Today, application markets such as 5G communications, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, and smart homes are expanding rapidly, driving a substantial surge in demand for semiconductor products. As a result, the global semiconductor industry is entering an upward phase of a new cyclical boom. Founded in the industrial automation control sector, Chuangkai Intelligent Equipment (Wuxi) Co., Ltd., which moved into the park at the end of last year, has now pivoted to focus on micro‑assembly within the semiconductor industry. This privately held high‑tech enterprise is boldly leading the charge in the era of 5G commercialization, embodying its original mission to contribute to China’s “Made in China 2025” initiative through a modest yet pragmatic “craftsman spirit.”

        Character Introduction
Zhang Haijun is the General Manager of Chuangkai Intelligent Equipment (Wuxi) Co., Ltd. He graduated from Jilin Engineering Normal University with a major in Mechatronics. Prior to starting his own business, he worked in Shenzhen at an enterprise, overseeing market development and after-sales service for drive‑related products across the Suzhou–Shanghai–Anhui region, dedicating several years to the industrial automation sector. In 2009, he founded Chuangkai Intelligent Equipment (Wuxi) Co., Ltd. Since then, the company has successfully developed a range of advanced equipment, including chip AOI systems, sorting machines, pick-and-place machines, and high‑precision measuring instruments, serving leading industry players in niche segments such as Finisar, Sors, Accton, and several institutes under CETC.

      Wuxi iPark: Why did you choose to set up in Wuxi High-Tech Zone’s iPark?

        Zhang Haijun:
Chuangkai Intelligent Equipment (Wuxi) Co., Ltd. was established in June 2009. From its origins in the traditional industrial automation control sector to its current focus on micro‑assembly within the semiconductor industry, our company has undergone three major transformations. As we have steadily phased out outdated production capacity and pursued continuous upgrades, the need for a high‑quality, efficient, and fully equipped office environment has grown increasingly urgent—crucial factors in enhancing our corporate brand image and creating room for further expansion. At the end of 2021, we moved into Building B1, Taurus, Phase II of the Software Park, and we plan to lease the floor directly across from us in the near future, expanding our office space to 2,300 square meters.

After moving into the Software Park, the park provided substantial support by reducing or waiving our rent and taxes and facilitating bank financing. Particularly during the pandemic, it established a green channel for nucleic acid testing for employees remaining on-site, alleviating many of our concerns.

        Wuxi iPark: Could you please introduce the company’s core business and its development history?
 
        Zhang Haijun:
I am someone who consistently maintains a strong sense of crisis awareness. One could say that innovative smart manufacturing has always been an ongoing journey—this is the key to how Chuangkai has grown and strengthened its business. Since establishing its machine‑vision division in 2015, the company has proactively pursued transformation; in 2017, it embarked on a second phase of transformation by entering the field of artificial intelligence; and in 2019, it set its sights squarely on the semiconductor industry, striving to become a full‑stack solution provider. Last year, the company made bold moves to divest 90% of its traditional businesses, focusing instead on leveraging technologies such as machine vision, motion control, and the Internet of Things to deliver end‑to‑end automation and intelligent manufacturing system solutions to semiconductor‑industry clients. These solutions serve leading companies across various sub‑segments, including Finisar, Soraa, Acacia, and several institutes under CETC.

        Wuxi iPark: What are the company’s latest R&D products or technologies?

        Zhang Haijun:
The company leverages core technological strengths in machine vision, artificial intelligence, and motion control to conduct focused R&D, addressing production challenges for semiconductor‑industry customers. Its current product portfolio includes AOI inspection systems, automated wafer inspection machines, robotic TCP auto‑calibration systems, high‑precision optical measurement instruments, sorters, pick-and-place machines, and other equipment. Building on precision alignment and accurate placement technologies, the company has expanded into areas such as semiconductor micro‑assembly equipment, having developed and successfully brought to market four standard models. These solutions are primarily used in semiconductor packaging, laser‑device assembly, medical imaging module assembly, 5G optical‑communication module assembly, and the assembly of high‑precision industrial‑ and defense‑grade sensors, thereby filling critical domestic gaps in related equipment.

        Wuxi iPark: What is the company’s vision for the future?

        Zhang Haijun:
From the demand side, China’s semiconductor industry is currently benefiting from the dual tailwinds of “Internet of Everything” and domestic substitution, as well as the boost from new‑energy vehicles, driving a broad-based surge in chip demand. In addition, there is a particularly compelling rationale: domestic substitution. Although China has become the world’s largest semiconductor consumer, its self‑sufficiency rate remains low, with domestic production accounting for only about 20% of total demand, leaving ample room for further localization. Moreover, domestically produced chips typically cost just one‑half to one‑third of their foreign counterparts, making them highly attractive to small and medium‑sized enterprises.

Looking ahead, Chuangkai will pursue a strategy of “specialization, refinement, uniqueness, and innovation,” leveraging our decades of expertise in industrial control to transform the company into a high-tech enterprise whose core offerings include industrial vision‑based robotic system software and hardware, IoT solutions, and Industry 4.0‑enabled smart manufacturing and intelligent factories.