China’s Rise as a Global Moulding Power: From Technological Breakthroughs to International Influence

Over the past two decades, China’s mold-making technology has made remarkable progress, and the mold industry has risen rapidly from small-scale operations to a major player. With the booming development of China’s automotive industry, domestic brands have been actively expanding into the mid- to high-end market; meanwhile, the rise of new-energy vehicles has further boosted the growth of the mold industry. Today, China has firmly established itself as one of the world’s leading mold-producing countries.

Globally, the leading mold-making countries include China, Germany, the United States, Italy, Australia, Singapore, and Japan. Next, we will examine the mold-making strengths of each of these countries one by one.
German mold technology stands out uniquely.

Germany, a country renowned worldwide for its precision machinery and tool manufacturing, also boasts exceptional expertise in mold technology. In the complex mold industry—a sector that spans numerous industrial fields—German mold manufacturers, after years of refinement and exploration, have reached a firm consensus: Only through coordinated, collaborative efforts across the entire industry, pooling collective wisdom, and jointly tapping into innovative potential can we ensure the industry’s sustained leadership. To meet the challenges posed by the accelerating pace of new product development, Germany has not only seen large enterprises establish cutting-edge R&D centers but has also witnessed a surge of participation from numerous small and medium-sized enterprises, which are proactively offering R&D support to their customers. This vibrant research environment has laid a solid foundation for Germany’s continued leadership in the global market. Amid fierce international competition, Germany’s mold industry has consistently maintained its strength, with an export rate remaining stable at around 33%. According to statistics from the Tool and Mold Association of the German Engineering Industry Federation (VDMA), Germany is home to approximately 5,000 mold enterprises, and in 2003, the value of mold production reached as high as 4.8 billion euros. Among these, the output of the 90 core member companies accounted for as much as 90%, vividly demonstrating the overall strength of Germany’s mold industry.
Italian molds—high-efficiency and outstanding quality.

Italy’s mold manufacturing technology enjoys a prestigious reputation on the international stage. According to Luo Baihui, Executive Secretary-General of the International Association of Mold and Hardware & Plastics Industry Suppliers, Italian mold manufacturers have ensured the rapid and high-quality production of premium molds by integrating advanced technologies into both the design and manufacturing processes. These companies widely adopt CAD/CAE/CAM technologies, high-speed machining technologies, as well as rapid prototyping and tooling technologies. The application of these cutting-edge technologies has enabled Italian molds to achieve internationally leading standards in both quality and efficiency.
1. The widespread adoption of CAD/CAE/CAM technologies demonstrates the driving and enhancing role of information technology in the mold industry. In terms of CAD applications, Italy has moved beyond the initial stage of simply abandoning drafting boards and performing 2D drawing; currently, the proportion of 3D design has reached 70% to 89%. Software such as PROE, UG, and CIMATRON are widely used here. These tools not only enable 2D design but also generate 3D models, providing a solid foundation for NC programming and CAD/CAM integration. Moreover, 3D design allows interference checks to be performed during the design phase, ensuring the rationality of both design and manufacturing processes.

The widespread adoption of CNC machine tools ensures high precision and quality in mold components. Generally speaking, a mold-making enterprise with 30 to 50 employees typically owns more than ten CNC machine tools. Parts processed by CNC machine tools can be directly used for assembly, thereby significantly reducing the need for assembly fitters.

CAE technology is also gradually maturing in Italy. In injection mold design, CAE analysis software is used to simulate the plastic molding process and the cooling process, enabling the prediction of potential defects. In die design, CAE software simulates the metal deformation process, analyzes stress and strain distribution, and predicts defects such as cracking, wrinkling, and springback. The role of CAE technology in mold design is becoming increasingly prominent—for example, after adopting CAE technology, Italy’s COMAU company reduced its prototype testing time by more than 50%.

2. To shorten mold-making cycles and enhance market competitiveness, Italian mold-making companies generally adopt high-speed machining technology. This technology is characterized by high cutting speeds, high feed rates, and superior machining quality, with efficiency significantly higher than that of conventional cutting processes. In production, these companies widely use CNC high-speed milling machines, whose spindle speeds typically range from 15,000 to 30,000 rpm. High-speed milling technology can substantially reduce mold-making time, and the mold surfaces finished through high-speed milling require only simple polishing before they can be put into use, thereby saving considerable time otherwise spent on grinding and polishing.

3. Rapid prototyping technology and rapid tooling technology have also been widely adopted. As market competition intensifies and the pace of product innovation accelerates, these two technologies have emerged and quickly gained widespread popularity. At mold exhibitions in Europe and the U.S., such as those held in Italy, various types of rapid prototyping equipment—including SLA, SLS, FDM, and LOM—occupy a prominent position. Meanwhile, specialized agencies and companies offering prototype manufacturing services are also making their presence felt.

Among Italian mold-making companies, many have already integrated rapid prototyping and rapid tooling technologies into their mold manufacturing processes. They use rapid prototyping technology to create prototypes of product parts and then swiftly fabricate molds based on these prototypes. For example, plastic mold manufacturers often employ rapid prototyping to produce silicone rubber molds, enabling them to replicate small batches of plastic parts—a method that is particularly well-suited for the product’s trial-production phase.
The Italian plastics and rubber processing machinery and mold manufacturing industry, an important component of the Italian Mechanical Engineering Federation, covers 10 specialized machinery manufacturing sectors. This industry not only boasts over 500 European patents but is also renowned for its high level of specialization, cutting-edge technology, and diverse product offerings. Moreover, providing customers with a wide range of value-added services has become a distinctive feature of this sector. According to Luo Baihui, Italian mold enterprises achieve annual per capita sales exceeding US$100,000, highlighting their strong market competitiveness. Currently, the industry’s output value accounts for 16.5% of the total output value of the Mechanical Engineering Federation, making it a critically important sector. At the same time, its products are primarily exported to EU countries, with exports accounting for as much as 47% of total sales, underscoring its significant influence in the international market. Thanks to advanced technologies and management models, large-scale, precision, and complex molds produced by Italian mold enterprises have played a vital role in driving the development of industries such as automotive, electronics, telecommunications, and home appliances, while also bringing substantial economic benefits to these enterprises.
The Current Status and Challenges of the U.S. Mold Industry

Currently, the U.S. mold industry comprises approximately 7,000 companies, over 90% of which are small-scale enterprises with no more than 50 employees. As industrialization has deepened, the U.S. mold industry has evolved into a world-leading high-tech sector. The production and supply of mold steels have been standardized, and CAD/CAE/CAM technologies have become widely adopted throughout the design and manufacturing processes. In terms of machining processes and inspection and testing, the U.S. is also equipped with advanced equipment, enabling the development of large-scale, complex, and precision molds to reach world-class levels. However, since the 1990s, the U.S. economy has begun to face major adjustments in the post-industrial era and intense competition in the global market. This competition poses multiple challenges—not only from cost pressures but also from time constraints and competitive pressures.
The Current Situation and Challenges Facing Japan’s Mold Industry

Although Japan’s mold industry once held a world-leading position and reached its peak in output value in 1998, its development has gradually stalled in recent years, and to date it has failed to recover or surpass the level it achieved in 1998. Meanwhile, the number of mold manufacturing enterprises has also been declining year by year. According to Luo Baihui, Secretary-General of the International Mold & Hardware & Plastics Industry Suppliers Association, Japan not only controls core technologies in multiple fields but also firmly holds onto the most profitable segments of the industrial chain, leaving joint ventures in other global markets with only the profits from assembly operations. This “industry-driven national strategy” is undoubtedly worth learning from for Chinese enterprises.

However, the current international situation is complex and ever-changing. It is important to be vigilant against the possibility that hedge funds and capitalists might take advantage of the situation by manipulating public opinion and exaggerating losses to siphon off capital, which could deal a severe blow to global economic development. This is particularly true for a major mold-manufacturing country like Japan: once capital is withdrawn, it could have a significant impact on the entire global industrial network.

In recent years, due to the impact of the global financial crisis and a massive earthquake, Japan’s key mold-using industries—the automotive industry and the semiconductor industry—have both experienced a sharp downturn. Currently, many companies are receiving orders amounting to only 20% to 40% of their peak-year levels, resulting in underutilized factory capacities; some companies have even begun to shut down, and the number of businesses is declining month by month. Faced with these challenges, Japanese mold industry professionals are deeply concerned, particularly worried about the exodus of highly experienced talent to overseas markets. The loss of such talent poses a serious threat to the future development of Japan’s mold industry. Therefore, how to proactively address the current difficulties has become a major issue for the industry. The Japanese mold industry and relevant government agencies have already begun to engage in in-depth discussions on the future direction of the mold industry.
① Actively leverage advanced technologies to promote the digitalization and informatization of the mold industry;
② Explore the application of molds in emerging fields such as new energy, new materials, medical devices, and aerospace.
③ Expand the mold industry chain and achieve diversified operations;
④ Continuously update industry knowledge and maintain technological leadership;
⑤ Strengthen industry-academia-research cooperation to promote the R&D and innovation of mold technology.

In addition, Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has established the “Basic Materials Technology Strategy Study Committee” and released the “Basic Materials Technology Strategy” guidelines, aiming to firmly grasp the lifeline of global manufacturing by mastering key technologies.
China’s mold manufacturing equipment applications face new challenges.

At the CCMT2018 exhibition, Qin Ke, Secretary-General of the China Mould Industry Association, delivered a keynote report titled “The Chinese Mould Industry and Modern Manufacturing: Coexisting, Coexisting, and Co-developing.” The report provided an in-depth exploration of the current state of the mould market, advances in mould equipment, as well as future development directions for the mould industry and its demand for equipment.

With the accelerating pace of mold innovation and technological advancement, the emergence of new technologies as well as the application of new materials and novel forming processes are driving the continuous development of new mold structures and products. Technological innovation has become the primary driver of the mold industry’s development, marking a shift in the industry’s innovation landscape—from one previously dominated by mere imitation and follow-up to a new stage characterized by both imitation and parallel advancement.

The industry is accelerating its efforts to improve quality, enhance efficiency, and achieve optimization and upgrading. Precision, automation, informationization, integration, networking, and intelligence have become the key words driving industry development. Mold products are evolving toward larger sizes, higher precision, superior performance, and greater integration, which in turn are placing new demands on mold manufacturing equipment.

Mold-making enterprises face a variety of challenges, including improving equipment utilization rates, optimizing the human-machine ratio, implementing benchmarking and knowledge-base management, adopting part-based and modular manufacturing approaches, automating processing units, and investing heavily in specialized equipment. At the same time, process control and outcome management have become indispensable components of mold-making enterprises.

Singapore's expertise in IT mold development

Although Singapore has a population of only 3 million, its mold industry experienced rapid growth between the 1980s and 1990s, driven by strong government support and a series of favorable policies, thereby providing a powerful boost to Singapore’s economic takeoff. Today, the country boasts more than 1,000 enterprises engaged in mold manufacturing and precision machining, with an annual output value exceeding 4.5 billion RMB, firmly establishing Singapore’s position as a key player in the Asian mold industry. Notably, several mold companies have successfully gone public. Among these companies, over 65% specialize in supplying molds tailored for the IT and electronics industries. Although they do not produce large-scale molds, each of their products embodies a seamless integration of high precision and advanced technology. Singapore’s mold enterprises primarily focus on a variety of fields, including semiconductor frames, packaging molds, metal stamping molds, plastic molds, and silicone rubber molds.
Demand for automotive stamping dies in Australia

In recent years, Australia’s economy has continued to grow rapidly, and it is expected to maintain this growth momentum in the coming years. However, its mold manufacturing industry—particularly its capability in producing stamping dies—has failed to keep pace with economic development. As a result, Australia urgently needs to import advanced stamping-die manufacturing technologies from abroad. In this regard, China’s mold industry enjoys significant advantages and boasts enormous market potential.

It is worth noting that the software used by Australian automotive mold design and manufacturing companies—such as UG, PROE, CATIA, and Euclid—is highly compatible with the software employed by Chinese mold enterprises, thus laying a solid foundation for technological exchange and cooperation between the two countries. Meanwhile, the similarity between CAE analysis software and simulation-based molding analysis software further promotes deeper cooperation between the two sides in the mold industry.

Organizations such as the Australian Mould Manufacturers Association, the Adelaide Mould Makers Association, and the Melbourne Mould Makers Association have shown strong interest in China’s mould market and manufacturing enterprises. This will undoubtedly create more business opportunities for China’s exports of moulds to Australia.