The smooth production of the flexible shaft production line is of great significance for achieving the structural adjustment of wire products and promoting the national economic development. According to surveys, the majority of domestic flexible shaft orders come from imported flexible shafts, which are known for their wide range of product types, high precision, and wide adaptability, but are expensive, have long delivery times, and lack after-sales guarantees. Looking at domestic flexible shaft manufacturers, most have an incomplete range of products or lack precision. The flexible shaft connects to the speedometer, allowing the pointer to indicate the vehicle's speed. At the same time, the rotation of the flexible shaft is also transmitted to the speedometer's middle roller counter through worm gears, accumulating the mileage represented by the number of wheel rotations. Since both speed and mileage are driven by the same flexible shaft's rotational movement, these two gauges work together: the former indicates with a pointer, and the latter accumulates with a roller counter.
Soft shafts reflect a company's technological strength, yet Chinese soft shaft companies lack core technology. After joining the WTO, China's automotive industry policies specified the joint venture equity ratios for complete vehicles, but imposed no restrictions on foreign investment in the parts sector, which directly led to the hollowing out of core technology in China's parts industry. Currently, most domestic independent soft shaft companies are still at the stage of processing according to provided drawings and mapping samples. Facing the rapid demand for new models, varieties, and technologies from整车 manufacturers, many independent soft shaft companies are only able to struggle with research and development tasks, with no time to focus on improving their fundamental R&D capabilities and supporting capabilities. With the development of China's automotive industry in recent years, China became the world's largest automotive producer and seller in 2010. However, the industry generally believes that due to the lack of core technology and independent R&D capabilities, China can only be termed as a "car-making giant" rather than a "car-making powerhouse." To truly strengthen, China must start with the parts sector.
As the national economy deepens its development, the labor costs in our country will continue to rise, shifting the manufacturing cost advantage to countries or regions with lower labor costs. Small and medium-sized enterprises in the industry are facing potential issues such as insufficient technical development capabilities, limited production and processing capacity, and lack of sales ability. To address these potential problems, brand-based operation is a path that many soft shaft companies will inevitably face. Industry enterprises should prepare for rainy days in advance, establish brand operation awareness, which will be a major direction for the future of China's soft shaft industry. The short-term downturn of China's soft shaft enterprises is inevitable, but in the long run, they still possess comparative advantages and have ample room for development. China's vast automotive consumption demand will greatly drive the development of the soft shaft industry.
Axles can be categorized into two markets based on their timing of integration into the automotive industry: the complete vehicle integration market and the after-sales maintenance market. The complete vehicle integration market refers to the market where various axle manufacturers supply components for new vehicles before they are manufactured, covering all types of automotive parts. The after-sales maintenance market pertains to the market formed due to the wear and tear of vehicle components, necessitating replacements during the vehicle's use. Currently, there are tens of thousands of axle companies across China, but only a few have reached the scale requirements. Furthermore, there is a lack of large, competitive backbone enterprises due to fragmented investments and independent systems at the local, departmental, and corporate levels. It is challenging to enter the lucrative high-end market. Due to the scattered nature of resources, the overall advantages are difficult to demonstrate, and it is hard to meet the bulk purchasing needs of foreign buyers.
