The High-Quality Development Conference of the Printing and Packaging Industry was successfully held in Suzhou
On March 20, 2026, at the Lingyun Optical Industrial AI Taihu Base in Suzhou, more than 200 representatives from packaging and printing companies and printing equipment manufacturing enterprises across the country gathered together. Taking the opportunity of the High-Quality Development Conference of the Printing and Packaging Industry, they discussed ways to unblock the construction of digital factories, empower the entire chain to reduce costs and increase efficiency with AI, and explore concrete paths for high-quality industrial upgrading driven by innovation.
The conference was guided by the China Printing and Equipment Industries Association; organized by the Printing Equipment Branch of the China Printing and Equipment Industries Association and the Suzhou Printing Industry Association; hosted by Lingyun Optical Technology Co., Ltd. and Beijing Dayin Zhida Cultural Media Co., Ltd.; co-organized by Shaanxi Beiren Printing Machinery Co., Ltd., Xi'an Aerospace Huayang Electromechanical Equipment Co., Ltd., Shandong Yingkejie Digital Technology Co., Ltd., Hangzhou Kelei Electromechanical Industrial Co., Ltd., Suzhou Inovance Technology Co., Ltd., and Shenzhen HanHong Digital Printing Group Co., Ltd.; and supported by Kunshan Kewang Fast Printing Co., Ltd., Suzhou Yutong Printing Co., Ltd., and Suzhou Industrial Park Meikele Plate-Making Printing Co., Ltd.
During the conference, the 4th Council (Expanded) Meeting of the Printing Equipment Branch of the China Printing and Equipment Industries Association was also held concurrently.
The 4th Council (Expanded) Meeting of the Printing Equipment Branch of the China Printing Industry Association
On the morning of March 20, 2026, the 4th (expanded) council meeting of the first session of the Printing Equipment Branch of the China Printing Industry Association was held to gauge industry development trends, deeply analyze the development ideas and main directions of the printing equipment industry during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, and provide reference for the future development of industry enterprises. The meeting was presided over by Li Bing, Secretary-General of the Printing Equipment Branch of the China Printing Industry Association.
Deepening service empowerment to support industry development
During the meeting, Zheng Wei, Vice President of Beijing Founder Electronics Co., Ltd. and Chairman of Beijing Founder Yinjie Digital Technology Co., Ltd., delivered the work report of the 3rd council meeting of the first session of the Printing Equipment Branch of the China Printing Industry Association. He introduced a series of work carried out by the branch, focusing on the high-quality development mainline of the industry, and covering three dimensions: government, industry, and member enterprises, with activities centered around data support, planning formulation, standards construction, technology exchange, and statistical research.
According to the meeting arrangements, Liu Wen, Deputy Director of the Printing Equipment Branch of China Printing Industry Association and Deputy General Manager of Shenzhen Jingmida Intelligent Machinery Co., Ltd., read the "Proposal on the Adjustment of the Chairman (Rotating) of the Printing Equipment Branch of China Printing Industry Association"; Yu Peikuan, Vice Chairman of the Printing Equipment Branch of China Printing Industry Association and Chairman of Zhongke Jinggong Machinery (Zhejiang) Co., Ltd., read the "Proposal on the Adjustment of the Vice Chairman of the Printing Equipment Branch of China Printing Industry Association."
Liu Wen, Deputy Chairman of the Printing Equipment Branch of China Printing Industry Association and Deputy General Manager of Shenzhen Jingmida Intelligent Machinery Co., Ltd.
Subsequently, the meeting approved by a show of hands the work report of the third council of the first session of the Printing Equipment Branch and two proposals.
Yao Yi, Chairman of Lingyun Guang Technology Co., Ltd. and Acting Chairman of the Printing Equipment Branch of the China Printing Industry Association, introduced the 2026 work plan of the branch under the theme "AI Empowerment, High-end Breakthroughs, Achieving Sustainable Development," pointing out that the printing equipment industry is showing three core characteristics: artificial intelligence enabling the reconstruction of the industrial ecosystem, high-end breakthroughs addressing bottleneck issues, and green transformation laying a solid foundation for sustainable development.
Li Bing, Secretary General of the Printing Equipment Branch of the China Printing Industry Association, introduced the branch's key work for 2026. It will comprehensively support enterprise transformation and upgrading and promote high-quality development of the industry through measures such as incentivizing technological innovation, advancing the commercialization of achievements, improving the standards system, establishing industry benchmarks, deepening data analysis, holding council meetings, and organizing technical exchange conferences.
Analyzing Industry Trends and Planning Future Journeys
By systematically assessing the current development status and future trends of the printing equipment industry, and scientifically formulating development plans and industry standards, useful references can be provided for business decision-making, clarifying directions, and enhancing core competitiveness for industry enterprises.
Yang Bin, Vice Chairman of the China Printing Industry Association, released the "2024 China Printing Equipment Industry Development Report" and the "15th Five-Year Plan for the Printing Equipment Industry."
The "2024 China Printing Equipment Industry Development Report" is based on national macro industrial data and the 2024 statistics from the Printing Equipment Branch of the China Printing and Equipment Materials Industry Association, providing an in-depth analysis of the economic operation of the printing equipment industry and the current technical status of printing equipment in various sub-sectors.
The "15th Five-Year Plan for the Printing Equipment Industry" explains the development path that the printing equipment industry can follow in its qualitative transformation from "manufacturing" to "intelligent manufacturing" from six aspects: achievements during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, existing problems during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, circumstances faced during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, overall ideas and development goals, development directions and key tasks, main focus areas, and suggested measures and initiatives.
Formulating group standards is an important means to regulate industry development and improve industrial quality. The China Printing Industry Association actively promotes related work, providing solid support for the healthy and sustainable development of the industry. Guan Xiuqing, Deputy Secretary-General and Director of the Technology and Quality Department of the China Printing Industry Association, introduced the work on the development of group standards by the association. During the period, Yang Bin, Vice Chairman of the China Printing Industry Association, presented certificates to the drafting units of the group standard "Smart Gravure Printing Presses - General Requirements for Digitalization"; at the same time, the launching ceremony for the drafting of the group standard "Smart Flexographic Printing Presses - General Requirements for Digitalization" was also held.
Guan Xiuqing, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Printing Industry Association and Director of the Department of Science, Technology, and Quality
In order to enable China's printing equipment manufacturing enterprises to benchmark against international standards and enhance core competitiveness, the meeting specially invited Dr. Yuan Hua, a Doctor of Engineering from the University of Stuttgart, Germany, and an independent senior technical consultant in the machinery industry, to give a talk titled 'Learning from German Experience to Build Sustainable Competitiveness for China's Printing and Packaging Machinery Manufacturing Enterprises,' analyzing advanced paradigms and distilling strategies for breakthrough.
Printing and Packaging Industry
High-Quality Development Conference
The Printing and Packaging Industry High-Quality Development Conference, with the theme "AI Empowerment, High-End Manufacturing," focused on the high-end transformation of the printing and packaging industry. It invited industry experts and benchmark enterprises to engage with participants in a brainstorming session related to "AI." The conference was jointly hosted by Zhang Jun, Dean of the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, and Liu Linlin, Assistant Dean of the School of Printing and Packaging and Digital Media at Xi'an University of Science and Technology.
Zhang Jun, Dean of the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication
Liu Linlin, Assistant to the Dean of the School of Printing, Packaging, and Digital Media, Xi'an University of Technology
Guest Speech: AI Leading High-Quality Development
At the beginning of the meeting, Yang Bin, Vice Chairman of the China Printing Industry Association; Wei Guoling, Executive Deputy Director of the Suzhou Municipal Propaganda Department and Director of the Suzhou Municipal Press and Publication Bureau; Yan Jianzhong, President of the Suzhou Printing Industry Association; and Yao Yi, Chairman of Lingyun Optical Technology Co., Ltd. and rotating Director of the Printing Equipment Branch of the China Printing Industry Association, delivered speeches, wishing the conference a successful 개최 and expressing the hope that everyone would take the conference as an opportunity to jointly write a new chapter of high-quality development in the printing equipment industry on the new track empowered by AI.
Yang Bin mentioned that China's printing industry has developed rapidly. In 1979, the total output value of the printing industry was 4.8 billion yuan, and the 2024 statistics show 1.5 trillion yuan. At the same time, the printing equipment manufacturing industry has also made great progress. Now China is truly a major printing country, but it is not yet a strong printing nation. The goal of the China Printing Industry Association is to promote China's transition from a major printing country to a strong printing nation, and artificial intelligence is a tool that must be well utilized. It is hoped that this meeting can provide everyone with useful references and actively prepare to embrace AI.
Wei Guoling introduced that Suzhou's printing industry's total industrial output value exceeds 80 billion yuan, with more than 3,000 printing enterprises, ranking among the top in the country. This year marks the beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan period, and for the first time, the national Two Sessions included the smart economy in the work report. For the printing and packaging industry, promoting AI empowerment means that the industry will experience an energy leap from 'manufacturing' to 'intelligent manufacturing', which is not only an upgrade of technical tools but also an innovation in development concepts, competition, and market structure.
Yan Jianzhong shared his views, stating that AI-enabled packaging and printing signifies a profound transformation in the model. It is not only a tool for improving production efficiency and reducing costs, but also a core engine for achieving the transition from mass production to personalized services, and from traditional processing to high value-added manufacturing through data intelligence. Therefore, we need to break conventional thinking and promote deep integration of technology, business, and data.
Yao Yi pointed out that AI brings us tremendous opportunities. For the traditional printing industry, what needs to be done now is to apply AI to its own work domains, focusing on two aspects: first, making existing operations intelligent, and second, making management intelligent. AI will empower printing equipment with a higher level of intelligence, thereby achieving higher output, less maintenance, and better service for client companies.
Expert Sharing: AI Empowering Industrial Leap
Currently, AI has become the core driving force leading the global technological and industrial revolutions. Domestically, it is also regarded as an engine capable of leveraging future new quality productivity. To help participants better understand the development history and current status of AI, as well as its implementation path in combination with industries, the organizers specially invited Feng Yongchang, Chief Quality Scientist of Lingyun Optical Technology Co., Ltd. and Fellow of the American Society for Quality; Zou Xin, Director of the Intelligent Innovation Center at Zhongguancun College in Beijing; and Guo Zhangpeng, Professor and PhD Supervisor at North China Electric Power University. They delivered wonderful speeches titled "AI Empowerment · Quality Leap - High-Quality Development Path of the Printing Equipment Industry," "Observing Innovation through the AI Wave," and "Revolution in Integrated Industrial Design Simulation R&D Driven by AI."
Feng Yongchang, Chief Quality Scientist of Lingyun Optical Technology Co., Ltd., Fellow of the American Society for Quality
Zou Xin, Director of the Intelligent Innovation Center at Beijing Zhongguancun College
Professor/PhD Supervisor Guo Zhangpeng, North China Electric Power University
Three experts, from multiple dimensions such as technical tracing, industry practice, and R&D innovation, have injected professional wisdom into enabling industrial leaps with AI.
Corporate Presentation: AI Leading Technological Development
In the corporate presentation session of this conference, it gathered benchmark companies across various segments of printing equipment, including prepress, gravure, flexography, inkjet, visual inspection, as well as the entire industry chain including packaging printing enterprises. The speakers took their companies' deep reflections and practices on linking AI technology with current printing technologies and production management as a thread, combined with their own practical exploration and experience in technology R&D, scenario implementation, and management upgrades, to conduct in-depth analysis and communication with the participants, aiming to achieve new breakthroughs in the 'Practical Year of Industrial AI' in 2026.
Speech Topic: Intelligent Empowerment of Equipment · Scenario-Driven · Co-Creation of Ecosystem - Using AI to Assist the Digital and Intelligent Transformation of Printing Enterprises
Speech Topic: AI-Driven Intelligent Upgrades and Value Breakthroughs of Printing and Coating Equipment
Speech Topic: Intelligent Development and Frontier Exploration of Satellite Flexographic Printing Machines Driven by Data
Speech Topic: Current Status of Intelligent Advancement in High-Speed Inkjet Digital Printing Equipment and Yingkejie's Practice
Zou Meifang, General Manager of Intelligent Industrial Product Line, Lingyun Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.
Speech Topic: Implanting Eyes and Brains into Machines--The Application and Prospects of AI in Printing Quality Control
Speech Topic: Digital Factories in the AI Trend: From Systems to Intelligent Agents
Speech Topic: Sharing Ideas on the Construction of Yutong Technology's Intelligent Printing and Packaging Factory
On-site Visits: Exploring 'AI' Application Paths Together
During the conference, the organizers arranged for the participants to visit Suzhou Lingyun Light Industrial Artificial Intelligence Taihu Base, Suzhou Inovance Technology Co., Ltd., Suzhou Industrial Park Meikele Plate-making and Printing Co., Ltd., and Suzhou Yutong Printing Co., Ltd. for on-site exchanges and visits, allowing them to directly experience AI application scenarios and implementation results. The on-site visits enabled the participants to move beyond theoretical perspectives and gain a clearer understanding of the current status and development potential of AI-powered printing, clarifying the pathways for AI to promote high-end advancement in the printing industry.
Visit Lingyun Optoelectronics Industrial Artificial Intelligence Taihu Base
Visit Inovance Technology
Visit Suzhou Meikole
Visit to Suzhou Yutong
The successful convening of the High-Quality Development Conference of the Printing and Packaging Industry and the Fourth Council (Expanded) Meeting of the First Session of the Printing Equipment Branch of the China Printing Association, with AI empowerment as the core focus, concentrated on the high-quality development of the printing and packaging industry, further consolidating the industry consensus on innovative development and providing ideas for industry enterprises to transition towards intelligence, high-end, and green development.