2002/1/21

Futong Group has recently succeeded developing the Optical Fiber Prefabricated Rod by using the latest synthetic process. This achievement means that China now has the world-class core technology of the optical fiber industry.

Optical Fiber Prefabricated Rod is the upstream product of the optical fiber cable industry. Its profitability accounts for a major percentage in the whole industrial link. At present, there are several hundred manufacturers of optical fiber cable all over the world, and there are ten-plus major fiber drawing companies. Yet, only a small number of enterprises could produce optical fiber prefabricated rods. The products of these producers mainly satisfy their own needs. They only supply limited amount of optical fiber prefabricated rods to fiber-drawing producers. For this reason, the production of the optical fiber prefabricated rods has been the bottleneck of the industry. When the world IT industry experiences a recession, the price of optical fiber prefabricated rods is still high.

Of OVD, MCVD, VAD and PCVD, the four main methods currently used in producing optical fiber prefabricated rods, OVD and VAD are characterized by a high deposition rate and bigger rod size. Single-mode optical fiber produced with these two methods enjoys a better market share in the world. Some enterprises in China have mastered MCVD and PCVD, but their supply to the market can hardly satisfy the demand on the domestic market. For this reason, China imports optical fiber prefabricated rods and optical fiber products every year so as to meet the accelerating development of the domestic telecommunication industry.

Hangzhou Futong Group and Japan Showa Electric Wire & Cable Co. Ltd. are partners in developing optical fiber prefabricated rods by using the latest synthetic method. The major advantage of this leading technology is that its non-stop production process makes it possible to produce large-size optical fiber prefabricated rods. The method enables the long continuous optical fiber (over 1000 kilometers) to be produced at a low cost and in a stable quality.

On 11th May 2000, CPC secretary-general Jiang Zemin inspected Hangzhou Futong and enquired after the development project of optical fiber prefabricated rods. Wang Jianyi, president of Futong Group, assured the secretary-general that Futong would introduce and absorb the technology within the shortest time and master it within 2 to 3 years. The secretary-general expressed his appreciation and encouragement by saying: "Well done! Work hard!"

Thanks to the focused concern and energetic support from the state, provincial and city governments, this project was respectively put on the list of key project at the state and the provincial levels. Officially started at the end of 2000, the project was executed in a scientific way. Engineering design, equipment selection and invitation for bidding and part civil engineering went on simultaneously. Designers and engineers worked day and night and solved various difficulties and finally succeeded in building the production facility for optical fiber prefabricated rods and manufacturing optical fiber prefabricated rods with the comprehensive synthetic method. This success is a contribution to the progress of China's national drive for information buildup.

It is learned that when the project is completed, Hangzhou Futong Group will be able to produce a series of optical fiber products at a low cost in large quantity. Estimably, by 2005, the company's production capacity will have surpassed five million kilometers of optical fiber and optical cable and will move positively toward a 25% share of the domestic market.