Chongqing – Chongqing Hypro Automotive Technology Company, located in Liangjiang New Area, now serves 80% of China’s auto manufacturers and has expanded to nearly ten countries, including Russia, Malaysia, Japan, the U.S., and Thailand.
Liangjiang New Area is the first national-level development and opening-up area in inland China. (Photo/Chen Wensen)
Founded in 1999 as an agent for foreign automotive spraying equipment, Hypro’s annual output value reached 10 million yuan (about USD 1.4 million) by 2003, thanks to China’s growing automotive industry.
Li Yuedong, Hypro’s general manager, emphasizes the need to enhance core competencies and reduce import dependency. In 2006, Hypro established its R&D department to focus on independent innovation and technology development.
The company, focused on automotive intelligent systems for fluid injection and coating, developed China’s first domestic precision wax injection system for cavity anti-corrosion in 2017.
“Previously, the high-pressure spray equipment was extensively adopted, but it only provided spray coverage of around 50% in automotive cavities, which did not meet the optimal anti-corrosion standards.” Li Yuedong explained that the precision wax injection system can cover an area of over 99% while reducing wax consumption by 40%.
Hypro’s precision wax injection system secured contracts with Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Tesla, Chang’an, and Great Wall. This success boosted its domestic reputation and expanded its international market.
Another cutting-edge innovation, the Piggable System, enables multiple pigment colors, making automotive coating more cost-effective, time-efficient, and environmentally friendly.
Traditionally, changing the color of coating systems required 5 tons of solvent and resin, which took 15 days and cost USD 14,000. The Piggable System reduces this to 40 minutes and 50 liters of solvent, cutting costs to USD 1,400.
From 2021 to 2023, Hypro developed precision spraying systems and secured orders from BYD, EVE Energy, NIO, Li Auto, XPeng, and Beijing Mercedes-Benz.
The company invests about 10% of its profit into R&D, resulting in 8 invention patents, five design patents, and 11 software copyrights. This has established Hypro as a leader in Asia’s precision wax injection market, holding a top market share.
According to Li, Hypro’s sales value hit 2.3 billion yuan (USD 45 million) in 2023 and has been growing steadily, leveraging the rapid development of new energy vehicles in recent years.
Li mentioned that they had created the largest intelligent spraying and gluing laboratories in Southwest China and had partnered with Sichuan University to establish the Intelligent Robot Vision Laboratory.
He added that this collaboration aims to advance the integration of intelligent fluid painting, gluing, and welding systems.
(The original article was written by Wang Xutong from Liangjiang New Area Media Center)