Zhang Litang, general manager of Shandong Cameron Petroleum Equipment Pte Ltd, a company located in the Weifang Hi-tech Industrial Zone, said limited production capacity and space had become key factors constraining the company's development in the past two years.

But that's all changed now and the company is going from strength to strength, thanks to some quick and proactive thinking.

The company, a ball valve supplier in China to Fortune 500 listed French company Schlumberger, reported an impressive production value of 1.8 billion yuan ($271.93 million) over the last 10 years.

Zhang talked the problem through with officials from the zone's economic and development bureau, who visited the company in April.

Wang Shukun, director of the business development office at the bureau, had good news for Zhang shortly after his visit.

The company was offered a long-term tenancy of a new plant, funded by the government, to solve its production capacity problem.

The company isn't the only one to have received a helping hand.

This year, the zone is rolling out fresh initiatives to boost services for its residents. Government officials have been assigned to liaise with individual projects in order to solve problems in an effective and efficient manner.

"We have visited nearly 500 businesses to date. We need to ensure all problems can be solved quickly," said Zhou Jingcai, deputy director of the zone's economic development bureau.

Government departments are also pushing to help businesses in the hub to better capitalize on their expertise.

One example is the local market regulation bureau of the zone, which launched a series of services to help businesses in the hub to expand their brand awareness.

Shandong Shangde Software, another resident company of the hub, which is an information services provider, got a great response when it applied for official recognition as a Shandong Branded Product.

Market regulation bureau staff visited the firm regularly to give guidance before it formally submitted its application, according to the company.

Officials said the zone has also moved to enhance its business environment in recent years, to provide more convenience for its resident companies.

Pan Haijing, who works in the human resources department of a group, is very satisfied with the one-stop services being provided by the zone's social security center.

The center launched a complete service so that the social security administration for companies could be performed at one service desk, cutting bureaucratic red tape.

Looking ahead, officials said the zone would continue to improve the quality of its services and support business growth — so the region could take a leading role in response to the call of the central government to replace old economic development drivers with new ones.

Wang Weidong contributed to this story.