On July 18, 2018, the NMEI center, built and operated by Qingdao NMEI group, was officially put in use. Zhou Shouwei, vice-chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Gu Xinyi, advisor to the Sinopec Science and Technology Commission and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Wang Shuguang, former head of the State Oceanic Administration, Zhang Deping, deputy mayor of Qingdao, Zhang Jun, party secretary of the Jimo District and the Oceanic Valley Administration and other officials attended the opening ceremony and visited the laboratories of the NMEI Group.
The National Marine Equipment Quality Inspection Center was approved by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine for construction in August 2012. As the only comprehensive third-party public service platform for marine equipment inspection and testing in China, it was identified in the “Development Plan for Shandong Peninsula Blue Economic Zone” issued by the State Council as a national-level testing center, built to support the marine equipment industry. Located in the core zone of the Oceanic Valley in Qingdao, the center covers an area of 71,800 square meters with a total investment of 1.1 billion yuan and 8 laboratory buildings and 7 major function labs. In March 2018, the center passed qualification review for CNAS (Laboratory Accreditation), CMA (Inspection and Testing Institution Accreditation) and DILAC (National Defense Laboratory Accreditation), being qualified to provide inspection and testing of over 4,000 items for more than 550 products in the field of marine equipment, offshore oil and gas development equipment and marine new energy, etc. and of over 1,700 items for 40 major categories of land products in the field of urban rail transit, automobile, locomotive and other key industries.
In his speech, Wang Liyu, party secretary and chairman of Qingdao NMEI Group, said that the official opening of the NMEI center marked the beginning of the marine inspection business as well as a new chapter for the NMEI Group. On behalf of all the NMEI staff, he expressed his heartfelt appreciation to officials at all levels, experts and partners for their long-term support for and contribution to the NMEI center. Chairman Wang Liyu said, over these years, Qingdao NMEI Group has been planning for construction, purchasing equipment, conducting R&D and seeking cooperation, and finally moved in the new NMEI park. Through enterprise-oriented and market-based operation, NMEI Group has established cooperation with more than 40 top-notch institutions at home and abroad leveraging capital, technology and other resources, and set up a platform for marine equipment inspection and testing in a relatively short period of time. For the next step, NMEI will give priority to its main business of inspection and testing as well as its marine features, value the coordination of land and sea resources, follow industrial and market demand, leverage projects and capital, promote the innovation in inspection and testing technology and contribute to the shift in growth drivers. Through integrated innovation in the quality system, NMEI will continue with the research and formulation of international standards and industry rules to promote the high-quality development of related industries. With the strong support from the Qingdao municipal government, NMEI will also participate in the construction and operation of the Offshore Comprehensive Test Site in Qingdao, prepare projects on the inspection and certification of urban rail transit and intelligent connected vehicle, integrate relevant innovative resources at home and abroad to create a "national center for inspection and testing innovation", build a industry cluster for "smart inspection" of high-end equipment and develop an inspection and testing brand with international competitiveness.
Zhou Shouwei, vice-chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said in his speech at the opening ceremony that equipment must go first to develop the marine economy. Marine engineering equipment is an essential tool for developing marine resources and building a marine power, which is needed in the exploitation of marine oil and gas and seabed mineral, the utilization of marine renewable energy, the exploitation of deep-sea methane ice and the acquisition of marine fishery resources. After decades of development, China's marine equipment industry has improved its comprehensive capabilities, enhanced its international influence and harvested a number of achievements with independent intellectual property rights. However, due to the harsh working conditions of marine engineering, the requirements for equipment safety and reliability are extremely high, and therefore, for "domestically produced" innovative products, there is still a long way to go from prototype to engineering application. In this process, a third-party inspection and testing body like the NMEI Center is needed as a quality and technical support for building a marine power and developing marine economy, a guarantee for the domestic production of marine engineering equipment and a contributor to China's standards system for marine equipment inspection and testing. It is hoped that NMEI Group will continue to scale new heights and strive for excellence during quality improvement and brand building, and contribute wisdom and solutions to the development of marine equipment technology in China and even in the world.
Zhang Deping, vice mayor of Qingdao, said in his speech at the opening ceremony that the quality inspection of marine equipment is a bridge connecting the supply and demand in the marine industry. It’s essential to the client’s and state’s interest as well as enterprise development and economic benefits. To cultivate new momentum in marine economic development, we must guarantee "quality" through inspection and testing, and guide the emerging strategic marine industries with high-level standards and certification. The launch of the NMEI Center not only fills the domestic gap in this field, but also provides a basic guarantee for the development of some ocean-related research institutes and enterprises. It is conducive to the gathering of high-end innovative resources at the top of the industrial chain and a definite impetus for a new round of industrial upgrading and quality improvement. Next, it is hoped that NMEI will further give full play to its own advantages and build an internationally competitive brand in inspection and testing. By making industries smart, intelligent products commercialized, different fields integrated and brand upgraded, NMEI will contribute to the shift in growth drivers and building Qingdao into an international marine city.
At the opening ceremony, Zhou Shou, vice chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Gu Xinyi, advisor to the Sinopec Science and Technology Commission and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Wang Shuguang, former head of the State Oceanic Administration, Zhang Deping, vice mayor of Qingdao, Zhang Jun, party secretary of the Jimo District and the Oceanic Valley Administration, Ren Zhengang, member of party leadership group of the Qingdao Development and Reform Commission and director of the Qingdao Blue Economic Zone Construction Office, and Wang Liyu, party secretary and chairman of the Qingdao NMEI Group unveiled the plaque for the seven laboratories of the NMEI Center (Subsea Equipment Laboratory, Environment and Reliability Laboratory, EMC Laboratory, Marine Cable Laboratory, New Energy & Power Electronics Laboratory, Electrical Laboratory and Material Analysis Laboratory).
Zhou Shouwei, vice chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Gu Xinyi, advisor to the Sinopec Science and Technology Commission and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Wang Shuguang, former head of the State Oceanic Administration, Zhang Deping, deputy mayor of Qingdao, Zhang Jun, party secretary of the Jimo District and the Oceanic Valley Administration, Ban Jian, party secretary and executive director of the Xi'an High Voltage Apparatus Research Institute of China XD Group Co., Ltd., Wang Liyu, party secretary and chairman of the Qingdao NMEI Group jointly launched the NMEI Center.
On the same day, the promotion meeting on marine inspection and testing business and the second meeting of the first session of the National Engineering Laboratory for Subsea Equipment Testing and Detection Technology were held together. Qingdao NMEI Group signed contracts with customer representatives, namely Qingdao Hanhe Cable Co., Ltd., Far East Cable Co., Ltd., Foxconn CMC, Shandong Longertek Co., Ltd., Qingdao Yihe Electric Group Co., Ltd. NMEI Group also signed strategic cooperation agreements with CNOOC Energy Equipment Technology Co., Ltd. on subsea production system, with Tsinghua Nuctech Co., Ltd. on rail transit inspection certification and with Haier Group on the inspection and testing industrial park.
At the opening ceremony, Zhang Dagang, CNOOC's chief expert and national "Thousand-Person Plan" expert, Sun Xianhao, general manager of Shandong Goldwind Technology Co., Ltd., Zhang Zhengping, director of the Institute 702 of China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, Guo Dong, division chief of the Laboratory and Testing Supervision Department of CNCA, Li Aixian, vice president of China National Institute of Standardization, and other distinguished guests delivered speeches on behalf of customers, partners and competent authorities.
Established in May 2016, Qingdao NMEI Group is is a wholly state-owned enterprise under the Qingdao Municipal government. It has built and been operating three national innovation platforms, namely the National Marine Equipment Quality Inspection Center, National Engineering Laboratory for Subsea Equipment Testing and Detection Technology and National Platform for Major Marine Equipment R&D, Inspection and Detection. As a leader and resource integrator in inspection service, important product and technology R&D, etc., NMEI Group strives to stay "open, innovative, cooperative and sharing" on its way towards a top-notch inspection and certification body both in China and the world and aspires to establish a national innovation system for marine equipment testing and certification with independent intellectual property rights, promote coordinated development in high-end equipment manufacturing industry and inspection and testing industry to contribute to building Qingdao into an international marine city and China into a marine power.
As a support for high-quality development, NMEI Group can provide inspection and testing solutions for 12 key industries such as marine engineering equipment, aerospace and rail transit. The Group has built and been operating seven major professional inspection and testing laboratories to support the three national innovation platforms, namely: the Subsea Equipment Laboratory, Environmental and Reliability Laboratory, EMC Laboratory, Marine Cable Laboratory, New Energy & Power Electronics Laboratory, Electrical Laboratory and Material Analysis Laboratory. With their construction basically completed, these seven laboratories are ready to provide sea-oriented one-stop service of testing, inspection, detection and certification, featuring coordination among the space, air, land and sea. Through the integration and innovation of basic quality systems, NMEI will stay committed to the research and formulation of international standards and industry rules to promote the innovation and development in related industries.