Recently, in the production workshop of Guangdong YICONTON  Air Spring Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “YICONTON“), rows of air springs are undergoing final air tightness testing. These black devices resembling tires are about to be installed on sedans, trucks, and even high-speed trains. Twenty years ago, this field was completely monopolized by foreign countries.

For more than 30 years, Mr. Pang Xuedong, Chairman of YICONTON, has been committed to the development of the automotive parts industry. Currently, YICONTON owns more than 120 technical patents, with an annual production capacity of over 5 million air springs, making it the largest air spring base in China. By 2024, its output value will exceed 400 million yuan, and 57% of its products will be exported to various countries and regions such as Europe, America, and Southeast Asia.

Break the industry monopoly Fill the “blank” in domestic air spring.

In the late 1990s, Pang Xuedong, who had just graduated from high school in his hometown of Tiantai, Zhejiang province, came to Guangdong and joined the Automobile Transport Company of the Logistics Department of the Guangzhou Air Force as a motor transport soldier. “In the army, I learned the basic knowledge and skills of auto repair, which linked me with this industry for life,” Pang said.

Riding on the wind of reform and opening-up, Pang Xuedong started an auto repair shop after leaving the army and founded a car parts trading company in 2000. During the course of his import and export trade business, he discovered that air springs were not produced domestically and smelled the huge latent market demand for this product.

Compared with the mechanical springs that were widely used at that time, automotive air springs showed better shock absorption and stronger stability. However, the price of imported air springs was relatively high, so they were only used in some domestic high-end passenger cars.

In 2004, Pang Xuedong visited Turkey’s automotive parts manufacturing enterprises to learn under the recommendation of friends. After returning home, he was determined to “make China’s own air spring” and resolutely closed the auto repair shop and the auto parts trading company, starting his “third entrepreneurial venture”by founding one of China’s earliest companies to introduce research and development and production of air springs – Guangzhou YITAO Rubber Co., Ltd., which is the predecessor of YICONTON.

”The main material of an air spring is rubber. How can a piece of rubber play the role of “lifting a thousand pounds with just four ounces”? Shape design is key. Pang Xuedong recalls: “Since there was a lack of ready-made experience in China, we embarked on a challenging journey with our technical team. We translated foreign relevant materials and repeatedly drew diagrams, conducted experiments, and explored the optimal structure for air springs.

In 2005, the company’s air spring products gradually took shape and began to enter the market, breaking the foreign monopoly and even forcing foreign products to lower their prices.

In the same year, the company’s self-developed air spring products began to go global and enter the international market. At that year’s Paris Auto Parts Show in France, the company’s products made their debut at an international exhibition, surprising many foreign manufacturers.

At that time, we shouted the slogan of ‘China No. 1 in Air Springs’ at international exhibitions, and many foreign manufacturers didn’t believe it at first. After carefully examining our products, they confirmed that air springs could indeed be produced in China.” said Pang Xuedong.

Play the role of “chain leader Attract upstream and downstream enterprises to gather

In 2016, after more than a decade of development, Pang Xuedong planned to expand production. Pang Xuedong conducted extensive surveys and was attracted by the transportation facilities under construction near the Yunfu High-tech Industrial Development Zone, such as the Guangzhou Yunfu International Logistics Port and the Shantou-Zhanjiang Expressway.

”Pang Xuedong said: “At the time when the company needed land the most, the local government immediately proposed to approve land and reserved land for further development. In 2016, we founded Guangdong Yikang Tong Air Spring Co., Ltd. in Yunfu and moved our headquarters from Guangzhou to Yunfu in 2021.

As the Yunfu automotive parts industry cluster continues to deepen its development, Pang Xuedong actively cooperates with local government’s investment promotion efforts, fully leveraging the leading and connecting role of “chain main” enterprises. He has successfully attracted multiple companies such as Xiaohua Machinery and AATOP to settle in Yunfu.

Walking into the exhibition hall of Yikangtong, more than 100 types of air spring products are on display, covering various fields such as commercial vehicle applications, rail transit, and industrial machinery. With the development of automobiles and industrial machinery, the application scenarios of air springs are becoming increasingly extensive.

”Some air springs may look small, but they pack a big punch. In the assembly area, staff picked up an air spring about the size of a football and introduced it to reporters: “This is an air spring jack with strong extension capabilities, capable of supporting a weight of about 4 tons. These air springs are used to simulate driving game machine seats, providing better shock absorption effects and realistic gaming experiences.

”In the Yikang Tong testing site, which covers an area of more than 1,600 square meters, 60% of the instruments are used for safety and durability tests such as fatigue, high and low temperature aging, and explosion. “A good air spring needs to maintain excellent stability under pressure, which is related to how it is stressed. We will continuously conduct mechanical tests by changing shapes and textures to find the best design solution,” said Pang Xuedong.

Our concept at Yikang Tong has always been ‘facing the world, serving globally, and comprehensively promoting the extensive application of air shock absorption products in various fields worldwide’. As people’s demand for comfort in transportation increases in the future, air springs will inevitably be used more widely.” said Pang Xuedong. Yikang Tong will fully rely on the industrial cluster effect and strategic location advantages of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to create a digital, information-based,Automated assembly line smart factory, continuously promoting the creation of internationally renowned trademarks.