A group of investment projects in Minhang

2 new hotels open at Hongqiao hub

Two new hotels in Shanghai's Hongqiao transportation hub, the Shangri-La Hongqiao Airport and the Traders Hongqiao Airport Hotel, began trial operations this month, with an official opening date set for late October.

The hotels are near Hongqiao Airport's Terminal 2 and Hongqiao Railway Station, where Metro Lines 2 and 10 cross with the Airport Express Line. Guests may easily reach their destinations and have a seamless travel experience.

The completion of the Shangri-La Group's dual-brand project is intended to breathe new life into the Yangtze River Delta region's transportation hub. It is considered an exemplary project in the development of the Hongqiao International Open Hub.

The Shangri-La Hongqiao Airport hotel has 91 elegant rooms and suites ranging from 45 to 176 square meters in size. The hotel's sumptuous design effortlessly blends the spirit of Shanghai style, providing guests with a distinguished and exclusive stay experience.

The Traders Hongqiao Airport hotel offers 520 modern rooms with a focus on establishing a simple and friendly ambiance, allowing visitors to feel the warmth and convenience of home despite their hectic schedules.

Ning Service gets experience center

Chinese global battery market leader CATL opened its direct-operated experience center for its service brand Ning Service in Minhang District's Meilong Town in early August.

It marks a key milestone in CATL's strategic expansion into the aftermarket in the Yangtze River Delta region.

Founded in 2015, the CATL service department gave rise to Ning Service, which became an independent brand in 2024.

The new experience center serves as a one-stop platform from battery display and sales to after-sales maintenance and technical training.

Ning Service addresses the pain points of new energy vehicle consumers by leveraging continuous innovation in battery maintenance technology, a globally leading service network and talent system, and a full battery lifecycle ecosystem, thereby leading the new energy vehicle aftermarket into a new phase.

With the rapid increase in the number of new energy vehicles on the road, demand in the aftermarket continues to grow. Estimates indicate that over 1 million new energy vehicles will require major repairs annually starting in 2025.

Ning Service has launched its CTP (Cell to Pack) repair service. Utilizing CATL's original equipment components, the service strictly adheres to CATL's technical standards and quality requirements and comes with official warranty coverage, ensuring safe and reliable repairs.

It has developed a nondestructive testing device. This device can complete fault detection in just 15 minutes, achieving an accuracy rate of over 90 percent.

NIO's inspection stations use Flexiv adaptive robots

Robotic quality inspection robots made by Minhang-based industrial robotic arm manufacturer Flexiv have been put into use at NIO's smart vehicle inspection stations in its production line.

The newly deployed robotic quality inspectors in the factories have significantly improved both inspection efficiency and quality, thereby redefining the standards of quality through technological innovation.

The Rizon 10 adaptive robots have been adopted for the inspection of charging functions, seat functions and interior components at Nio's factory.

The intelligent inspection system can identify minor flaws with the precision of an experienced inspector, even surpassing the limits of human perception. This makes "zero-defect production" possible.

Compared to previous methods, the quality inspection efficiency for new vehicles has improved. This solution completes three major inspection steps in just 84 seconds, achieving a 48 percent efficiency increase compared to manual operations.

Additionally, the two robots can perform multiple tasks simultaneously by integrating force control technology and quick-change mechanisms; they are compatible with six NIO vehicle models and four charging gun/port types.

Notably, this solution enables digitization and smart production procedures, with robot-end data being detectable and traceable. By integrating it into NIO's self-inspection software system for analysis, quality inspection processes can be continuously optimized, contributing to the creation of a new generation of smart factories.

The collaboration between NIO and Flexiv demonstrates the tangible value of smart manufacturing in automotive quality inspection.

With ongoing technological iteration, such innovative applications will further propel automotive manufacturing toward higher levels of efficiency and intelligence, delivering products with higher quality for consumers.

Shanghai Zhendong buys land usage rights

Shanghai Zhendong Materials Technology Co Ltd last month completed the land usage rights transfer contract with Qibao Town.

Costing 155 million yuan (US$21.5 million), the new facility covers a land area of 4,668 square meters.

The company expects to complete the facility within two years, utilizing it as a center for R&D, sales and promotion.

Upon completion, the company plans to leverage this facility to step up R&D investment, expand its product portfolio and tap into the potential of products in new energy, aerospace and high-end equipment sectors.

Its current product lines include rigid and flexible mica materials, heating components and safety components that are widely used in power equipment, new energy vehicles, rail transportation, specialty wires and cables, smart home appliances, and other relevant industrial sectors.

The company has gained an official construction permit, and manufacturing is ready to be officially kicked off.

The government's services have saved it a significant amount of time and avoided numerous issues, according to a company official.

Officials from Qibao have established a dedicated task force to provide comprehensive, full-service support throughout the entire process regarding the land transfer agreement and follow-up relevant permits.