Dialogue with Jidong Group’s Liu Dajian: We Take Automotive Rearview Mirrors Seriously!
Guided by the Qingdao Municipal Bureau of Industry and Information Technology, hosted by the Qingdao Daily Press Group and the Qingdao Automobile Industry Association, undertaken by Qingdao News Network and Qingdao Morning Post, and co-organized by the Jilin University Qingdao Automotive Research Institute, the “Rising Trend, Future is Here—2022 Qingdao Auto Awards” activity officially commenced.
As a manufacturing enterprise founded in 1985 with a history of nearly 40 years, Qingdao Jidong Auto Parts Co., Ltd. has witnessed the rapid advancement of China’s automotive industry since the reform and opening-up. Currently, the company focuses on four major product lines: automotive rearview mirrors, steering columns, cooling modules, and automotive electronics, and has become a primary supplier for 24 vehicle manufacturers. In today’s era of comprehensive electrification and intelligentization in the automotive industry, as a private enterprise, Jidong Group has become a model and example for the transformation and development of local manufacturing enterprises in Qingdao.
Even a small rearview mirror involves significant expertise. As a manufacturer of traditional automotive rearview mirrors, Jidong Group has continuously refined and perfected its products over the years, becoming a well-known manufacturer in the commercial vehicle rearview mirror sector with a market share exceeding 41%. Facing the new era of accelerated transformation towards electrification, intelligentization, connectivity, and sharing in the automotive field, how is Jidong Group responding? To explore this, the Qingdao News Network interview team spoke with Liu Dajian, Executive Vice General Manager of Qingdao Jidong Auto Parts Co., Ltd. and Dean of the Research Institute, to uncover Jidong Group’s new ideas and directions.
Interviewee: Liu Dajian, Executive Vice General Manager of Qingdao Jidong Auto Parts Co., Ltd. and Dean of the Research Institute
Interviewer: Ren Junfeng, Reporter, Qingdao News Network
Videographer: Xu Bin
Jidong Enters a New Lane of High-Quality Development
Reporter: Could you discuss the key development milestones Qingdao Jidong Auto Parts Co., Ltd. has experienced over the past nearly 40 years?
Liu Dajian: Qingdao Jidong was established by Mr. Li Ruiyu in 1985, initially focusing mainly on hardware processing. In 1993, it began supplying rearview mirror arms to FAW Jiefang Qingdao Automobile Plant, marking its entry into the auto parts sector.
In 2007, Mr. Li Guilin returned from studying abroad and took over the company, shouldering the responsibility for its development. He established the development philosophy of “Aiming High and Being Down-to-Earth,” strategically planning products vertically and markets horizontally, initiating the company’s second entrepreneurial phase. Under Mr. Li Guilin’s leadership, from 2008 to 2017, the company sequentially completed the layout of its four major product segments: automotive rearview mirrors, steering columns, cooling modules, and automotive electronics. Starting in 2013, Jidong successively entered the supply systems of customers including BAIC, Shacman, JAC, Dongfeng, Sinotruk, Foton, and Jiangling, and has now become a primary supplier for 24 vehicle manufacturers. In 2022, the company’s third plant area was completed and put into operation, with the CNAS testing center and smart workshop commencing operations in the new facility, marking Jidong’s entry into a new phase of high-quality development.
Currently, manufacturing is evolving towards informatization, automation, and intelligentization, with smart manufacturing increasingly becoming the core of future manufacturing development. Leveraging its own characteristics and focusing on “cost reduction, inventory control, quality improvement, and efficiency enhancement,” Jidong promotes the integration of informatization and industrialization, achieving comprehensive intelligent upgrading of production line equipment. Jidong’s electronics workshop is equipped with four production lines: SMT, AA, testing, and assembly. Through an integrated PDM, ERP, and MES platform, it connects various links including information, procurement, sales, production, operations, storage/transportation, and finance. This enables synchronization of product information, order plans, BOM information, and quality information, realizing a parallel management model integrating production and sales. Simultaneously, automating and digitizing the production and testing processes significantly enhances product consistency and achieves high-quality product development.
The Era of Electronic Rearview Mirrors Has Arrived
Reporter: In May this year, Qingdao Jidong won the bid for Ford’s streaming media rearview mirror project, filling a gap in Qingdao’s automotive electronics supply chain. What is your company’s prediction for the development direction of automotive rearview mirrors?
Liu Dajian: As early as around 2010, we began specifically researching the global development direction of rearview mirrors. By entering the era of aluminum-plastic mirrors, we had already left our competitors behind. Currently, it is evident that traditional rearview mirrors will inevitably be replaced by electronic rearview mirrors; the era of electronic rearview mirrors has arrived.
First, let me clarify: streaming media rearview mirrors belong to the electronic rearview mirror system. Jidong’s involvement in electronic rearview mirrors stems from continuous research and benchmarking against global automakers. After gathering information on foreign electronic rearview mirror research in 2016, the company quickly formed a team, built technical reserves, and initiated R&D for electronic rearview mirrors in 2017, making us one of the earliest domestic enterprises to research this technology. Electronic rearview mirrors represent an intelligent upgrade, offering a wider field of view and providing a full-scene view in adverse weather conditions like night, rain, and snow. Furthermore, by eliminating the bulky “wind-catching ears,” they effectively reduce wind resistance, contributing to energy saving and emissions reduction.
Jidong has now completed the development of three generations of products and conducted benchmarking against similar European and American products in March this year. Concurrently, actively developing collaborative innovation between整车 manufacturers and suppliers, we have completed 11 vehicle installations with partners like FAW and Jiangling, and won the Ford streaming media rearview mirror project bid in May. In the future, Qingdao Jidong aims to provide vehicle manufacturers with comprehensive commercial vehicle environment monitoring systems centered around electronic rearview mirrors.
Electrification of Traditional Products, Intelligentization of Future Products
Reporter: From industry-university-research cooperation with Jilin University Qingdao Automotive Research Institute to signing strategic cooperation with Wuhan University of Technology, Jidong’s emphasis on front-end R&D is clear. What are the future R&D directions for your products?
Liu Dajian: With the acceleration of the automotive “New Four Modernizations” trend—electrification, intelligentization, connectivity, and sharing—the automotive industry landscape is being reshaped.
As an automotive components enterprise, Qingdao Jidong has defined its product guiding philosophy as “Electrification of Traditional Products, Intelligentization of Future Products.” We adhere to high-quality innovation and are based on the transformation and upgrading of our advantageous products.
For example, as mentioned, electronic rearview mirrors will be developed into intelligent cloud mirrors integrating smart algorithms and cloud technology. For steering column products, we are currently developing electrically adjustable steering columns for electric trucks, with future research directed towards steer-by-wire columns required for autonomous driving. In terms of product R&D, Qingdao Jidong externally combines industry-university-research collaboration with key universities, research institutes, and tech companies, while internally sustaining development and innovation, unwaveringly promoting the company’s products towards high-end, automated, and intelligent directions.
”China’s No.1, World-Class”
Reporter: In June this year, the unveiling ceremony for the Qingdao Automotive Parts R&D and Testing Center was held at the Jidong Testing Center. With technological transformation and upgrading, the target market tier and products are also changing. What production sectors does the company currently cover, and what are the future development directions and goals?
Liu Dajian: Qingdao Jidong currently has four major product sectors: automotive rearview mirrors, steering columns, cooling modules, and automotive electronics. In the medium and heavy-duty truck sector, our rearview mirrors, steering columns, and electronic rearview mirror products all hold leading positions in the industry. Among them, the rearview mirror market share is 41.3%, ranking first in the industry for five consecutive years.
As the automotive industry enters the “New Four Modernizations” era, market demands on vehicle manufacturers are increasing, parts production standards are rising accordingly, and enterprises face significant challenges and opportunities. Qingdao Jidong’s products are fully integrated into the future plans of vehicle manufacturers, highly aligning with the industry trend of automotive “New Four Modernizations.” In the future, we are committed to becoming China’s first, world-class supplier of commercial vehicle vision systems and steering columns.
Post-Interview Note:
Persistent focus on a single field is an important path to success. Having transformed from a small hardware enterprise into a nationally renowned automotive parts company over nearly 40 years, “focus” has played a crucial role for Jidong. Currently, at the critical juncture of manufacturing transformation and upgrading, Jidong is proactively transitioning towards intelligentization and electronization with its characteristic focus and acuity. The transformative development of Jidong is a microcosm of the
