China Business Daily (reporter Zhou Ziyu / photo) After falling into the "Academician Storm" not long ago, Moutai Group has recently been disqualified from the "National Enterprise Technology Center".
Topics related to liquor technology and Maotai technology have attracted the attention of the outside world.
A reporter from China Business Daily found that the proportion of R&D expenses and the number of R&D personnel in Kweichow Moutai is at a relatively low level among the five leaders in the liquor industry. What is the reason behind this, and how important is technology to the liquor industry?
Liquor showcase in a supermarket in Beijing
Maotai and others were removed from the National Enterprise Technology Center
A few days ago, the National Development and Reform Commission announced the evaluation results of the National Enterprise Technology Center in 2021. The evaluation score of Maotai Group and other enterprise technology centers was lower than 60 points. The number of development personnel is less than 150, the original value of enterprise technology development equipment is less than 20 million yuan, and the research and experimental development expenditure is less than 15 million yuan.
It is understood that the National Enterprise Technology Center is jointly responsible for the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Finance, the General Administration of Customs, and the State Administration of Taxation. In order to promote the technological progress of enterprises and establish the main position of technological innovation and technological investment of enterprises, based on 50 indicators, A comprehensive and systematic evaluation system for the technological innovation capability of enterprises.
A total of 1,744 enterprises participated in the evaluation of the National Enterprise Technology Center, including 11 alcohol-related national enterprise technology centers such as Moutai Group, Wuliangye, Fenjiu, Jiannanchun, Tsingtao Beer and Pearl River Beer.
Among the six liquor companies, Wuliangye scored 82.3 points, ranking 385th; Fenjiu scored 79.6 points, ranking 557th; Jiannanchun scored 55.9 points, ranking 1649th; Moutai Group scored 50.7 points, ranking 1672nd, the bottom of the participating companies.
Moutai Group and Jiannanchun were disqualified from the "National Enterprise Technology Center" due to unqualified scores.
In fact, as early as February 2021, Maotai Group fell into the "Academician Storm".
At that time, Kweichow Moutai official Weibo announced that Wang Li, chief engineer and chief quality officer of Moutai Group, was shortlisted for the list of co-opted academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. A wave of doubts arose.
Finally, on April 23 of the same year, the website of the Chinese Academy of Engineering announced that, after deliberation by the Presidium of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 577 valid candidates for the 2021 academician co-election of the Chinese Academy of Engineering were determined, and Wang Li, the chief engineer of Maotai Group, was not listed.
Moutai's R&D expenses are relatively low
Which is the strongest technology investment in the liquor industry?
A reporter from China Business Daily compared the R&D expenditures and the number of scientific and technological personnel of five leading enterprises of Kweichow Moutai, Wuliangye, Yanghe, Luzhou Laojiao and Shanxi Fenjiu.
Regarding the proportion of R&D expenses in sales revenue, data from financial data and analysis tool service provider Wind shows that from 2018 to 2020, the proportion of R&D expenses in Kweichow Moutai's sales revenue was 0.03%, 0.05%, and 0.05%, respectively. In the same period, the proportions of Wuliangye were 0.21%, 0.25%, and 0.23%; the proportions of Yanghe were 0.11%, 0.69%, and 1.23%; the proportions of Luzhou Laojiao were 0.48%, 0.45%, and 0.52%; Shanxi Fenjiu This ratio is 0.13%, 0.19%, 0.12%.
It can be seen that the R&D expenses of Luzhou Laojiao and Yanghe account for a relatively high proportion of sales revenue, and the proportion of Kweichow Moutai is relatively low.
In terms of the number of R&D personnel.
According to Wind data, from 2018 to 2020, the number of R&D personnel in Kweichow Moutai accounted for 2.07%, 1.83%, and 1.77% of the total number of employees; in the same period, the proportion of Wuliangye was 10.19%, 10.32%, and 10.51%. ; Yanghe accounted for 2.57%, 2.51%, 3.47%; Luzhou Laojiao accounted for 15.69%, 14.06%, 14.23%; Shanxi Fenjiu accounted for 3.59%, 3.68%, 3.5%.
It can be seen that Luzhou Laojiao has the highest proportion of R&D personnel among the total employees, and Kweichow Moutai has the lowest proportion.
In this regard, Gao Jianfeng, the founding partner of Shanghai Bogai Consulting, told a reporter from China Business Daily that Kweichow Moutai’s R&D investment is low or because Kweichow Moutai’s moat is its brand power and channel power, that is, it does not need to rely on rolling R&D investment. achieve good sales growth.
In recent years, Luzhou Laojiao has paid more attention to technology investment or because its high-end production capacity is relatively tight. In recent years, Luzhou Laojiao has been continuously building new cellars and transforming old cellars, which requires continuous investment in technology to accelerate the aging of cellar mud. change.
Zhang Wujiu, the former vice president and professor-level senior engineer of the China Food and Fermentation Industry Research Institute, told the China Business Daily reporter that the brewing process requirements of liquor or modern technology cannot be fully satisfied.
In fact, the liquor industry is more like a science based on experience, many of which cannot be fully explained by modern technology.
The importance of technological content in industry enterprises is self-evident
Is the level of science and technology important to the liquor industry, and what role can it play?
In this regard, a person in charge of the quality management department of a listed liquor company revealed to a reporter from China Business Daily that although liquor is a traditional craft, scientific and technological progress has indeed promoted the development of the industry, including theoretical guidance in production, experience rising to the standard, and mechanized intelligent equipment. adoption, quality control, etc.
A liquor industry judge who has been engaged in technical research in the liquor industry for many years told a reporter from China Business Daily that technologies such as intelligence and big data are very important for the future development of the liquor industry. For example, the use of intelligence can be used to monitor the physical and chemical changes in liquor fermentation online. .
At the same time, the mechanism of the interaction of many components of liquor also needs to be studied through big data.
Jin Yufeng, executive partner of Zhongyuan Fund and an analyst in the liquor industry, analyzed the reporter of China Business Daily that scientific and technological research and development is ubiquitous in the production process and operation management of liquor.
Its technological application includes automation and intelligence of koji making, fermentation, brewing, and storage, and standardization and intelligence of blending processes.
In addition, the flexible production of liquor, personnel management, sales management, commodity circulation, inventory management and other links also need digital transformation.
It can be said that all aspects of liquor production and circulation are inseparable from technological progress.
What are the difficulties in improving the technological level of the liquor industry in the future?
Gao Jianfeng believes that the current technology investment of liquor companies is mainly used to expand production capacity. In fact, with the rapid expansion of liquor production capacity in recent years, the quality of liquor products may show signs of decline.
The above-mentioned liquor industry judges also revealed that the mystery of liquor technology lies in how to use modern technology to analyze and research the liquor industry.
At present, what is lacking in the advancement of technology in the liquor industry is not funds and equipment, but professionals who understand both theory and practice.