Wuliangye attends China-ASEAN Expo, ups digital innovation

From high-end to classical and iterative to tailor-made, an array of white spirits presented by Chinese liquor maker Wuliangye attracted curious visitors from both home and abroad during the 17th China-ASEAN Expo.

During the expo, held from Nov 27 to 30 in the city of Nanning in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, the Sichuan province-based Chinese baijiu－white liquor－brand showcased its products and efforts to expand globally.

On its picture wall at the expo, Wuliangye exhibited its millenniaold distillation techniques and achievements, as well as its efforts to develop businesses in line with the Belt and Road Initiative.

Wuliangye will remain strategically focusing on domestic and international markets to promote the Chinese baijiu industry toward high-quality development amid a complicated global economic situation, said Li Shuguang, chairman of Wuliangye.

Under the new situation, Li said he hopes Chinese baijiu can be developed into a part in the country's promotion of the "dual circulation" development pattern.

Holding such a vision, the company has promoted the history and culture of Chinese baijiu and increased its global influence by participating in international events.

For example, at the China International Import Expo in early November, Wuliangye introduced its traditional distillation techniques, which were listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage in 2008.

At the exhibition, the brand assigned its baijiu taste testers and professional distillers to describe Wuliangye's production process. The exhibitor also explained the company's advantages in natural resources and properties of ancient distilleries, which date back to the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties (1644-1911).

With increased participation in high-level activities, Wuliangye has stepped further into the global market as cooperation partners of international events including the 17th China-ASEAN Expo and the APEC China CEO Forum 2020.

As the digital economy develops, the liquor industry has integrated digital technology into its industrial innovation and upgrading.

As a Chinese distillery conglomerate, Wuliangye is dedicated to accelerating its digital transformation by deepening cooperation with its partners in the wine and distillery industry while also seeking new economic growth for the traditional industry, the company said.

According to Wuliangye, it had cooperated with technology giants Huawei and Alibaba, and software company SAP to establish a leading digital management system in an effort to build itself into a benchmark for digital transformation in the Chinese liquor industry.

"The digital transformation of Wuliangye is not a simple construction of information; it is a mode of innovation and a profound revolution in the traditional industry," Li said.

Wuliangye will take its digital transformation as an opportunity to strive for innovation and a leapfrog development and to cultivate the brand as a world-leading enterprise with international competitiveness, so as to become a new model in the Chinese liquor industry, the executive said.

Wuliangye has established a management system for tracing its raw materials to ensure product quality and safety, according to the company.

The company has employed digital technology in its manufacturing and marketing to build a smart retail system to create a multichannel experience for customers. It is also constructing an enterprise resource planning management system, a process used by companies to manage and integrate their main businesses.

The new system will help the company utilize informatization in marketing, production and management.