Recently, the Office of the Zhejiang Provincial Leading Group for High-Quality Development of Manufacturing Industry (Digital Economy Development) released the list of core areas, collaborative areas, and "new star" industry clusters for the third batch of provincial-level characteristic industrial clusters. Among them, the integrated circuit (key materials) industry in Lishui Economic and Technological Development Zone and the high-end new materials (advanced metal materials and special steel materials) industry in Songyang County were selected as the collaborative areas of provincial-level characteristic industrial clusters. The cultural and sports supplies industry in Qingyuan County was selected as a “new star” industry cluster.

In order to cultivate and strengthen provincial-level advanced manufacturing clusters and consolidate the foundation of the “provincial - national - world-class” cluster ladder cultivation system, Zhejiang Province carried out the selection work for the third batch of provincial-level characteristic industrial cluster core areas, collaborative areas, and “new star” industry clusters in 2024. After preliminary review, expert review, and public display, 6 core areas, 15 collaborative areas, and 24 “new star” industry clusters were determined for the third batch of provincial-level characteristic industrial clusters.

In recent years, the integrated circuit industry cluster in Lishui Economic and Technological Development Zone has focused on the development of the integrated circuit key materials sub-track, accurately positioned and “created from nothing” to build a unique advantage of “strong enterprise linkage, innovation aggregation, integration of four chains, project support, and system first”. It has formed a complete semiconductor industry chain of “chip materials, equipment, design, manufacturing, packaging and testing, application”. In 2023, the 14 large-scale enterprises in the cluster achieved a business income of 3.54 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 121.6%, with an average annual growth rate of more than 100% in three years.

Songyang County is committed to building a “China’s No. 1 County of Stainless Steel Tubes” with a target of a hundred billion level, and is making every effort to promote the development and strengthening of the stainless steel high-end new materials industry. In 2023, the high-end new materials industry cluster in Songyang County achieved a large-scale business income of 14.45 billion yuan, ranking third in growth rate among the 8 high-end new materials core areas and collaborative areas selected in the province. In 2023, the county’s stainless steel seamless pipe production reached 484,000 tons, accounting for more than one third of the national output, and the seamless steel pipe production has been the first in the country for many consecutive years.

By the end of 2023, the cultural and sports supplies industry cluster in Qingyuan County had gathered 46 upstream and downstream enterprises, and gradually formed a relatively complete pencil industry chain, including finished pen making, softening board, pen core, eraser head, paint glue, packaging printing, e-commerce, logistics transportation, etc. More than 85% of the products were exported to countries and regions such as Europe, America, and Southeast Asia. The annual pencil production reached 10 billion pieces, accounting for about one third of the national total output. Qingyuan County has successively won several “national” honors such as “China’s Pencil Production Base” and “National Foreign Trade Transformation and Upgrade Base”, and was awarded the title of “China’s No. 1 Town of Pencils”. At present, with the gradual narrowing of the profit margin of the pencil industry, Qingyuan pencil enterprises are gradually transforming and developing towards diversified directions such as marker pens, erasers, pencil sharpeners, art materials, and cosmetics.

It is reported that so far, Lishui City has had 5 core areas and collaborative areas of provincial-level characteristic industrial clusters and 2 “new star” industry clusters, which are distributed in places such as Jingyun County, Qingtian County, Songyang County, Qingyuan County, and Lishui Economic and Technological Development Zone.