Chengyi Optical continuously updates its equipment. [Photo/Xiamen Daily]

"Visit Dongfu in Haicang district, Xiamen, and you can find upstream and downstream manufacturers for any type of eyewear within a 3-kilometer radius!" Said Mr Hu, an eyewear merchant from Chongqing, who has more than 30 years of experience in the Xiamen eyewear industry.

As one of the top five eyewear production bases in China, the Xiamen eyewear industry has an annual output value exceeding 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion), and is home to many top brands. 

Haicang district is the center of the Xiamen eyewear manufacturing industry, with nearly 40 eyewear production enterprises located here. It is home to a group of benchmark enterprises such as Chengyi Optical and Eyepol, whose products have proved highly popular in both domestic and international markets.

Industrial upgrading: from popular products to unique brands

Many hit products have emerged from the eyewear production workshops of Haicang district. For example, more than five million pairs have been sold of the "Air 7" Series of super lightweight eyeglass frames, which are made from aviation materials that quickly regain their original shape after any distortion.

In the early stages of the industry's development, eyewear products were mainly focused on OEM production for brands. Although the production scale was large and the output value was high, the homogenized product design and market positioning led to overcapacity and price wars.

Industrial upgrading was imperative. For every product produced, machines depreciate, but by creating independent and original brands, every product sold adds value to the brand.

The Eyepol production line. [Photo/Xiamen Daily]

Driving innovation through smart manufacturing

The upgrade to smart manufacturing has injected new momentum into the development of Haicang's eyewear industry by installing intelligent devices and building automated workshops.

"Through intelligent upgrades, the cleanliness level of the production workshop has been upgraded from Class 100,000 to Class 10,000, and even Class 1,000 in some areas. The overall production capacity of the park has increased by 60 percent, with up to 30 million pairs of lenses produced per year and the output value exceeding 300 million yuan," said Eyepol.

Boosting industry growth through cluster development

On Sept 20, the first phase of Xiamen Light Industry Display Industry Park, the first smart manufacturing industrial base for the display industry in Xiamen, was completed. The park connects upstream and downstream resources in the eyewear industry and offers small and medium-sized eyewear enterprises greater development space and more opportunities for growth.

Meanwhile, an increasing number of eyewear enterprises in Haicang district are exploring new development models, further extending the industry chain and expanding brand influence.