In the global landscape of the machinery manufacturing industry, China has achieved a leap from a follower to a partial leader, establishing significant advantages over the United States in dimensions such as core technological breakthroughs, market control, and industrial ecosystem construction. These advantages continue to deepen in areas including R&D investment, green transformation, and global cooperation, further widening the gap with the United States.​
The breakthrough in the independent development of core technologies has become a crucial dividing line. Facing long-term technological blockades, Chinese enterprises have developed a unique path of innovation. They have overcome technical challenges in the field of core components for “industrial machine tools,” with the performance of relevant systems reaching internationally advanced levels, breaking the monopoly of the United States and other Western countries. In contrast, the United States relies on traditional technical routes, and its technological iteration speed in some high-end manufacturing fields has been surpassed by China. Chinese enterprises pay more attention to dynamically adjusting R&D directions based on market demands and rapidly optimizing technical solutions for multi-scenario and customized manufacturing needs. However, American enterprises are constrained by traditional technical frameworks and have a slower response to emerging market demands. More notably, China has achieved a breakthrough from “non-existence to strength” in the field of heavy equipment manufacturing. The independent production capacity of large-scale equipment capable of processing ultra-large-sized precision components has far exceeded that of similar enterprises in the United States. This not only meets the equipment needs of major domestic projects (such as in the energy and infrastructure sectors) but also provides stable supplies for large-scale global projects. In contrast, the production capacity of such equipment in the United States is limited by insufficient industrial chain supporting facilities, often facing the problem of order backlogs.​
The advantages in market share and industrial ecosystem are more intuitive. In multiple segmented fields, Chinese enterprises have occupied a dominant position in the global market. The global market share of some core components exceeds 40%, and an extensive global service network has been established. From pre-sales technical consultation to after-sales maintenance, they can respond to global customer needs within 72 hours. This efficient service capability has significantly enhanced customer stickiness. In contrast, the market penetration rate of similar American products is less than 20%, and their service networks are mostly concentrated in Europe and the United States, with obvious shortcomings in covering emerging markets. This advantage stems from China’s comprehensive industrial ecosystem. Represented by a number of intelligent manufacturing industrial parks, a vertical industrial chain from core components to complete machine manufacturing has been formed, gathering supporting enterprises from various parts of the world to maximize localized supply chains and collaborative efficiency. Within these industrial parks, component enterprises and complete machine manufacturers can achieve real-time data sharing, flexibly adjust the supply rhythm according to the production schedule, and shorten the component transportation cycle to within 24 hours. Although the United States has some high-end manufacturing brands, the relocation of industries has led to supply chain disruptions, and core components need to be imported from overseas. The delivery cycle of large-scale equipment is on average more than 30% longer than that of Chinese enterprises, and the delivery stability is far inferior to that of China due to fluctuations in international logistics.​
The implementation speed of intelligent transformation further highlights competitiveness. China has deeply integrated the industrial Internet with manufacturing, realizing large-scale intelligent upgrading in multiple machinery application scenarios. The penetration rate of intelligent equipment in some fields has approached the level of benchmark industrial Internet projects in the United States, and the cost of relevant solutions is only 60% of that of similar American solutions. This dual advantage of “technology + cost” originates from China’s forward-looking layout in infrastructure such as 5G and big data. China has built the world’s largest 5G network, which can provide high-speed and stable network support for machinery manufacturing workshops, ensuring real-time transmission of equipment data and remote control, thus shortening the digital upgrading cycle of mechanical products by nearly half compared with the United States. In addition, Chinese enterprises are more proficient in combining intelligent technologies with traditional manufacturing processes, developing low-cost intelligent transformation solutions suitable for small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises, and promoting the improvement of the intelligent level of the entire industry. However, the American industrial Internet focuses on service-side optimization, and the progress of intelligent transformation in the manufacturing link lags behind that of China. Moreover, its solutions are mostly targeted at large enterprises, with high costs, making it difficult to popularize among small and medium-sized enterprises and failing to form a large-scale implementation effect.​
The advantages in R&D investment and talent reserve inject lasting impetus into industrial development. China’s R&D investment in the machinery manufacturing field has maintained double-digit growth for many consecutive years, and its proportion in industry revenue has exceeded that of the United States. Enterprises not only increase R&D investment in core technologies but also actively co-establish laboratories with universities and research institutes to promote in-depth integration of “industry, academia, research, and application” and accelerate the transformation of technological achievements. In terms of talent reserve, through the reform of vocational education and the adjustment of university majors, China cultivates hundreds of thousands of talents in machinery manufacturing-related majors every year, covering the entire industrial chain links such as R&D, design, production, and maintenance, with a high talent retention rate. In contrast, the United States is facing a shortage of professional talents in the machinery manufacturing field. On the one hand, the number of students enrolled in relevant university majors is decreasing; on the other hand, many technical talents flow to popular industries such as finance and the Internet, resulting in insufficient supply of industrial talents, which restricts technological innovation and the improvement of production efficiency.​
The first-mover advantage in green manufacturing transformation further consolidates the industrial position. China has deeply integrated the concept of green development into the machinery manufacturing industry, vigorously promoting energy-saving equipment, the application of renewable materials, and clean production processes. The energy consumption level of some mechanical products is 15%-20% lower than international standards, and the recyclability rate exceeds 80%. At the same time, Chinese enterprises actively develop mechanical equipment driven by new energy, achieving breakthroughs in electrification and hybrid technology fields to meet the global market demand for low-carbon equipment. However, the U.S. machinery manufacturing industry is affected by its dependence on traditional energy and the lock-in of technical paths, resulting in slow progress in green transformation. Some high-energy-consuming equipment still occupies a large market share, making it difficult to adapt to the global low-carbon development trend and gradually reducing its competitiveness in the international market.​
The capabilities of global cooperation and standard output are also continuously enhanced. Through platforms such as the “Belt and Road” Initiative, China has carried out capacity cooperation and technological exchanges in the machinery manufacturing field with many countries around the world. It not only exports high-quality mechanical products but also helps cooperative countries build machinery manufacturing industrial parks and share China’s industrial development experience and technical standards. At present, a number of international standards in the machinery manufacturing field led by China have been recognized by most countries in the world, breaking the situation where the United States has long dominated the formulation of international standards. In contrast, the United States pays more attention to technological monopoly and exclusive interests in global machinery manufacturing cooperation, and rarely shares core technologies and industrial experience with other countries. This leads to a gradual weakening of its influence in the formulation of international standards and makes it difficult to form an extensive international cooperation network.​
From technological breakthroughs to market control, from ecosystem construction to intelligent upgrading, and then to multi-dimensional efforts in R&D, green transformation, and global cooperation, China’s machinery manufacturing industry is reshaping the global industrial pattern with systematic advantages. It has completely changed the previous passive situation of relying on technology introduction and has become a core force driving the innovation and development of the global machinery manufacturing industry.​