Upon approval by the National Development and Reform Commission, the national engineering laboratory of high-efficiency, energy-conserving and environment-friendly internal combustion engines, representing the highest level of Chinas internal combustion engine industry, settled in Yuchai in November 2011. At the conference in commemoration of Yuchais 60th anniversary on December 18, Huang Daowei, member of the Standing Committee of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and executive vice chairman of the Peoples Government of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region; Wang Ruixiang, president of China Machinery Industry Federation; Jin Dongzhai, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and director of Shanghai Marine Diesel Engine Research Institute; and Yan Ping, chairman of Yuchai Group jointly unveiled the National Engineering Laboratory of Internal Combustion Engines jointly unveiled the laboratory, showing Yuchais technical innovation has made great progress.

The criterion for measuring the innovation ability and core technical standards of an enterprise is the number of patents and invention patents. The company paid inadequate attention to patent application and declaration in the past. However, in the eleventh five-year period, Chairman Yan attached great importance to technological staff, activities of technological innovation and intellectual property work, and gave a series of instructions, thus promoting the company to make remarkable achievements in new product and technology R & D, achieve brilliant results in national patent application and rank first in Guangxi in the number of patents accepted for five consecutive years, fully demonstrating Yuchais innovation strength.

For years, Yuchai Machinery Co., Ltd. (YM) has persisted in the work principle of patent application and declaration based on multiple plans and divided targets. According to Shen Jie, chief engineer of Yuchai Group, early preparations must be made for R & D first. Yulins connection with the outside is not smooth due to geographical restriction. To accomplish development, Yuchai must think earlier than others, and look ahead in product pre-study, market analysis and market outlook in order to make early preparations and conduct early development; secondly, joint development should progress moderately and involve cooperative and independent development. Our cooperation with foreign research institutions is joint development rather than sole development by them, which trains our independence, builds our design team and makes us independent of others. This has also boosted our technical innovation and invention patents.

According to Xie Zhengliang, deputy director of the Department of Technical Management of Yuchai Engineering Research Institute who in charge of patent application and declaration, YM has ranked first in Guangxi in the total number of patent accepted for five consecutive years, because corporate leaders attached great importance to patent work. Chairman Yan repeatedly stressed close attention should be paid to technical R & D and innovation, and Chief Engineer Shen personally organized staff to make concerted efforts in R & D and patent application and declaration; because Yuchai is creative in multiple aspects, designers can innovate and create new processes and technologies, technicians on manufacturing teams and technical personnel of plants make intensive technical innovation and make remarkable achievements ever year, thus making outstanding contributions to patent work; because Yuchais management team worked out plans for patent application for innovative technologies when undertaking new product development, and implemented patent policies effectively. The company awarded R & D and patent achievements every year, thereby encouraging staff to think actively and work innovatively to build a creative labor group; and because patent application training has been held in recent years, which has raised staffs awareness of intellectual property protection and skills in patent application.

According to Xie, YM should focus on invention patent application and declaration. In patent management, the company is preparing to establish relevant groups and perfect means, and to keep abreast of invention patents of domestic and overseas counterparts, thereby improving the level of patent management and application.

According to statistics, YM won 803 utility model patents from 2006 to 2011, including 209 invention patents. Of the patents, the first high-efficiency clean Euro VI vehicle diesel engine, renewable hybrid engine and new combustion technology filled several gaps in the industry. four-valve diesel cylinder cover unloading slot won the China patent award; YC6J and YC6G diesel engines won the China award for independent automobile innovation from China Automotive News. World-class quality heavy truck engine YC6K integrates the worlds latest technical achievements, and owns over 30 patents for technical invention.

Technical innovation is the inexorable requirement for intensive development of enterprises as well as a major move to optimize and upgrade traditional industries and accelerate the transformation of the development mode. In order to achieve annual sales of RMB 100 billion in the twelfth five-year period, Yuchai must attach great importance to technical innovation and constantly inject new blood into corporate development. Only in this way will Yuchai remain vital forever.

Diagram of Patent Applications of Yuchai Machinery Co., Ltd. between 2004 and 2011

(Li Wei)