Recently, Dazhong News and Fengkou Finance published a special article titled "From a mere 20-day 'lifespan' to 4 years of 'zero failures': How this small valve made in Qingdao conquered BYD and CATL," focusing on Jingrui Machinery and telling the story of how a "hidden champion" has carved out a vast blue ocean in a niche market by focusing on "solving real pain points." For details, please see the original report:
"Our client said that among all the valve companies we visited, both domestic and international, very few could understand the industry's pain points so thoroughly and professionally, but Jingrui Machinery did," said Zhang Wenli, General Manager of Qingdao Jingrui Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd., with pride. The client Zhang Wenli mentioned is BYD, a leading domestic new energy vehicle manufacturer.
In new energy vehicles, small valves may seem insignificant, but they are actually crucial components. Like sophisticated "neurons," they precisely control the flow direction of fluids, acting as a "metronome" in multiple core systems such as battery thermal management, directly determining the vehicle's range, safety, and reliability.
Faced with the industry-wide challenge of lithium battery electrolyte filling valves having a lifespan of only 20 days, Jingrui Machinery didn't choose to take a detour. Instead, they immersed themselves in the problem, ultimately leveraging their superior R&D capabilities to increase valve lifespan by more than 70 times and achieve a filling accuracy of 99.99%, earning the deep trust of industry giants including CATL and BYD.
From tackling the obvious pain points in the new energy field to resolutely venturing into the uncharted territory of nuclear power waste treatment; from helping high-energy-consuming tire companies achieve 30% energy savings to assisting the pharmaceutical and food industries in entering a new era of clean and intelligent manufacturing… the story of Qingdao Jingrui Machinery is a tale of how a “hidden champion” has carved out a vast blue ocean in a niche market by focusing on solving real pain points.
From the “20-day bottleneck” to 4 years of “zero failures”
Why do new energy vehicles suddenly run out of power after only a short time? A few years ago, this problem that plagued many electric vehicle owners might have stemmed from a small valve.
In the lithium battery electrolyte filling process, leading domestic companies previously relied heavily on foreign brands of valves. However, these imported products had fatal flaws, such as sealing materials that were not resistant to electrolyte corrosion and internal channels prone to crystallization, resulting in poor filling accuracy and short valve lifespan. Consequently, incompletely filled batteries degraded extremely quickly, and key components might even require large-scale replacement every 20 days, leading to high costs and severely restricting production capacity and quality improvement. "At that time, companies like CATL and BYD were extremely troubled," recalled Zhang Wenli, General Manager of Qingdao Jingrui Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
Meanwhile, Jingrui Machinery keenly grasped this bottleneck. They formed a dedicated team, went deep into customer sites, lived and worked alongside the technicians, and thoroughly analyzed the problem. "Foreign valves use a clamped pipe structure, which, while corrosion-resistant, lacks sufficient sealing and cannot meet the requirements of high-vacuum filling. Their complex structure also makes cleaning extremely difficult, almost equivalent to single-use," further explained Zhao Bo, Director of the R&D Center at Qingdao Jingrui Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd. The company's R&D team offered a clear yet revolutionary solution: first, they focused on materials, selecting modified polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) with excellent corrosion resistance to electrolytes as the diaphragm material; second, they innovated the structural design, drawing on the "lotus leaf hydrophobicity" principle to achieve "zero electrolyte residue" in the valve's internal channels, eliminating crystallization blockage at its source.
After nearly a year of research and development and trial production, the first batch of customized valves was finally delivered to the customer. "Valves that used to need replacing every 20 days or so have now been running stably for over four years without any problems, and the filling accuracy has improved to 99.99%. As a result, the company quickly gained the customer's trust," said Zhang Wenli.
This success not only earned Jingrui Machinery strategic partnerships with CATL and BYD, but also confirmed the correctness of Jingrui Machinery's development strategy: to carve out its own blue ocean in a niche market with strong customized R&D capabilities. Today, their products have upgraded from single valves to integrated, intelligent filling solutions, continuously safeguarding the "heart" of China's new energy industry.
Combining Passion and Strength, Conquering the "Last Mile" of Nuclear Power
If Jingrui Machinery addresses the obvious pain points in the new energy field, then in the nuclear power industry, driven by a sense of national responsibility, Jingrui Machinery has chosen a less traveled path, focusing on solving the "last mile" problem of "three wastes" (waste liquid, waste gas, and solid waste) treatment systems.
"In the localization of nuclear power, everyone is scrambling to produce some high-value-added, high-profile core equipment. But those supporting systems with a small proportion and relatively low value, especially the key valves in the 'three wastes' system, have become 'no man's land'," Zhang Wenli admitted. This part of the work is tedious and has low profit margins, but it is an indispensable part of ensuring the safe and environmentally friendly operation of nuclear power plants, and has long relied on imports.
Elite Machinery decided to tackle this tough challenge. Leveraging its comprehensive supply chain advantages, starting from casting, and its integrated R&D team encompassing machinery, control software, and hardware, they embarked on a long and arduous journey of overcoming difficulties. "The difficulty of this project lies in the remote control and local collaborative control under 'explosion-proof' requirements. The system design is complex, and the safety standards are extremely high," said Zhao Bo.
"To complete this project, we spared no expense, responded 24/7, repeatedly communicated solutions with design institutes and the client, collaborated with our Shanghai R&D branch, and held technical discussions with fluid control experts from universities. Ultimately, the company successfully achieved complete domestic substitution of key valves in this 'three wastes' system. After delivery, we received high praise and a letter of thanks from the client," said Zhang Wenli.
From "Company Running Its Own Legs" to "Dedicated Team Running the Entire Process"
Looking back at 2025, Zhang Wenli focused the company's achievements on the in-depth cultivation and breakthroughs in five strategic industries: new energy, rubber tires, nuclear power, pharmaceuticals, and food and beverage. In addition to new energy and nuclear power, their "steam thermal valve group" developed in the tire industry helps high-energy-consuming enterprises save up to 30% in energy; in the pharmaceutical and food and beverage industries, their high-precision, controllable valves help customers achieve automated, unmanned, and clean production, ensuring safety and efficiency.
A company's innovative vitality cannot exist without a fertile ground for growth. Speaking of Qingdao's business environment, Zhang Wenli has deep feelings: "We are good at making products, but not good at handling procedures. When the company's new industrial park was being built, from land approval and planning to environmental and safety supervision procedures, the government specially set up a 'service team' to handle everything, telling us how to pass the inspections, who to contact for approvals, and even helping us coordinate and solve the initial water and electricity connections." Ultimately, the relocation and construction cycle, originally planned for two years, was efficiently completed in just one year and four months, and production began rapidly.
Looking ahead to 2026, Jingrui Machinery has established a clear goal: to continue focusing on five strategic industries and dedicating itself to solving customers' core pain points. "Complaining is useless; solving problems is the most valuable quality." This is a phrase Zhang Wenli often uses, and it is also the core of Qingdao Jingrui Machinery's corporate spirit. From solving the challenges of lithium battery filling to filling the gaps in the meticulous treatment of nuclear power waste, this "hidden champion" demonstrates through innovative stories in small areas that true competitiveness stems from a deep understanding of customer pain points, grows through relentless technological development, and is achieved by transforming passion into the ability to solve practical problems. At the intersection of the 14th and 15th Five-Year Plans, Qingdao Jingrui Machinery is injecting a solid and innovative force into the high-quality development of China's manufacturing industry with its precise "small valves."(Reporter: Guan Yanan, Dazhong News & Fengkou Finance)
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