To learn from advanced manufacturing management, process design, and market operation experiences, address pain points in industry development, and promote the transformation and upgrading of Guangdong's luggage industry towards high-end, branded, and intelligent development, a high-quality development exchange activity for the luggage industry in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area was recently held in Shenzhen. The activity, themed "Intelligent Manufacturing Improvement, Design Empowerment, and Channel Win-Win," was jointly organized by the Shenzhen Leather Industry Association, the Guangdong Leather Goods and Luggage Circulation Association, the Guangdong Leather Association, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Footwear and Bags Industry Alliance.
Industry Representatives Gather for On-Site Visits and In-Depth Exchanges
On April 24th, the event invited nearly 40 core leaders from over 20 representative companies in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, including luggage and leather goods retail brands, e-commerce brands, cross-border e-commerce companies, and high-quality foreign trade suppliers.
The event adopted a format of site visits + experience sharing + thematic seminars, visiting Huixiong Leather Products (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. and Belle Fashion Group Lirong Shoes (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. Participants visited Asia's largest bag R&D center, intelligent production workshop, quality control center, new materials and processes area, original design showroom, and brand operation center, gaining firsthand experience in digital transformation, lean production, original design, AI applications, and channel expansion.
On-site discussions focused on topics such as improving production efficiency, standardized quality control, and cost reduction, with in-depth exchanges on three core industry pain points:
- How can small and medium-sized bag enterprises implement digital transformation at low cost to solidify their quality foundation?
- How can Guangdong bag enterprises build their own brands and break free from homogeneous competition?
- How can the industry expand domestic and international sales channels and achieve market growth breakthroughs under the new circumstances?
Industry Association Perspectives: Deepening Differentiation and Collaborative Transformation and Upgrading
Li Ruilong, President of the Guangdong Leather Goods and Luggage Circulation Association, pointed out that local leather goods companies should leverage the Greater Bay Area's well-developed supply chain advantages to deeply cultivate niche markets and pursue a differentiated strategy; closely align with the demands of consumption upgrading, strengthen process upgrades, product innovation, and green R&D; adhere to quality as the foundation and originality as the core, accelerate the digital and intelligent transformation of production, and simultaneously deploy online content operation and brand communication to comprehensively enhance core competitiveness and contribute to the long-term high-quality development of the industry.
Guo Zhongjie, President of the Guangdong Leather Association and President of the Shenzhen Leather Industry Association, stated that this event is the first major joint event of provincial associations in 2026. The association will release industry development initiatives in due course, regulate industry order, advocate for collaborative development, open sharing, and cross-industry learning among enterprises; orderly promote the digital transformation of the industry, address development shortcomings, and improve flexible supply chains; enterprises need to increase R&D investment, leverage Guangdong's industrial agglomeration advantages, and expand into both domestic and international markets.
He specifically mentioned that although some production processes have relocated, the core R&D remains in Guangdong. The mature and complete industrial chain advantages are difficult to replace in the short term, providing a solid foundation for the industry's development. The association will regularly build a platform for exchange and cooperation, unite industry forces, support emerging forces, and encourage bold innovation and breakthroughs.
Enterprise Representatives Offer Suggestions Focusing on Intelligent Manufacturing, Originality, and Industry Self-Regulation
Liu Shengxian, representative of Huixiong Leather Goods, suggested that the association should take the lead in promoting the construction of industry digital standards and unite leading enterprises to resist low-price homogenization and infighting. Enterprises should adhere to innovation-driven development, strengthen original design and technological R&D, uphold quality standards, and pursue a high-quality development path. They should deepen industrial chain collaboration, implement new technologies such as AI intelligent pattern making and intelligent manufacturing, and empower industrial upgrading through digitalization.
Sun Lin, representative of Guangzhou Gete Software, gave a special presentation entitled "Upstream and Downstream Collaboration and AI Digital Upgrading," showcasing a one-stop digital implementation solution for the luggage industry from the dimensions of AI transformation, industrial chain collaboration, and practical cases, which received widespread recognition from the participants.
Demonstrating the Strength of Benchmark Enterprises and Building a Model for Industrial Development
Belle Fashion Group has established seven modern production bases, covering the Pearl River Delta, Central China, East China, and Southwest China, with a total area exceeding 1,000 acres, employing over 20,000 people, and operating 7,000 directly-owned stores nationwide. Its online channels are also rapidly growing.
The Shenzhen Lirong plant is a national high-tech enterprise and a provincial/municipal green factory, responsible for the R&D, testing, and core manufacturing of high-end footwear and bags. The seven bases complement each other, forming a large-scale, intelligent, full-chain production system, producing over 22 million pairs of finished shoes annually, with an annual manufacturing output value of approximately 12-14 billion yuan. Its lean manufacturing and full-chain layout solidify its leading position in the industry.
Huixiong Leather Goods belongs to the Hong Kong Da Hui Group, founded in 1957, with 69 years of experience in the industry. It entered Shenzhen in 1982, with Longgang District, Shenzhen, serving as the group's core R&D center and a major bag R&D center in Asia.
The group has production bases in Huizhou, Dongguan, Bangladesh, and Cambodia, employing over 10,000 people. It has long provided R&D, design, and OEM services to international and luxury brands. Its overseas bases have extensively introduced intelligent digital equipment and are simultaneously promoting the construction of green and low-carbon facilities such as photovoltaics and water recycling, practicing sustainable development concepts. It has become a leading leather goods OEM enterprise in Asia.
Industry Outlook: 2026 a pivotal year for brand rise
This event is another important initiative by the association to promote brand building in the industry, following its connection with the Paris headquarters of the French LVMH Group. Industry insiders generally believe that 2026 will be a crucial year for the comprehensive awakening of brand awareness in the domestic leather industry chain.
The ultimate goal of a company's long-term development is brand. Finding a differentiated positioning in a niche market is an effective path to break through the low-price competition and achieve healthy profitability. The current new generation of industry players is actively entering the market and engaging in pragmatic innovation, injecting new vitality into the Greater Bay Area's luggage industry and laying a solid foundation for the industry's high-end, branded, and intelligent development.
