An evaluation on 887 national-level technology centers by China's National Development and Reform Commission, on Nov 18, revealed that the Technology Center of the Taiyuan Heavy Industry Co Ltd (TYHI) qualified for the top 10 nationally, putting it in first place among centers involved with heavy machinery.

TYHI has worked hard on innovation by increasing funding and building a strong research team and has developed some pioneering products, such as a 12,500-ton press, 75-cubic- meter mine excavator, and nuclear ring crane.

The company previously received national certification as an enterprise technology center, back in 2001, and made a great leap forward in rankings -- from193, in 2003, to 12, in 2011. Over that time span, it applied for 417 patents and had 254 approved, 74 of them for inventions, and got nine province-level science and technology awards, which helped with its further development.

Edited by Roger Bradshaw