CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co., Ltd. has experienced four historical phases.
Phase I: the birthplace of Qingdao labor movement and the place where CPC in Qingdao was founded
CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co., Ltd. is formerly Sifang Locomotive Works, which was born in October, 1900. In October, 1900, Germany began to construct Jiaoji Railway Sifang Works while they were building Jiaoji Railway. In 1914, Japan occupied Sifang Works after invading and occupying Qingdao. In 1923, Beiyang government took over Sifang Works. In 1938 Japan occupied Sifang Works again. In 1945 KMT government took over Sifang Works. In half century before liberation, Sifang works focused on the repairing and assembling of rail locomotives, passenger trains and wagons. From 1920s on, labor movements were surging in China. Sifang people stirred fierce labor movements through establishing 'Shengdanhui' and striking several times when facing the rule and oppression of invaders - Germany and Japan and Beiyang and KMT government in different periods, which drove and deeply influenced the labor movements in Qingdao. In 1925, Sifang Works branch of CPC was founded, which made Sifang the foundation place of CPC in Qingdao. At the same year the vice president of All China Federation of Trade Unions, Liu Shaoqi, came to Sifang works to guide labor movement personally. Before liberation, the labor movements in Sifang Works for anti invasion and oppression and the persevering fighting spirit of Sifang people went down in the history of Qingdao labor movements and left magnificence in the history of China railway labor movements.
Phase II: the cradle of rolling stocks of the People's Republic of China
After liberation, the Sifang Works was reborn. And Sifang workers, as a host, started the painstaking pioneer full of the thoughts of serving the motherland. In July, 1952, Sifang Works made great efforts to manufacture the first steam locomotive (named ‘August 1st’) of new China all by itself, ending the history that China could not manufacture trains. From then on, Sifang Works made many 'the first ones in China railway industry, such as the first batch of passenger cars, the first double-deck car, etc.. When it came into the 1960s, Sifang Works overcame many difficulties and insisted on simultaneous development of manufacture and research. And then it manufactured China's first diesel hydraulic locomotive and put into mass production successfully, which contributes the traction power for locomotives transferring from steam power to diesel power. In 1970s, Sifang Works began to export locomotives and passenger cars in large amounts. In ten year, Sifang Works had exported locomotives to Tanzania-Zambia railway, Vietnam, Albania and Pakistan, which established China's export base for locomotives and passenger cars. Sifang Works made great contributions to railway industry and new China's socialist construction, known as the cradle of new China's rolling stocks.
Phase III: main force of 'speed-up' of China's railways
Since the reform and opening-up policy was adopted, especially after the socialist market economy system was built, Sifang Works continuously speeded up the technical update and innovation and moved into a high-speed development period in order to serve for railway passenger transportation and realize China rolling stock industry modernization.
In 1986, Sifang Works caught the opportunity and spent near 100 million RMB on the largest scale technical update and the expansion of passenger car system at Jihongtan manufacture base since the foundation of PRC. Sifang Works finished the expansion work and made trial-production in 2 years, which made a wonder in the history of railway industry and laid a massy foundation for its future.
At the same time, Sifang Works continuously speeded up the technical innovation and manufactured a lot of new representative products. In 1998, Sifang Works manufactured the first single-deck hydraulic transmission DMU, the first AC transmission diesel locomotive and the double-deck Health Express Train in China, setting up good VI and PI. The design level and quality of bogie for passenger cars continued to hold the leading position in its industry. Sifang works had already become the main force in the first 'speed-up' of China's railway in 1997. Sifang Works manufactured 1,100 speed-up passenger cars for the previous five 'speed-up' programs of China's railway.
The construction of Jihongtan manufacture base strengthened the enterprise's operation scale continuously, raised the production manages index greatly and enhanced the overall strength obviously. In 1989, Sifang Works became one of the national 500 biggest industrial enterprises. In 1990, Sifang works was promoted to grade-two national enterprise.
In 2000, for the 100th anniversary of Sifang Works, Mr. Jiang Zemin, the former General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and President of the State, wrote 'to Manufacture High-Grade Passenger Trains Supported by Unique Technical Innovations' to encourage Sifang people.
In the same year, Sifang Works basically finished the corporation system transformation, established normative corporate governance management system, improved sound incentive, restraint and oversight mechanisms and formed a modern enterprise system preliminarily through deepening enterprise reform and separating logistic system and auxiliary system from production.
In the beginning of 2001, Sifang Works started shareholding reform according to the 'speed up' of competitive enterprises reform within CRRC group. In July, 2000, CRRC Sifang Locomotive & Rolling Stock Co., Ltd. was founded.
Phase IV: Modern R&D and Manufacture Base for Rail Transportation Equipment In July of 2002, CRRC Sifang Locomotive & Rolling Stock Co., Ltd. was found, which represents a new stage in more than a hundred years of development of Sifang.
In recent years, CRRC Sifang insists on scientific outlook on development, commits to realize the modernization of China rail transportation equipment, aims to master world level technology, manufacture world level products and build world level base. It has fully implemented technical reformation, procedure rebuilding, established technology innovation system and built international top-ranking modern manufacture base. The R&D ability, technical and manufacturing capability of CRRC Sifang has leaped to the world advanced level.
Independent innovation is vital for enterprises to gain competitive advantage. In recent years, CRRC Sifang insists on the idea of original innovation, integrated innovation as well as renovation upon introduction and absorption of technology, which improved the independent innovation of CRRC Sifang all-round. We successfully developed and manufactured such high-tech products in the field of world rail transportation equipment as Qinghai-Tibet railway passenger train, linear metro vehicles, high-speed EMUs, etc.. The 190 Qinghai-Tibet railway passenger trains developed and manufactured by CRRC Sifang has been safely running on the roof of the world for more than 4 years. The linear metro vehicles developed on the basis of integrated innovation make Chins become the third country able to develop such vehicles. CRRC Sifang stands in the leading position of R&D and manufacture of high-speed EMUs in China: CRRC Sifang is China's leader providing the first EMUs with the speed of 200-250km/h, the pioneer of EMUs with the speed of 300-350km/h, the first to produce a high-speed EMU with the speed of 380km/h, and first to produce sleeping EMU with long composition. CRRC Sifang has formed a complete R&D and manufacture system for high-speed EMU supported by the three technical platforms for design, manufacture and products.
The successful development of a large number of high-tech products improved the technology, manufacture and management platforms of CRRC Sifang, enhanced the core competence, promoted the enterprise image and expanded its influence and further demonstrated the competitive advantage of CRRC Sifang in home and abroad markets. At present, no other domestic company has delivered more high-speed EMUs with more configurations. We also won a lot of orders for urban transit vehicles. In the overseas market, our products have been exported to more than 20 countries and regions.
In June of 2010, China high-speed train industrialization base was built and put into use in CRRC Sifang. The yearly production capacity of CRRC Sifang is of 200 high-speed EMUs, 1000 mass transit vehicles, 300 high-grade passenger cars. The world top-ranking State Engineering Laboratory of System Integration for High-speed Train has been built and put into use, which improved test verification system of the high-speed EMUs and strengthened independent and continuing R&D capability of CRRC Sifang. It also provides technical support for improvement of independent and sustained R&D ability of CRRC Sifang even China's high-speed train industry.
In August 2010, CRH380 new generation high-speed EMU rolled off the production line successfully in CRRC Sifang, which is the most representative and historical leap in the development of China rail transportation equipment.