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Wire Mesh 2.0: How a Hebei Traditional Manufacturer Leads Transformation with AI & Smart Manufacturing
The Intersection of Legacy Wire Mesh and AI
In Anping—China’s renowned "Wire Mesh Capital"—Lu Qianli, a young "second-gen" leader of a local wire mesh business, is blending his family’s manufacturing heritage with cutting-edge technology to transform a traditional industry.
At Jinbiao’s new wire mesh data center, an old machine (once the cornerstone of the company, purchased by Lu’s grandfather to launch the business decades ago) sits beside a 17m-long smart screen. The screen displays real-time global market insights from WIREAI—an AI system Lu built to revolutionize the wire mesh sector.
For years, Jinbiao’s products (geogrids, guardrails, sound barriers, etc.) competed primarily on cost, with narrow profit margins. By 2023, Lu realized: "A new tech wave is here—we need to embrace it to stay competitive." He launched a tech subsidiary and began developing WIREAI, a vertical AI tool tailored to the fragmented wire mesh industry (dominated by small-to-medium enterprises with scattered, unstandardized data).
After over a year of refining industry data, WIREAI evolved into a "digital encyclopedia" with 70,000+ entries. When it debuted at a 2024 industry expo, it drew 700+ enterprise registrations in 3 days. While early data collaboration adoption was slow (only 10 firms joined initially), Lu persisted—supported by Anping’s local government, which provided basic data and helped secure provincial funding.
In October 2024, WIREAI (Overseas Version) launched with features like smart quoting, cross-border market analysis, and enterprise lookup. It quickly attracted 100+ overseas buyers and 40+ manufacturers, driving 20+ export orders.
Smart Manufacturing: Redefining Production & Management
Building a Tech-Driven Industry Ecosystem
- Predict demand (e.g., "corrosion-resistant sound barriers are trending in Southeast Asia")
- Adapt to standards (e.g., "upcoming EU environmental regulations")