First Year of the 15th Five-Year Plan: Fasteners Move Upmarket

Five Directions Set by the 15th Five-Year Plan

With 2026 opening the 15th Five-Year Plan period, policy signals from the national legislative session set five core directions for the fastener industry: high-end products, intelligent manufacturing, green production, supply-chain self-reliance and industrial upgrading. As policy support continues to be released and demand from downstream high-end manufacturing rises, China's fastener industry is entering an unprecedented window, moving from a volume leader towards a quality leader in manufacturing. YF Zhichengjia Precision Hardware (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., a key enterprise in precision fasteners in the Pearl River Delta, is responding to these policy directions by investing in high-end and green development to support the industry's high-quality transformation.

High-End Products Break Through Bottleneck Technologies

Moving upmarket is the core route to breaking through bottleneck technologies. The government work report stressed strengthening the resilience and security of industrial and supply chains, and the draft plan outline calls for breakthroughs in key technologies for high-end basic components — a clear direction for fastener makers. Today, domestic high-end fasteners such as Grade 12.9 and above high-strength bolts and titanium or superalloy fasteners still depend on imports, with technical barriers in material development, precision machining and surface treatment. To break the deadlock, the state has introduced targeted fiscal funds, additional deduction of R&D expenses and insurance compensation for first sets of major technical equipment, encouraging joint research by companies, universities and research institutes and building an integrated platform spanning research, education, production and application.

YF Zhichengjia has increased R&D investment in high-end fasteners and built a dedicated R&D team focused on special fasteners for aerospace, high-end equipment and new energy. The company works with several domestic universities on material modification and precision machining processes, and has broken through core technologies in heat treatment and surface protection for ultra-high-strength fasteners. Its titanium alloy and superalloy precision fasteners now reach tensile strengths above 1500 MPa, handle extreme service conditions and are already used in high-end equipment manufacturing, gradually replacing imported high-end products.

Green Manufacturing in Response to Carbon Goals

Green development is the inevitable choice in response to the dual carbon goals. The government work report set out steady progress towards peak carbon and carbon neutrality, and the draft plan outline requires a green, low-carbon and circular economic system; the fastener industry must cut carbon across raw materials, processes, packaging and logistics, and recycling. Traditional processes such as electroplating carry environmental risk, and as environmental standards tighten, phasing out high-pollution processes and adopting cleaner technologies has become the industry consensus.

YF Zhichengjia is pushing ahead with green production, phasing out conventional zinc electroplating in favour of Dacromet, zinc-aluminium coatings and PTFE coating — free of hydrogen embrittlement and of environmental pollution, with neutral salt spray resistance of 500-2000 h. This improves corrosion resistance while reducing environmental impact. The company has also optimised its process flow, introduced energy-efficient heat treatment equipment and waste-heat recovery to cut energy use, selected recycled metals and other green raw materials to reduce waste, and adopted biodegradable packaging to green the packaging and logistics stage. These measures have brought the company into environmental compliance, lowered production costs and improved its corporate image.

Intelligent Upgrading Lifts Competitiveness

Intelligent upgrading is the key support for industry competitiveness. The draft plan outline calls for deeper implementation of the intelligent manufacturing programme, and the government work report requires manufacturing to become high-end, intelligent and green. Fastener companies need networked equipment, real-time monitoring of process parameters and quality traceability systems to build lights-out factories. Smart warehousing and logistics, automated assembly lines, AI vision inspection and digital twin plants are spreading across the industry, sharply improving efficiency and quality.

YF Zhichengjia has continued its intelligent transformation and now runs an intelligent production workshop with digital control across the whole flow. An industrial internet platform connects production, inspection and warehousing equipment to collect data in real time and optimise process parameters; AGVs move raw materials and finished goods automatically; AI vision inspection identifies and sorts out defective parts; digital twin technology allows virtual commissioning of the process, cutting trial-production cost and lead time. The upgrade has raised efficiency and quality and strengthened the company's ability to respond quickly to customised requirements.

Supply-Chain Self-Reliance and Industrial Upgrading

Self-reliance and industrial upgrading are the safeguard for sustainable development. The government work report stressed improving the autonomy and controllability of industrial and supply chains, and the draft plan outline proposes an industrial base re-engineering programme; the fastener industry must localise high-end raw materials and core equipment. Some high-end materials such as nickel-based alloys still rely on imports, and the localisation rate of precision bearings and control systems in key equipment such as multi-station cold headers remains low, constraining autonomy. Industry concentration is also low: more than 1800 threaded fastener manufacturers are above designated size nationwide, yet the top ten hold less than 18% of the market, and overcapacity at the low end coexists with shortage at the high end.

To drive upgrading, the state is cultivating specialised, refined, distinctive and innovative enterprises and advanced manufacturing clusters, clearing low-end capacity and optimising the industrial structure. YF Zhichengjia is responding by focusing on the precision fastener niche and building a specialised, refined, distinctive and innovative model, continuously raising the specialisation and refinement of its products. The company is increasing local sourcing of core equipment, working with domestic machine builders to customise intelligent equipment for its own processes and gradually reducing dependence on imports. It is also strengthening supply-chain collaboration, building long-term relationships with material suppliers and downstream customers to create a stable supply system and improve autonomy.

Opportunities and Actions in the Opening Year

In 2026, the opening year of the 15th Five-Year Plan, the fastener industry faces both opportunity and challenge. YF Zhichengjia will seize the policy window: breaking technical barriers through high-end products, raising efficiency through intelligent manufacturing, answering the dual carbon goals with green production, securing the supply chain through self-reliance, and improving development quality through industrial upgrading. The company will keep increasing R&D investment, optimise its product mix and raise service levels, contributing precision hardware capability to the high-quality development of China's fastener industry and to the smooth implementation of the 15th Five-Year Plan.