Zunyi Baijiu Supporting Enterprise's "Breaking Through Challenges"

Pan Jiaqian

After this year’s Spring Festival, the

Zunyi City Conference on Promoting Industrial Transformation and Development

explicitly proposed the implementation of

a three-year campaign to tackle industrial transformation and development.

It designated “stabilizing Baijiu and strengthening non-alcoholic industries” as

the core direction of industrial transformation.

This strategic tone

not only concerns the brewing of sauce-flavored liquor in the core production area of Maotai Town,

but also profoundly impacts the supporting enterprises for Baijiu scattered throughout Zunyi.

As the Baijiu industry shifts from “increment sharing” to a deep adjustment period of “stock game,” those packaging and glass companies once dependent on the Baijiu supply chain stand at a crossroads of fate. Some choose to innovate intelligently, using smart equipment to reshape cost advantages; others cross over to new tracks, transferring their accumulated craftsmanship to entirely new fields.

A transformation focused on efficiency

Walking into the craft processing workshop of Guizhou Yisenyuan Group (hereinafter “Yisenyuan”), the scene of automated and intelligent production comes into view.

Guizhou Yisenyuan Group Craft Processing Workshop.

An intelligent high-speed die-cutting machine is processing cardboard at a rate of five to six thousand sheets per hour, while in a corner of the workshop, several old manual die-cutting machines quietly “tell” of the past. Employee Peng Qianfu witnessed this change: “Production used to rely on manual labor, placing one sheet at a time, about 1,000 sheets per hour. Now it’s fully automatic, efficiency has increased fivefold.”

Guizhou Yisenyuan Group Craft Processing Workshop.

This stark contrast between old and new equipment highlights Yisenyuan’s decade-long dedication. From purely manual production starting in 2016 to now achieving basic intelligent upgrades, the company has undergone a transformative overhaul. The most visually obvious change is in the intelligent tube box workshop. Supervisor Chen Shaobo calculated: “Previously, one manual production line needed about seventeen or eighteen people, with a daily capacity of only 6,000 boxes; now, a single smart production line only needs 8 people monitoring key processes, and the daily capacity has soared to over 12,000 boxes. Less people, more work, and better quality.” He pointed to the products just off the line, saying that the intelligent equipment ensures each box is flat and well-fitting with consistent quality.

This efficiency revolution has enhanced the company’s market competitiveness. “Currently, our order volume is three times that of the same period last year. Our production schedule is booked through April, and products from Guotai’s supply chain alone account for 60%,” said production dispatcher Yu Zhenxia.

Standing in front of the workshop’s intelligent display board, Zhenyu Zhang, chairman of Yisenyuan, expressed his feelings. Ten years ago, 1,700 employees worked tirelessly to produce output; ten years later, through intelligent upgrades, the workforce was reduced to over 400, yet capacity increased two to three times, and product quality soared to 99.8%. “This year, we aim to increase capacity by another 50%,” he said, pointing to more than a dozen new machines about to be installed.

Yisenyuan’s transformation is a microcosm of Zunyi’s packaging industry shifting from a labor-intensive to a technology-intensive sector.

A leap in the track

If Yisenyuan upgraded its “engine” on the existing track, Guizhou Huafu Tian Glass Packaging Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “Huafu Tian”) chose a bolder path—restarting on a new track.

Walking into Huafu Tian’s production plant, workers are finalizing adjustments on a brand-new glass furnace. On March 10, this new furnace was ignited. Unlike before, the kiln will no longer produce only Baijiu bottles but will now craft transparent glass containers for cosmetics.

Workers are adjusting the new glass furnace.

This decision stemmed from a painful market experience. As a major packaging supplier for over 200 local liquor companies in Zunyi, Huafu Tian’s peak daily production reached 150,000 bottles. But by 2025, due to economic downturn and deep industry adjustments in Baijiu, orders plummeted sharply to 30% of 2021 levels.

“When orders decreased, everyone was nervous and unsure,” admitted company leader Wang Yuejian. Facing the fragility caused by reliance on a single product, Huafu Tian did not wait for the market to recover but decisively shifted 70% of capacity from Baijiu packaging to cosmetic glass containers.

This decision was a strategic transfer of accumulated technology. Years of supporting Zunyi’s Baijiu companies had honed Huafu Tian’s expertise in automated spraying, labeling, and decorating—skills that are highly valued in cosmetic packaging. Additionally, the company collaborated with machinery manufacturers in Guangzhou and Shanghai to develop intelligent production equipment, which became a key “door-opener” for crossing into new fields.

It’s worth noting that Huafu Tian did not completely abandon its Baijiu business but retained 30% of capacity to ensure stability. This “dual-track” strategy aligns with Zunyi’s policy of “stabilizing Baijiu and strengthening non-alcoholic industries.” Maintaining the core Baijiu industry provides a foundation for the transition, while exploring new non-alcoholic tracks offers more flexibility amid future market fluctuations.

A reshaping of the industry

The stories of Yisenyuan and Huafu Tian are not isolated. In Zunyi, more supporting enterprises for Baijiu are exploring their own transformation paths.

In Renhuai, JunDian Distillery’s packaging workshop was put into operation in September 2025, equipped with two fully automated packaging lines, with an average daily output of over 20,000 bottles of finished liquor; Zhencang Distillery, with a total investment of 220 million yuan, has multiple fully automated filling, labeling, and boxing lines, with an annual capacity of 50,000 tons. All these new packaging lines have adopted intelligent equipment, marking “machine replacing human” as standard industry practice.

Supporting industries are also moving toward clustering. Xinpu New District is seizing opportunities to develop packaging into an important characteristic industry supporting the sauce-flavored liquor industry. By strengthening, supplementing, and extending the supply chain, key manufacturing enterprises in packaging printing, glass bottles and jars, caps, and cartons are being introduced. The district actively collaborates with universities and design agencies to establish packaging design and R&D centers. This clustering approach aims to deeply embed “Xinpu Packaging” into the “Zunyi Sauce Liquor” supply chain.

Xishui County has also clearly stated its goal to pursue high-end, green, intensive, and intelligent development, optimize the layout of packaging materials industries, accelerate the formation of a full industry chain of design, production, and marketing, and build a national supporting base for the sauce-flavored liquor industry.

All these transformation stories are unfolding under the macro backdrop of Zunyi’s vigorous three-year campaign to promote industrial transformation and development.

The journey toward high-quality development continues. (Text by Pang Fei and Cai Chengchi; photos provided by interviewees)