(Yicai) March 19 -- China Jushi has put into operation the world’s largest electronic-grade glass fiber plant in China’s eastern Jiangsu province.

Jushi’s production line in Huai’an has officially come on stream, with an annual capacity of 100,000 tons of electronic-grade glass fibers and 390 million meters of electronic cloth, the Tongxiang-based company announced yesterday.

Electronic-grade glass fiber is a raw material for printed circuit boards. The performance of electronic-grade glass fibers directly determines the dielectric properties, thermal expansion coefficient, and reliability of PCBs, so they can be seen as the key underlying raw materials for the digital economy.

The factory produces high-end electronic base materials, such as ultra-fine yarns and ultra-thin fabrics, Junshi said, adding that it is expected to effectively meet the urgent demand of emerging industries, such as high-end servers and automotive electronics for high-performance PCBs, once at full capacity.

The project is expected to become a key contributor to the stable supply of the electronic information industrial chain, said Yang Guoming, general manager of Jushi.

The plant will provide high-end raw materials for emerging sectors, such as consumer electronics, fifth-generation mobile communications, and industrial control, and ensure the supply of raw materials for the construction of China’s new information infrastructure, said Zhou Yuxian, chairman of Jushi’s parent company China National Building Material Group.

The Huai’an factory has achieved full-process intelligent production by applying cutting-edge technologies, such as industrial internet, artificial intelligence-based quality inspection, and digital twin, Jushi noted, adding that it is the world’s first zero-carbon smart manufacturing base for glass fibers, thanks to the use of green energy provided by its self-built wind farm.

Jushi holds a 23 percent stake of the global electronic glass fiber market, and the figure is expected to increase to 28 percent once the Huai’an plant reaches full capacity.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Futura Costaglione