Integrating Industry and Education to Build a Strong Nation: A Study Tour with NEW JCM and Liaoning University of Technology

From September 2 to 4, 59 senior students from the School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation at Liaoning University of Technology, led by their faculty advisors, embarked on a three-day immersive internship and site visit at NEW JCM Group’s Jinzhou production base. Stepping out of the classroom and onto the shop floor, the program opened a real window into the major technical equipment manufacturing industry for students about to start their professional careers.

I. Opening the Door to Industry and Unlocking the Engineering Secrets Behind the Nation’s Major Equipment

On the first afternoon, the students and teachers gathered in the conference room of the Group’s Jinzhou production base. As the corporate video played, the full scope of a major technical equipment manufacturer rooted in Jinzhou, serving the whole country and looking out to the world, unfolded before them. From R&D and design to production and complete machine testing, the entire industrial chain was presented in vivid detail, bringing to life the core engineering logic behind the country’s major equipment. 

Yao Yuhan, Manager of the General Office of NEW JCM Group and Assistant General Manager of NEWJCM Machinery, then gave the group a detailed overview of the company and explained its “Three Turbomachinery Synergy” development strategy. Gao Qidi, Gas Turbine Project Manager, delivered a special presentation on gas turbines. Both presentations helped the students form a clear and comprehensive picture of the company' s business layout, industrial positioning and growth roadmap.positioning and growth roadmap.

This real-world corporate session helped the students begin shifting from campus learners to industry observers. A safety training video followed, highlighting workshop safety rules and reminding students that they were about to step onto a real production floor with running machinery and hands-on work.

II. Touring Two Plant Areas and Reading a Living “Manufacturing Textbook”

Zhang Wentao, Deputy General Manager of NEWJCM Machinery, led the first group of students on a tour of the production facilities. The two plant areas unfolded like a three-dimensional, living manufacturing textbook, with every workstation and every machine embodying the most authentic details of industrial practice.

The main plant area served as the opening chapter. In the assembly and testing area, performance tests were carried out strictly in accordance with ASME standards. Continuous operation curves, critical speeds, surge margins—technical terms that had seemed abstract in the classroom—became visible and tangible under real operating conditions. In the high- and low-speed dynamic balancing test area, the sheer scale of the equipment—“10 meters, 20 tons, 15,000 rpm”—left a strong impression on the students. In the marking-off area, technicians cross-checked design drawings against raw material and carried out precise marking and positioning, laying the groundwork for subsequent cutting, blanking and machining.

At the shrink-fit workstation, Director Meng carefully explained the assembly process of the compressor’s three-dimensional flow impeller rotor: a single rotor had to go through multiple rounds of alternating hot and cold shrink-fit procedures, and only after repeated assembly, calibration and testing could it be completed. At the same time, the plant’s digital production model—featuring private cloud archive management and intelligent dispatch scheduling—gave students a direct glimpse into the changes brought by intelligent manufacturing.

The Dayushan plant area showcased precision manufacturing at its best. Director Liang, in an engaging and down-to-earth manner, walked the students through the complex, high-precision bearing housing components and finished titanium alloy blades. A five-axis machining center clamped the entire raw material block in a single setup and meticulously machined a 1.8-meter three-dimensional flow impeller. On the gas turbine test rig, indicator lights flickered continuously as control systems collected and fed back key operating parameters in real time.

At the steam turbine rotor assembly site in the Dayushan plant area, Master An’s simple, sincere words deeply touched the students: “I’ve been doing this for 40 years, and it takes a full 20 days to assemble a steam turbine rotor.” He then gave a complete demonstration of the entire rotor assembly process—from component cleaning, mating alignment and clearance calibration to final locking—with every step carried out to exacting precision. Forty years at the same post, twenty days to perfect a single rotor—all in the pursuit of ultimate assembly precision. There were no flashy displays, just decades of quiet dedication that taught the students the true meaning of craftsmanship: not a slogan, but a mindset of focusing and doing everything to the best of one’s ability.

III. Presenting Banners to Strengthen the Bond of University-Enterprise Cooperation

On September 4, Dean Gao and Dean Ren of the School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation at Liaoning University of Technology presented banners to NEW JCM Group and Jinzhou NEWJCM Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Cai Baozhu, Deputy General Manager and Chief Technology Officer of Jinzhou NEWJCM Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd., accepted the banners on behalf of the company. These two banners further tightened the bond of university-enterprise collaborative talent cultivation.

The banners carried a dual message: first, gratitude to the company for recruiting and nurturing many university graduates over the years and providing them with a broad platform for growth; and second, a shared expectation that both sides would continue to deepen exchanges and explore new, multi-dimensional models of university-enterprise cooperation.

IV. Meeting Alumni in the Workshop and Witnessing the Results of Industry-Education Collaboration

After the banner presentation, the university leaders, accompanied by General Manager Cai, went deep into the production plant area. Inside the workshop, several Liaoning University of Technology alumni were hard at work: Lin Wenli, now Deputy General Manager of the company; Shan Chao, director of the test bench and fully capable in his role; and Sun Yue, who had recently joined and was already establishing herself in the complete set design position.

From young campus students to backbone members of the enterprise, the growth trajectories of these alumni are the most vivid proof of successful industry-education integration and university-enterprise collaborative talent cultivation. The university leaders spoke warmly with the alumni, shared the latest developments at their alma mater, and sincerely invited them to return for visits and exchanges.

The university leaders also encouraged the students on site to look up to these outstanding alumni, make the most of the internship, and observe, think and ask questions more. With its well-developed platform and broad room for advancement, NEW JCM welcomes outstanding graduates of Liaoning University of Technology to join the company, carry forward the spirit of craftsmanship, and pursue their personal aspirations in the equipment manufacturing industry.

V. Extending Job Invitations and Inviting Young People to Pursue Their Dreams

At the closing presentation in the Dayushan plant area, the Group extended a sincere employment invitation to the students: an exclusive “mentor-apprentice” management trainee program, clear promotion pathways, competitive compensation and benefits, free accommodation and meals for out-of-town employees, and a green channel for converting internships into full-time employment.

Walking into the workshop to experience the power of manufacturing, and setting sail here for their career aspirations—this was the company’s tangible invitation to the students for their future.

VI. A Two-Way Journey Between Industry and Education to Build a Manufacturing Power

The three-day visit and internship was a transformative experience for the students as they connected textbook theory with the industrial site, and it was also a vivid example of NEW JCM’s commitment to deepening university-enterprise cooperation and participating in university talent cultivation.

Looking ahead, NEW JCM will continue to work with Liaoning University of Technology and other major universities in the province to strengthen joint talent cultivation, build internship and practical training bases, and advance industry-university-research collaboration. The generations of young students who walk onto the shop floor today will eventually be tempered into solid pillars of China’s manufacturing sector.

We look forward to meeting again in this golden autumn. NEW JCM awaits your return.