Competition is the norm, breaking the mold is a choice—
In 2025, China's laser industry adopts a new way of thriving (Part 1)
As the year 2025 is etched into time, China's laser industry also leaves its own distinctive mark. This year is one of intertwined 'inward competition' and 'breakthroughs,' a year of both 'going global' and 'rooting domestically,' and a year of a challenging yet resolute shift from 'technology following' to 'innovation leading.' To this end, we launch the '2025 Annual Review' column, which will decode the industry pulse through ten key words, outline financing and listing maps with detailed data, and track the strategic moves of leading enterprises... The aim is to present you with a true, multidimensional, and dynamic picture of the annual industry landscape, and to jointly explore the next 'golden decade' for Chinese lasers.
Having worked and struggled in the laser industry for so many years, I have witnessed the market's rapid advancements and personally experienced the fierce intensity of competition. By 2025, “involution” has become a norm that every laser industry professional must face. But those truly rooted in the industry can feel that beneath this highly competitive red ocean, beyond the routine market moves of companies, there are also some more positive and uplifting signals hidden.
A key backdrop is this: according to the '2025 China Laser Industry Development Report,' as China's laser equipment steadily occupies 56.6% of the global market share, we are no longer satisfied with being mere 'participants' in the market; instead, we aim to challenge the role of 'definers.' In 2025, industry leaders are no longer passively responding to anxiety—they are using a completely new approach to redefine the industry's growth logic and competitive rules.
Pursuing Both Domestic and International Growth: Expanding Abroad and at Home, a Dual Circulation Strategy
In response to the pressure from shrinking demand in traditional domestic industries, truly visionary companies understand that relying solely on the domestic market is not enough. The key to breaking through lies in "expanding production domestically to stabilize the foundation while establishing an overseas presence to seek new growth." This strategy has become a consensus within the industry and ultimately builds a solid development pattern of "dual circulation."
Deepening Overseas Engagement: From "Selling Products" to "Becoming Local"
By 2025, Chinese laser companies continue to expand abroad, completely leaving behind the initial phase of simply "selling products." The core logic has shifted to becoming a “local player” close to the customer. Simple product exports are long outdated; the mainstream approach now is to establish localized R&D centers and warehousing bases, or even acquire established local brands, creating a fully localized "R&D, Manufacturing, and Service" chain.
The European market has always been a proving ground for high-end technology and brands. In 2025, the major industry leaders have even more precise and in-depth strategies. At the end of the year, Lianying Laser focused on key regions in Europe, investing $2 million to establish a subsidiary in Budapest, Hungary, further enhancing its global business network. Earlier, HG Laser built the world’s first laser intelligent manufacturing “4S store” in Germany, bringing services directly to customers’ doorsteps. Hongshan Laser set up “dual warehousing centers” in Central and Western Europe to achieve ultra-fast delivery and solve the most pressing order-time issues for overseas clients. Chuangxin Laser directly established its European headquarters, and Gentled Laser set up a European service center, all aiming to root themselves locally and conduct long-term business. Meanwhile, Haimuxing acquired the laser businesses of Germany's Xteg and Switzerland's Leister, effectively gaining a “door opener” to the mid-to-high-end European market. Leveraging local resources in this way is far more efficient than starting from scratch. In the European market, competition is not just about product performance, but also brand recognition and localized service capabilities. Being able to establish a strong foothold here truly demonstrates a company’s overall strength.
The core logic of the North American market is “proximity to the frontier, tied to service.” This region gathers the globe’s top medical, semiconductor, and cutting-edge technology enterprises, with highly forward-looking demands. Haimuxing established an innovation lab in Silicon Valley with a clear goal: to strive for breakthroughs in ultrafast lasers and micro-nano processing, keeping pace with global technological frontiers. Bond Laser plans to invest $20 million to build a “Technology and Service Experience Center”; Ruike Laser set up a site in Mexico — all aimed at deeply connecting with local customers, responding rapidly to needs, and even participating in the formulation of next-generation technology standards. The North American layout, in the short term, expands business, and in the long term, it secures a technological high ground, reflecting strategic foresight.
The Southeast Asian market serves as our “supply chain ally” base. Companies like HG Laser, Jept, and Bond Laser directly establish production bases and service centers near customers. This not only enables rapid order response but also takes advantage of local cost efficiencies and deeply binds with the local industrial chain, creating a win-win scenario. The Southeast Asian market has enormous potential, and early layout is aimed at capturing future growth dividends.
Overall, the 2025 overseas layout is no longer a simple extension of sales networks. Instead, each initiative represents a localized ecosystem node rooted in the local market, close to customers, and integrated into industry chains. Only such in-depth deployment can truly withstand market risks and achieve long-term growth.
Domestic Capacity Expansion: From 'Piling Up Capacity' to 'Building an Ecosystem'
Many people think domestic capacity expansion is simply a matter of replicating production capacity, but that is not the case. We have observed that the domestic laser industry's capacity expansion by leading companies in 2025 focuses on transitioning to a higher-level, better-structured model of 'organic growth'—moving away from merely pursuing production scale. Instead, the goal is to develop industrial hubs in strategic regions that integrate R&D, manufacturing, and application ecosystems, thereby enhancing supply chain collaboration and innovation vitality. This is where the true value of domestic expansion lies.
First is the networked and regionalized layout of production capacity. Leading companies are now breaking the limitations of single-headquarter production and building manufacturing networks across major economic zones. For example, Han's Laser has invested billions to establish a headquarters base in East China, while Bond Laser has set up a South China headquarters in Shenzhen, creating a 'north-south dual engine' or 'multi-polar linkage' alongside their original headquarters in Shenzhen and Jinan. The benefits of this approach are clear: the supply chain becomes more flexible, regional market demands can be responded to quickly, and logistics costs and geographical risks are reduced. This provides companies with a 'ballast' to weather market changes.
Next is the vertical integration of the industrial chain and regional cluster collaboration. One of the core objectives of domestic expansion is to strengthen control over the industrial chain and build regional industry ecosystems. A prime example is the core area of the Yangtze River Delta, particularly Suzhou, where Huagong Technology's smart manufacturing East China base is leading the formation of a regional high-end laser industry cluster. Alongside projects by Guangzhi Technology, Juguang Technology, Baichao Laser, and others across the country, a broader and more resilient domestic industry network is taking shape.
Having been in the industry for so many years, I firmly believe that the depth of the domestic market determines the height attained in international competition. These upgraded production bases are not just places for manufacturing; they serve as strategic 'headquarters' for companies in global competition and as 'innovation hubs' for technological advancement. Without a solid domestic industrial foundation, overseas operations would be nothing more than castles in the air.
Post time: 01-15-2026
