Views: 888 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2026-06-23 Origin: Site
On the occasion of the 2026 “June 5” World Environment Day, the Suzhou Environmental Protection Industry Association (hereinafter referred to as “SEPIA”) meticulously planned a series of awareness and education activities under the theme “Comprehensive Green Transition, Building a Beautiful China Together.” Following the successful “Jiangsu Energy-Saving and Environmental Protection Cluster Policy Promotion & ‘AI + Green Tech’ Product Launch Exchange Event” held on June 3, SEPIA continued its momentum on June 5 by organising a key on-site exchange session – the first stop of the return visit by SEPIA‘s “German Munich IFAT Study Tour & European Green Eco-Industry Delegation” under the leadership of Chairman Ma and Secretary-General Xu was held in Wuxi.
The visit was warmly welcomed by local environmental protection enterprises in Wuxi. As the host of this inaugural return-visit stop, Yosun Environmental Equipment Co.,Ltd. , together with several other outstanding local firms, opened their doors to the delegation. Since its establishment in 2011, Yosun has been deeply engaged in the water treatment field, specialising in the R&D and manufacturing of core equipment such as dissolved air flotation (DAF) units and lamella clarifiers. Mr. Zhou Xiang, General Manager of Yosun, extended a warm welcome to all SEPIA colleagues and delivered a speech emphasising the spirit of “mutual learning for improvement, and joint efforts to protect the ecology.” He expressed the determination of local environmental enterprises to continuously enhance their technological strength and market competitiveness by benchmarking against advanced international practices.
Bringing Back European Insights, Broadening Horizons through Benchmarking
The delegation members had just completed nearly two weeks of overseas study in May. On May 4, the global environmental mega-event – IFAT Munich 2026 – opened grandly. SEPIA‘s Chairman Ma and Party Branch Secretary & Secretary-General Xu led a 34-member delegation comprising 25 outstanding environmental companies to Germany for exhibition visits and learning. At IFAT, the delegation toured thematic exhibition areas covering wastewater treatment, sludge disposal, solid-liquid separation, and more, closely observing cutting-edge technologies such as high-density sedimentation tanks and MBR systems. Mr. Zhou from Yosun, who also participated in the exhibition, noted that European equipment places great emphasis on detail and energy optimisation in design, providing valuable reference points for upgrading domestic environmental machinery in terms of automation and modular operation. Subsequently, the delegation made a special visit to a decades-old wastewater treatment plant in Austria, where the “5S”-level fine management and full-process digital real-time monitoring system left a deep impression. The visit underscored the critical importance of “continuous monitoring, regular maintenance, and a high sense of responsibility” for the long-term stable operation of environmental facilities. These cutting-edge European observations served as the valuable reference for the return visit exchanges.
On-the-Ground Inspections, Benchmarking International Standards for Upgrades
Armed with fresh insights from Europe, on June 5 the delegation embarked on the first domestic stop of their return tour, visiting Yosun and several other Wuxi-based enterprises. The exchange activities were structured around three segments: a symposium, a factory workshop tour, and a site visit to an ongoing construction project – effectively blending European best practices with local manufacturing realities.
During the symposium held at Yosun, delegation members engaged in in-depth discussions with Yosun and other local environmental companies on core topics such as technological innovation, market expansion, and resource sharing. They shared practical experiences from the European environmental sector in low-carbon technologies, standardisation, and international operations, offering valuable insights for Wuxi enterprises to upgrade their technologies and explore overseas markets.
After the meeting, the delegation walked through Yosun‘s production workshop to observe first-hand the manufacturing and assembly processes of core products such as DAF units and Lamella clarifiers. This “real-world benchmarking” – moving from exhibition halls to actual production lines – allowed the delegation to appreciate the technological accumulation and strengths of local environmental companies while also recognising gaps in manufacturing process details and lean production compared to international peers.
Finally, the delegation visited an ongoing project site to observe the installation and commissioning of water treatment equipment under real working conditions. Drawing on their European experiences, they engaged in lively technical exchanges with the local engineering team on topics including manufacturing precision, process optimisation, and intelligent O&M. This was not merely a learning exercise in equipment and technology, but also a profound brainstorming session on “how to transform China’s environmental equipment from Made in China to Smart Manufacturing”, fostering deep industry collaboration.
Technology Sharing for Cooperation, Hand in Hand for Ecological Protection
The entire exchange was practical, efficient, and rich in content. During the symposium and factory visits, companies introduced their core businesses and innovation directions, reaching preliminary consensus on joint R&D, supply chain resource sharing, and collaborative exploration of both domestic and international markets. Notably, Yosun had already actively introduced advanced European environmental concepts and manufacturing techniques years ago, building a “Sino-Western” technical foundation. Through this return visit with SEPIA‘s European study tour, Yosun gained a valuable opportunity to further align with international frontiers and continuously iterate its technology system.
This visit to Wuxi was not only a deep practice of SEPIA’s “June 5” World Environment Day campaign series, but also marked the implementation and promotion of SEPIA‘s important working philosophy: “Go global, bring back knowledge, learn from each other, and promote development.” By blending Chinese and foreign environmental technologies and deepening regional collaboration among environmental enterprises, this exchange injected new momentum into the synergistic development of the Yangtze River Delta environmental protection industrial cluster. Looking ahead, SEPIA will continue to serve as a bridge, connecting its member companies with more international resources and high-quality domestic partners, and steadfastly advancing together on the high-quality development path of China’s environmental protection industry.
