Recently, on the list of China’s top 100 counties for comprehensive tourism strength, Liuyang secured a historic third-place ranking. The core driving force behind this achievement is the city's brand: "A river of poetry and a city of fireworks." From the viral "weekend fireworks shows" that fill screens every week to the spectacular drone formations, including the 3,000 drones that wove a "flaming" tribute for graduation season, ancient pyrotechnic techniques have ignited a hotspot for cultural and tourism consumption. However, behind this brilliant spectacle, the fireworks industry has long been plagued by development pains, such as extensive corporate management, high reliance on manual labor, and a large number of fragmented enterprises. How can fireworks be made to bloom more brilliantly in the night sky, and how can the industry find a path to high-quality development? With over 200 fireworks and firecracker enterprises in Changsha undergoing concentrated transformation in three batches and using digital means to reduce costs and increase efficiency, the answer is clearly digital transformation.
Industrial Revolution: A Battle for the Future
As the undisputed economic pillar of Liuyang, the fireworks industry reached a total output value of over 50.22 billion yuan in 2024, with more than 300,000 people directly employed. Despite its massive scale, the industry's reliance on a large number of family-owned SMEs with insufficient management capabilities meant it was a blank slate in terms of digitalization.
To change this, the city of Changsha initiated a pilot program for the digital transformation of the fireworks industry. A city-wide campaign focused on technology upgrades was launched in Liuyang, guided by the principle of "diagnose first, transform later; model first, promote later." A technical alliance of over 50 service providers was formed to conduct one-on-one assessments for local enterprises. This innovative combination of "local knowledge + external technology" successfully bridged the gap between industry needs and technical solutions.
From precise control of hazardous materials to facial recognition-based task reporting and automated cost accounting, ten application scenarios for digital transformation were successively implemented, providing a clear path for refined management. This is particularly vital for companies that produce and sell high-risk products like mortar fireworks. To date, more than 200 fireworks enterprises have undergone this transformation in three batches, significantly enhancing the entire industry’s level of safety production.
Safety Upgrade: A Revolution from "Human Defense" to "Intelligent Defense"
The fireworks industry is a high-risk chemical manufacturing sector, where even minor oversights in processes like mixing and filling can lead to major accidents. In the past, safety production was a "sword of Damocles," with management primarily relying on manual inspections, which were inefficient and prone to human error. For every firework store around the globe, traceability and robust safety production standards are of paramount importance.
Today, digital transformation is turning this pressure into a precise and comprehensive safety net. At Hunan Qingtai Fireworks' Gude factory, 500 cameras act as "all-seeing eyes," providing real-time monitoring of every corner. The AI system automatically captures abnormal situations and sends alerts directly to managers' phones within five seconds. Moreover, explosion-proof thermal imaging cameras, combined with back-end algorithms, can predict abnormal temperature rises, extinguishing potential dangers at their source.
The "fully automated filling production line" is equipped with a "safety lock," with its operational status and any abnormal currents or leakages immediately triggering an alarm. The AI system also monitors human behavior in real time, automatically capturing and alerting for actions like unauthorized departures, boundary violations, or smoking.
The 2.2 million yuan investment in digital transformation at the Gude factory has yielded tangible returns: production automation has reached nearly 80%, capacity has increased by 123%, and unit manufacturing costs have dropped by 29%. Factory director Chen Ming stated emphatically, "Preventing just one major accident could save tens of millions of yuan. It's an investment that's worth every penny."
Cost Reduction and Efficiency Improvement: Smart Systems Solving Management Dilemmas
In the past, extensive management practices left fireworks exporters in a difficult position regarding inventory and cost control. For a typical SME like Liuyang Jintu Fireworks Manufacturing Co., Ltd., a lack of refined management often led to capital being tied up in redundant materials or, conversely, production delays due to material shortages. The disposal of expired packaging materials was a particularly vexing source of waste. This created uncertainty and higher costs for clients and distributors who annually search for fireworks for sale.
The adoption of a lightweight ERP system has now brought new hope to these SMEs. Jintu Fireworks implemented this system to integrate its entire industrial chain, from procurement and production to warehousing, sales, and finance. A dynamic data dashboard provides process visualization and intelligent decision-making. Frontline workers can now perform tasks like reporting and stocking through a simple mobile app, significantly boosting efficiency.
This "easy-to-use" design philosophy, which considers the older age and limited technical proficiency of many workers, has been crucial to the successful adoption of digital transformation at the grassroots level.
Looking ahead, the path to deep digital transformation for the fireworks industry is still a long one. The next steps will focus on connecting the entire production process, upgrading personnel skills, modernizing old equipment, and opening up data interfaces to achieve more profound refined management. By continuously applying technologies like artificial intelligence, the fireworks industry is set to achieve stability and prosperity in safety production and cost reduction and efficiency improvement, ensuring that Liuyang fireworks continue to dazzle on the world stage, providing safer and higher-quality products for global firework store owners and consumers looking for fireworks for sale.
