In the spring of March, all things grow. The reporter arrived at Xiaogang Xiangye Industrial Base in Shuangshui Town, Xinhui District. Along Shuangshui Avenue, there are one fragrance making enterprise after another, and the air is filled with the rich aroma of agarwood and sandalwood. It is reported that "Xiaogangxiang" has been passed down for nearly 700 years and has formed exquisite incense making techniques. It has nearly 300 varieties including agarwood, sandalwood, tower incense, string incense, pan incense, incense, smokeless incense, raised character incense, functional incense, etc. It is one of the four traditional industries in Xinhui District. At present, there are approximately 1280 incense making enterprises in Xiaogang, including upstream and downstream enterprises, totaling about 1600. Xiaogang incense is sold throughout the country and exported to more than 140 countries and regions worldwide, with a total output value of over 3.3 billion yuan in 2023.
Among the three major fragrance industry bases in China, 'Xiaogang Fragrance' in Shuangshui Town has the most complete industrial chain, the largest scale, the largest number of employees, the most complete product types, and the longest history. In 2010, Shuangshui Town was awarded the title of 'China Fragrance Industry Base' by the China Association of Daily Necessities Industry and the China Light Industry Federation, becoming the first fragrance industry base in China. 'Guo Jianfeng, the head of the Shuangshui Town Economic Office, introduced,' However, like other traditional industries, Xiaogang Fragrance Industry has many problems such as weak fragrance factories, high industry reputation without well-known brands, and increasingly serious aging workers. Fragrance enterprises generally face the pressure of transformation and upgrading. '
Poverty leads to change, change leads to communication, and the general rule lasts for a long time.
Accelerating the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries towards the mid to high end is a necessary slope and hurdle to achieve high-quality economic development. At present, Shuangshui Town is vigorously promoting the digital transformation and upgrading of the Xiaogangxiang industry, enhancing the core competitiveness of the industry, adding bricks and tiles to the hundreds of millions of projects, and contributing to the construction of green and beautiful Shuangshui. At the same time, various fragrance factories in Shuangshui Town are also actively exploring breakthroughs.
Comprehensive innovation has brought new hope to the transformation and upgrading of 'Xiaogangxiang'.
Innovation in production methods
Transitioning from manual workshops to mechanized production
The new meeting in April, the spring rain is drizzling, and the plants and trees are turning green. Liang Dacheng Fragrance Factory, located in Xiaogang Fragrance Industry Base, is working hard to grab orders and meet deadlines. On the assembly line composed of multiple mechanized production equipment such as mixers, cutting machines, assembly lines, packaging lines, etc., workers are proficiently operating, and the production line is busy.
In the past, the equipment for mixing, fragrance making, and picking in the production process was all done independently. After technological transformation, we have linked these links into an assembly line, saving 30% of labor costs compared to before. The standardization of product production is higher, and the overall working environment is better, "said Xiao Pengxiang, Chairman of Liang Dacheng Fragrance Factory.
It is reported that in actual production, the two steps of crushing, grinding, and mixing raw materials require a lot of time and manpower. Using machines to achieve automated production can effectively improve production efficiency.
However, due to the relatively niche nature of the fragrance industry compared to other industries, the demand for mechanical equipment is not high enough, and there are no specialized equipment manufacturers to design and produce equipment for the fragrance industry. As a result, the automation transformation of enterprises has encountered bottlenecks.
In 2022, during the research process, we found that some equipment for producing feed was similar to the process of making incense in terms of raw material crushing, grinding, and stirring. Therefore, we introduced a set of feed processing basic equipment and hired technical workers to carry out technical transformation, transforming it into equipment suitable for making incense. "Xiao Pengxiang said that currently, the equipment is in the debugging stage, and the expected output is expected to increase by more than 5 times compared to the past.
Next to the factory building, there is an open field with several excavators shuttling back and forth, creating a busy construction scene. This is the second phase of the Liang Dacheng Fragrance Factory project. The new factory will use automated production, greatly improving production efficiency. After the project is completed, the output value will reach 150 million yuan, "Xiao Pengxiang introduced.
Innovation in sales methods
Online sales channel opens "Xintiandi"
Overall, Xiaogangxiang's sales mainly rely on offline markets, selling to distributors through wholesale channels or through retail stores.
It is reported that in recent years, due to the rapid advancement of urban integration and the influence of the overall environment, many living customs have changed, and the flavor of some traditional festivals has become lighter. The number of customers who come to purchase on-site has decreased, and Xiangdi's sales have encountered difficulties.
In addition to the incense factory, I also operate a folk goods sales enterprise. I have some experience in online sales, "Xiao Pengxiang introduced. "At present, the company has opened online stores on Taobao, Jingdong, Tmall, Pinduoduo and Tiktok to sell incense. In combination with the current market situation, the company will increase efforts to jointly develop online and offline, and push the company's finished products to thousands of households." Xiao Pengxiang said.
At present, many small Gang incense making enterprises have begun to adopt the online sales model. The opening of this channel has opened up new horizons for the sales of small Gang incense, "said Li Weinan, a first level chief clerk in Shuangshui Town.
Our company mainly sells online through the Pinduoduo platform, and the target audience is mainly middle-aged and elderly people. Currently, many peers are exploring online sales channels, but due to lack of experience and professional talents, the promotion of online sales is relatively slow. In this regard, there is still great potential to be explored, "said Liang Jianzhong, General Manager of Lunfa Fragrance Industry Co., Ltd. in Xinhui District, Jiangmen City.
Product research and development innovation
Open up a new track of "life fragrance" and "elegant fragrance"
I believe that through automated production, improving efficiency and reducing costs can make money. However, there is not much room for improvement and cost reduction. Due to the low gross profit margin of products and the long payback period of introducing new equipment, blindly pursuing automation is unrealistic. Only by adhering to research and development innovation and producing high value-added products that meet social needs can we truly solve the pain points of traditional industry transformation, "said Xiao Pengxiang.
It is reported that traditional Buddhist incense is called "worship incense" and is mainly used in temples and at home to worship Buddha. Considering cultural relics protection, environmental protection, fire safety, and other aspects, in recent years, more and more temples do not allow incense to enter. The government has also introduced relevant policies to prohibit the burning of large "incense burners". At the same time, new forms of Buddhist worship such as electronic incense and online worship have emerged on the market. This has a significant impact on traditional "Bai Bai Xiang" products.
For this reason, the company has opened up a new track, and while developing new "worship incense" such as smokeless incense, embossed incense and backflow incense, it has actively developed new life perfumes such as perfume and health preserving incense that cater to the preferences of the new generation of young people.
It is understood that since ancient times, literati have engaged in nine noble activities: burning incense, planting flowers, seeking solitude, tasting tea, listening to rain, admiring snow, waiting for the moon, drinking wine, and playing the qin. Burning incense is known as the 'foremost of elegance'. From the common spices in the Tang Dynasty, the more important ones include sandalwood, musk, rutin, agarwood, agarwood, as well as pepper, turmeric, and so on; In terms of use, it has the functions of incense, anti bark beetle, warding off evil spirits, praying for good fortune, etc., just like today's perfume, air freshener, insect repellent, amulet, etc.
"In recent years, national style products are popular in the market. Compared with perfume, setting off life fragrance is more elegant, more affordable, and is conducive to further improving the quality of life. The use scenarios can be toilets, living rooms, hotel lobbies, etc., which can be used for deodorization as well as fragrance." Xiao Pengxiang said.
It is reported that the company's other flagship new product is health fragrance. According to ancient books and literature records, many aromatherapy products are made from traditional natural spices. The company actively strengthens cooperation with research institutions and collaborates to develop new products. From seeking innovative development of enterprises to cooperating with local government industrial layout, this year the enterprise has invested up to 3% of its output value in research and development funds, and established a dedicated research and development department to analyze and detect the content of aromatic substances and the ignition point of its fragrance products after combustion. In depth research has been conducted on ancient literature such as "Chinese Fragrance Literature Collection", "Siku Quanshu Xiangcheng", and "Complete Collection of Chinese Medicinal Materials" to excavate lost ancient formula fragrances and improve their utilization. At present, the company has developed more than 20 health fragrances such as ambergris, true reducing fragrance, and rhinoceros fragrance, which have various effects such as helping sleep, calming the mind, and promoting nasal function. The product is scheduled to be launched in October and has a broad market prospect.
"At present, Shuangshui Town has put forward the goal of building the brand of" World Fragrance City ", fully applied for the certification of China's intangible cultural heritage and geographical indications of the People's Republic of China, so that" new quality productivity "can burst out in traditional industries, thus comprehensively enhancing the influence of Xiaogang Fragrance brand. This year, Shuangshui Town will vigorously promote the planning and layout of Xiaogang Fragrance, the adjustment of variety structure, the innovation of production organization, quality assurance, the construction of trade services, brand creation, and the creation of the model of" Tourism+Fragrance Industry ", actively promote the scientific and technological innovation and transformation of Xiaogang Fragrance, and will also plan to build a street of Xiaogang Fragrance Industry, Xiaogang Fragrance Industrial Park, actively promote the integration of industry, university and research, and enhance the core competitiveness of Xiaogang Fragrance Industry." Zeng Qinghua, secretary of Shuangshui Town Party Committee, said.
New factories, new equipment, new processes, new models... New ideas have brought new prospects, and the exploration and innovation of "Xiaopengxiang" in their respective fragrance factories have explored new paths for the transformation and upgrading of "Xiaogangxiang".
