Large companies must have a big responsibility (Sankei Observation)
Drawing: Zhang Fangman
The number of finalists for the world's top 500 companies continued to rank first, 100 billion-level companies exceeded 200 for the first time, R&D investment exceeded 1 trillion yuan for the first time, and the average transnational index of 100 major multinational companies hit a record high... Recently, the China Enterprise Confederation and Chinese entrepreneur The Association has released a list of the top 500 Chinese enterprises for the nineteenth consecutive year. The series of good news is gratifying.
Facing the dazzling report card, Wang Zhongyu, the chairman of the China Enterprise Confederation and the Chinese Entrepreneurs Association, saw more shortcomings and potentials: "We have leadership in the global supply chain, key core technologies, industry voice, and independence. Intellectual property and other aspects are still far behind the international advanced level." He called at the China Top 500 Enterprise Summit Forum: "Chinese companies need to work together and overcome difficulties more than ever. We must take the initiative to act, persist in seeking opportunities in crises, seek breakthroughs in difficulties, and firmly grasp the initiative in development."
"Bulk" is bigger, "Physique" is stronger
The operating income and net profit of the top 500 Chinese companies in 2020 increased by 8.75% and 10.2% respectively over the previous year.
As soon as the 2020 Top 500 Chinese Enterprises list was announced, many people praised: "Chinese big companies have improved again!"
The threshold for the top 500 Chinese companies in 2020 is 35.961 billion yuan, an increase of 3.636 billion yuan from the previous year.
On the list, the number of companies with an operating income of more than 100 billion yuan was 217, an increase of 24 over the previous year. Not only did 100 billion-level companies continue to expand, the number of new companies also reached a new high.
Among them, there are 8 super-large enterprise groups with operating income exceeding 1 trillion yuan.
Sinopec, PetroChina and State Grid once again ranked in the top three, with operating income of more than 2.5 trillion yuan, and China Construction Bank and Agricultural Bank have become new members of trillion-level enterprises.
"Enterprises are an important force leading economic development and technological innovation. The ranking of the top 500 Chinese enterprises has vividly recorded the trajectory of the development of Chinese enterprises." Hao Peng, director of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, said that in 2002, the threshold for China's top 500 enterprises was first released. The income is only 2 billion yuan, and this year's entry threshold has been greatly increased. "These data demonstrate the important support provided by Chinese enterprises to enhance their overall national strength and international competitiveness."
The top 500 Chinese companies are not only bigger, but also stronger.
From the perspective of shortlisted industries, the number of finalists in traditional industries has continued to decrease, with a decrease of 7 ferrous metallurgical enterprises and an increase of 6 advanced manufacturing enterprises.
Structural adjustments have also brought improvements in quality and efficiency.
The 2020 top 500 Chinese companies achieved operating income of 86.02 trillion yuan and net profit of 3,892.414 billion yuan, an increase of 8.75% and 10.2% respectively over the top 500 Chinese companies in 2019. The profit growth rate "outperformed" the revenue growth rate.
The top 500 Chinese companies not only have better "physical" but also better "brains".
The R&D investment of the top 500 Chinese companies in 2020 broke through one trillion yuan for the first time, reaching 1,075.406 billion yuan, a significant increase of 17.04% year-on-year; its average R&D intensity was 1.61%, reaching the highest level in history; it has a total of 484,300 invention patents, compared with the previous year The top 500 increased by 19.4%; participated in the formulation of 7,571 international standards, of which the communications equipment manufacturing industry participated in the formulation of 5354 international standards, ranking first.
"From a long-term trend, since 2010, the average R&D intensity of the top 500 Chinese companies has shown a trend of first decline and then increase. More and more large companies realize that innovation is the core competitiveness of enterprises." Chief of China Enterprise Confederation Researcher Miao Rong introduced that the communications equipment manufacturing industry ranks first in the industry rankings of R&D intensity, per capita R&D expenses, and average R&D expenses. Guangdong continues to maintain its lead in the regional R&D intensity rankings.
There are more and more Fortune 500 companies and their international status is more prominent.
The number of China's top 500 companies in 2020 is 133, and continues to top the list, of which 121 mainland companies are on the list, 5 more than the previous year.
Weaknesses and shortcomings still exist
To benchmark against world-class companies, it is still necessary to develop large-scale, superior industries, more profits, and stronger capabilities
"We must recognize our shortcomings and shortcomings." In the face of Fortune 500 companies whose total operating income accounts for more than 86% of China's economic output, Wang Zhongyu has repeatedly mentioned the gap.
They are all large companies. Where is the gap between us and the world's advanced level?
Look at profitability.
In this year’s Fortune 500 list, although China ranks first in the number of companies on the list, the average profit margin is only 5.33%, which is lower than the 8% level of some developed countries.
Look at brand value.
China currently has the world's largest output of more than 220 industrial products, but only one independent brand has entered the top 100 global brands, which is far from many developed countries.
Look at the status of the industry.
Among the world's top 500 companies, traditional industries in China are relatively high, while developed countries have obvious advantages in high-end manufacturing and modern service industries.
Compared with the international advanced level, Chinese large enterprises still have a big gap in global supply chain dominance, key core technologies, industry voice, independent intellectual property rights, etc. They are doing large-scale, excellent industries, more profit, and Strengthening capabilities and other aspects must still adhere to benchmarking world-class companies.
“Among the world’s top 500 non-bank companies, the average profit of China’s non-banking companies is less than US$2.2 billion, which is less than one-third of that of some developed countries’ companies. This shows that companies have truly grown from large to strong and realized global industrial chains and supply chains. , The core technology in the innovation chain is independent and controllable, and there is still a big gap." said Cui Genliang, chairman of the board of directors of Hengtong Group Co., Ltd.
The gap is not small, and there are also many challenges.
Looking at the outside world, affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the current global economy is in deep recession, international trade and investment have shrunk sharply, and the global production network that has been expanded for many years is showing regionalization and localization.
"Due to the global spread of the epidemic, different links in the global supply chain, demand chain, and technology chain may have'breakpoints' at different times." Wang Zhongyu believes that large enterprises are the mainstay of the national economy. "The more critical the moment, the more important it is. Responsible; the more the crisis, the more we must do."
Looking at China, structural, systemic, and cyclical issues are intertwined, and enterprises face some difficulties and problems in production and operation.
Especially affected by the epidemic, many companies and their industrial chains have been greatly impacted.
"Overseas orders for our products have shrunk severely, and the production load once dropped to 37%. Withstand the pressure and implement'export to domestic sales', the production load finally returned to normal levels at the end of July." Li, Chairman of China Pingmei Shenma Energy and Chemical Group Mao lamented, "Traditional enterprises must take the initiative in integrating into the new development pattern, seize opportunities, and achieve domestic shortages for addition, excess capacity for subtraction, technological innovation for multiplication, and mechanism reform for division, so as to better enhance the core competition of enterprises. force."
Big changes breed big opportunities
The more severe and complex the development environment, the more we must unswervingly reform and innovate, break the situation and open the way
Great changes give birth to great opportunities.
Germany's Siemens, Japan's Toyota... World-renowned companies often seize opportunities in the course of change, and then stand up to the trend of the times.
"Practice has proved that the more severe and complex the development environment, the more we must unswervingly reform and innovate, continue to break the situation and open the way, and overcome difficulties." Zhou Yuxian, chairman of China National Building Material Group Co., Ltd. pointed out that large enterprises can only insist on innovation-driven and reform-enabling In order to significantly enhance development quality and development resilience.
——To improve the level of the industrial chain and maintain the safety of the industrial chain, large enterprises are the pillars.
It is the responsibility of large enterprises to get rid of the "jammed neck", rush into the "no man's land" and seize the "commanding heights".
"Large enterprises must deploy innovation chains around the industrial chain, and lay out the industrial chain around the innovation chain, and in particular, must strive to fill the "breakpoints" and "blind spots" of key technologies in the industry. Some leading companies that enter the "no man's land" for technological innovation should continue to increase Make a big investment in basic research, make further innovations and breakthroughs, and use original, fundamental, and forward-looking results to support applied technology innovation." Wang Zhongyu said.
Say goodbye to the "low-end", explore "high-end", and realize "modernization". Large enterprises take the lead.
my country has the most complete industrial system in the world, but enterprises are generally at the low end of the global industrial chain value chain.
In Miao Rong’s view, during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, Chinese large enterprises must adhere to the two-legged approach of technological innovation and resource integration, and make efforts from the aspects of industrial foundation, industrial structure, and industrial chain level to complete the integration of the industrial chain value chain. The high-end leap, "this is not only related to the profitability of the industry, but also related to the safety of industrial development."
——To seize the opportunity of industrial transformation and promote digital transformation, large enterprises are the leaders.
At present, the new generation of information technology revolution and industrial transformation are accelerating, and new applications, new formats, and new scenarios are emerging in large numbers.
In the 2019 "Global Unicorn List", my country's top three industries are e-commerce, financial technology, and cultural and entertainment industries.
From the perspective of commonality, the development characteristics of new business forms based on technological innovation, especially artificial intelligence and big data, are more distinctive.
Especially this year, during the epidemic prevention and control period, the combination of online and offline business operation models has accelerated development.
Many companies use new technologies such as cloud computing, big data, and the Internet of Things to promote the development of new businesses such as smart services, virtual operations, and interactive experiences. At the same time, they use industrial Internet platforms to carry out production collaboration and risk early warning.
"In the era of digital intelligence, data will become an important asset, products will be replaced by scenarios, and industries can be covered by the industrial ecology. Only by following the trend will companies have a bright future." Wang Zhongyu said that large companies, especially large platform companies, should become Promote the leader of online, digital and intelligent real economy.
——Using two kinds of resources to accelerate the formation of a new development pattern, with large enterprises as the main force.
According to the world’s top 100 non-financial multinational companies released by the "2020 World Investment Report", the average overseas operating income of the top 100 multinational companies accounted for 59.14%. Among the Chinese companies on the list, the percentages of overseas revenue and overseas employees were respectively They are 41.49% and 15.09%.
If you look at the 249 companies that have declared overseas income among the top 500 Chinese companies, their average overseas income accounts for only 14.58% of their total income, and the average overseas employees account for only 6.35%. The gap is even greater.
"World champions can only be produced in the international arena. To be strong, companies must participate in global market competition, and to become bigger, they must be positioned in the global market." Cui Genliang said that the development potential and space for large Chinese companies to integrate into globalization is still huge. It is necessary to seize the major opportunities of the “Belt and Road” construction, make good use of both domestic and international markets and resources, grow into a strong international enterprise, and contribute more to the construction of a new development pattern.
Our reporter Lu Yanan