The Zhejiang Provincial Intellectual Property Association released the list of the Top 100 Creative Enterprises in Zhejiang Province for 2022, with Wanxiang Qianchao and Wanxiang 123 making the list.

It is understood that the ranking is primarily based on a comprehensive evaluation of three indicators: the number of valid invention patents held by enterprises in the previous year, the number of high-value invention patents, and the number of invention patents authorized over the past three years.

Wanxiang Qianchao specializes in the research, development, and manufacturing of automotive components. Its universal joints and wheel hub units are world-leading and rank first in the domestic industry; its products such as drive shafts, constant-velocity joints, and bearings are also leaders domestically. The company boasts a national-level enterprise technology center, a national-level postdoctoral workstation, and a nationally accredited laboratory. It has received honors including the First Zhejiang Provincial Government Quality Award, a nomination for the First China Quality Award, a nomination for the Fourth China Quality Award, and the title of National Intellectual Property Demonstration Enterprise. The company is home to two manufacturing single-champion demonstration enterprises. It has spearheaded and participated in the formulation of over 60 international, national, and industry standards for products such as universal joints. To date, it has been granted more than 2,900 authorized patents both domestically and internationally, including over 260 invention patents.

Wanxiang Qianchao has consistently attached great importance to innovative development, upheld the principle of putting science and technology first, increased investment in scientific research, and integrated and promoted the application of scientific and technological advancements into its business operations, thereby driving industrial upgrading and development. Guided by the philosophy of "patenting technology, standardizing patents, industrializing standards, marketizing industries, and globalizing markets," the company adheres to the approach of "taking creation as the core, application as the key, protection as the foundation, and management as the guarantee," and vigorously implements its intellectual property strategy. In 2022, Wanxiang Qianchao achieved remarkable results in the field of intellectual property: for the first time, Wanxiang Qianchao was awarded the title of "National Intellectual Property Demonstration Enterprise"; both Wanxiang Qianchao and the Transmission Shaft Company were honored as "Zhejiang Province Intellectual Property Demonstration Enterprises." Throughout the year, the company filed and published a total of 249 patent applications, including 116 invention patent applications, accounting for 47%. Additionally, the company obtained 307 patents authorized by the National Intellectual Property Administration during the year, among which 57 were invention patents—an increase of 418% over the previous year—and 244 were utility model patents, representing a 36% increase compared to the previous year.

Wanxiang 123 is dedicated to battery R&D and manufacturing. Headquartered in Hangzhou, the company has R&D centers and manufacturing facilities in Boston and Detroit, USA; Stuttgart, Germany; and Ostrava, Czech Republic. The company possesses core technology in super-nano lithium iron phosphate and focuses on safe batteries that deliver high power, high energy density, long lifespan, and superior performance. We provide comprehensive battery solutions for new-energy vehicles, industrial energy systems, and smart grids. Wanxiang 123 has established a provincial-level key enterprise research institute, a Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Research Center, and a Zhejiang Provincial Enterprise Technology Center. The company holds 715 globally valid authorized patents, including 546 invention patents.

The company has established a professional intellectual property team that conducts patent searches, patent mining, patent protection, and patent risk analysis at different stages of R&D projects. In addition to experienced intellectual property engineers, the project team also includes key technical personnel from the R&D teams. Together, they engage in collaborative discussions and analyses to optimize patent strategy and layout. The company continuously improves its intellectual property management system and has successfully obtained certification under this system. In 2021, it was recognized as a pilot patent enterprise in Hangzhou City; in 2022, it passed the supervisory review for the implementation of the intellectual property management system and was awarded the title of Demonstration Patent Enterprise in Hangzhou City. In 2020 and 2021, the number of patent applications filed by the company grew annually at a rate of 200%. In 2021, among China’s top innovators in terms of publicly disclosed power battery patents, Wanxiang 123 ranked among the top 11, with a year-on-year increase of 393.8%. In 2022, the company achieved a new high in annual patent authorizations, reaching the highest level in over two decades. Over the past three years, patents granted to the company have accounted for 56% of its total active patents.