Over decades of industrial automation in China, the path has run from dependence on imported equipment to domestic machinery rising and, in many fields, to self-reliance - and every step has carried the exploration and persistence of countless manufacturers. Zhejiang Huaershi Auto-control Instrument Valve Co., Ltd. started in the late 1980s and grew from a small plant focused on pneumatic actuators into a national high-tech enterprise that develops, produces and sells complete systems. Where did that technical strength come from? Four stages make it clearest.
1. Early Exploration: The Breakthrough of 1989 and the First QGH in 1997
The story begins in 1989. Industrial construction was gathering pace, yet pneumatic actuators - a key control device - were almost entirely held by imported brands: high prices, long lead times and maintenance dependent on others were a real pain for plants and projects. Seeing this, the founder committed to research with a single aim: reliable domestic fluid control equipment.
The early years were hard: no ready technical route, no pool of experienced engineers, everything learned from zero. The founding team ran test after test between drawings and machine tools, accumulating experience until they had mastered the core manufacturing process for pneumatic actuators.
-
1997: Wenzhou Huaershi Pneumatic Valve Manufacturing Co., Ltd. was formally established and launched the first-generation QGH series pneumatic actuator, breaking the foreign monopoly in some fields
-
1998: renamed Zhejiang Huaershi Auto-control Instrument Valve Co., Ltd., moving from single-product manufacturing into systematic instrument valve systems
The first product won the company its first customers and gathered the market feedback for later iterations.
2. Steady Growth: GT Iteration, Longwan High-Tech Status and the Shanghai Base
Entering the new century, demand for automation equipment surged across chemicals, metallurgy, power and water treatment, with duty conditions growing more complex.
-
2004: the second-generation GT series was upgraded with clear gains in structural design, sealing performance and torque stability; solid product quality earned recognition as a Longwan District high-tech enterprise
-
2007: a Shanghai production base was established, adding the DRSC and HG high-torque scotch yoke actuator lines
That Shanghai step mattered: capacity rose, and more importantly a gap was closed - high-torque scotch yoke actuators solved the earlier limits of domestic actuators in large-diameter, high-torque applications.
The product matrix filled out accordingly: from the single QGH series to AT, AW, HG, linear-stroke and stainless steel actuator series, and on to pneumatic butterfly, ball and control valves. Actuator torque now covers 8-6000 N·m for valves from DN15 to DN800.
3. Breakthrough: Full-Chain Closure and Full-Process Inspection
As Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing took hold, downstream customers demanded more reliability, safety and service life. Assembling bought-in parts was no longer enough: in-house machining of core components and full-process quality control became the measure of technical depth.
HES built on its two production bases in Wenzhou and Shanghai:
-
Full-chain closure: raw material intake, precision machining, assembly and commissioning, finished-goods testing - all under management
-
Core processes in-house: cylinders and other key parts use a hard-anodized aluminium alloy process for markedly better wear and corrosion resistance
-
Better matching: unlike peers who assemble purchased parts, in-house core processes make actuator-to-valve matching more reliable, with fewer commissioning faults caused by compatibility
On quality, every unit passes air-tightness, torque and life testing and other gates before shipment, backed by dedicated laboratories that simulate actual duty. The result: the reject rate is kept low, and the company holds ISO9001, CE certification and a special equipment manufacturing licence, with more than twenty patents and SIL functional safety certification.
4. New Iteration: Duty Adaptation and One-Stop Supply
If the first three decades answered "do we have it, and is it good", recent years address "does it fit, and is it worry-free".
Duty adaptation:
-
Corrosive media → valve bodies and seals in different materials
-
High temperature and pressure → adjusted internal structure and material grade for the actuator
-
Explosion-proof areas → certified explosion-proof pneumatic ball valve and actuator combinations
This kind of customization solves the common problem of ordinary equipment needing frequent repair on site and interrupting production.
One-stop supply: the biggest headache for industrial customers is actuator and valve from different suppliers - poor matching, time-consuming commissioning. Leveraging its complete range, HES supplies actuator, valve and accessory as one package, including solenoid valves, limit switches and air filter regulators, so the fluid control system arrives as a whole. Purchasing is simpler and the management cost of coordinating multiple suppliers drops.
Lifecycle service: free duty assessment and selection up front, fast delivery - standard models in 7 to 15 days - and after sales, technical guidance, troubleshooting and spare parts. Moving from products to solutions and then to service, HES has shifted from equipment supplier to a fluid control partner customers can rely on.
5. The Core: Persistence and Breakthrough
What has carried HES through thirty years is a long commitment to "technology first, quality first" - and continuous breakthrough on top of it.
-
Persistence: founder Mr. Ji Zhongyong entered the fluid control valve industry in the 1980s; through every market shift the company has put resources into reliability and durability rather than short-term gain
-
Craft: the hard-anodized aluminium alloy process for cylinders was not achieved overnight - it took countless formulation adjustments and process trials to balance wear resistance against corrosion resistance
-
Breakthrough: from QGH breaking the monopoly and the GT upgrade to the Shanghai base and the high-torque line, each step matched the industry's rhythm; the recent one-stop supply and customization offer is not only product innovation but a shift in business model and service philosophy
6. Looking Ahead: Carbon Goals, Intelligence and Global Reach
As the dual-carbon strategy deepens and industrial green transition accelerates, fluid control equipment - a key link in process control - faces higher demands for energy efficiency, safety and intelligence.
-
Technology: on top of its actuator and valve strengths, increase R&D in intelligent control, remote maintenance and system integration; use the two bases to raise in-house machining capability for core parts and the intelligence of complete units
-
Global reach: products already export to Russia, Southeast Asia and other markets; the company will benchmark international standards more closely so more customers can get domestic equipment at reasonable cost with imported-level quality
-
Service: continue the long-term approach to delivery and operation for piping systems at home and abroad
Conclusion
Over more than thirty years HES has walked steadily in the front rank of fluid control equipment manufacturing. That confidence comes from commitment to innovation, respect for quality and a deep understanding of customer needs. If you are evaluating fluid control equipment or a substitution plan, send your duty parameters, piping conditions and control requirements to the HES team - we support the full process from selection to delivery and operation.
Zhejiang Huaershi Auto-control Instrument Valve Co., Ltd.
Since 1989 · 30+ years focused on pneumatic actuators and pneumatic valves
Website: