category. the high-quality light gauge foil produced by snto is recognized and favored by global food packaging companies, driving the reform and upgrade of the packaging industry. in this way, we are helping food companies improve quality, expand sales radius, and make food healthier and better sold.
imitated by many, surpassed by none
since its establishment, snto has entered more than 20 industries and developed nearly 100 kinds of products. after continuous innovation and trial and error, we finally focused on two industries, namely aluminum foil and aluminum formwork, and created a unique advantage. in the aluminum processing industry in china, we have always been imitated but have never been surpassed. some of our employees have been poached by our peers. although it caused us some temporary problems, we firmly believe that what is poached is always only the past technology and achievements, which cannot last long, because the only choice to maintain the competitive advantage is to have the ability of continuous innovation.
the development history and practical results of snto have fully proved the foresight and superiority of the path we have chosen: whole-staff, whole-process, and whole-system innovation. in the past 20 years, we have been honored and encouraged by the state and governments at all levels every year. our honorary title as a "chinese technology innovation demonstration enterprise" awarded by the ministry of industry and information technology is a solid affirmation of snto's achievements.
"hunan province regards the cultivation of these enterprises and products as an important starting point for promoting the high-quality development of the manufacturing industry."the relevant person in charge of the industry and information technology department of hunan province said, adding that the cultivation and rewards are all to give full play to the exemplary role of single champions, guide and encourage manufacturing enterprises to work hard in the field of subdivided products, develop themselves into specialized, sophisticated, distinctive and innovative enterprises, get more innovative and competitive, and improve their level of specialization and internationalization.
in the future, snto will adhere to the principle of innovation-led development and rejuvenating china through industry and commerce and will create its own advantages and make a greater contribution to the creation of a clean, efficient, environmentally sustainable, and better future.