Global buyers bring sourcing needs to Shanghai summit

The ninth Haizol Global Supply Chain Connect Summit was held in Shanghai on June 13, bringing together overseas buyers from more than 30 countries and regions as well as hundreds of domestic purchasing and sci-tech companies.

Bringing global buyers and suppliers face to face

The buyer information boards drew a steady stream of visitors at the venue. Shortly after cards displaying buyers' profiles and sourcing categories were put up, interested factories began taking them down to register their interest in meeting the buyers.

Many suppliers displayed physical components at their booths, allowing buyers to examine materials and learn about manufacturing processes and technical details in more detail.

For overseas companies, sourcing in Shanghai often means more than finding a factory. They are also looking for an integrated service network that can support the entire process from prototyping to mass production.

Meanwhile, Shanghai's international business environment helps buyers and suppliers with different quality standards and languages build trust more easily, drawing a growing number of sourcing projects from emerging industries to the city.

Manufacturers join innovation efforts earlier

More than half of this year's sourcing demand at the summit came from high-growth sectors including semiconductors, medical devices, and intelligent equipment, with many projects involving small-batch trial production and validation rather than large-volume orders, reflecting growing demand for greater variety, shorter lead times, and more flexible production.

Xu Xiang, co-founder and vice-president of Haizol, said competition among factories was shifting from production capacity and cost to supply chain coordination, with small and medium-sized manufacturers moving beyond simply taking orders and becoming involved earlier in product development.

Why buyers choose Shanghai

Tan Wei Kok, president of the Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurship Association in Singapore, said Shanghai offered an efficient innovation ecosystem covering product design, manufacturing, financing, and commercialization.

He said inventors often faced significant barriers to achieving mass production, and Shanghai's supporting services helped bridge the gap.

Artificial intelligence is further improving efficiency. Haizol's AI agent for manufacturing can generate a manufacturability assessment and quotation just minutes after users upload product drawings.

As an important hub linking global innovation resources with China's manufacturing capabilities, Shanghai continues to improve its ecosystem for commercializing sci-tech achievements and welcomes global innovators and manufacturers to develop in the city.