Technological Innovation in Bailey Bridges

Jiangsu Sujian Road & Bridge Machine Co., Ltd., a low-profile manufacturer specializing in Bailey bridges, has achieved remarkable growth despite economic pressures. While many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) struggled with shrinking orders, Sujian Bridge saw a 30% increase in orders in 2020. It resumed work early in March and expanded its workforce to meet surging demand.

Bailey bridges, also known as prefabricated steel bridges, feature modular design, fast assembly, low cost and high efficiency, making them widely used in transportation, railway and water conservancy projects. As a leading producer in the civilian market, Sujian Bridge has supplied major national projects including the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Following Chinese state-owned construction enterprises, it has expanded overseas to markets in Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and Tanzania, with annual orders expected to exceed 200 million yuan.

Despite strong market performance, the company faced severe financing challenges. Its business model requires over four months of upfront capital: it must pay cash for high-quality manganese steel, while large state-owned clients offer two-month payment terms. Soaring steel prices further doubled its financial pressure. Previous loan applications at other banks only yielded 10 to 20 million yuan or were rejected entirely.

A breakthrough came in January 2020 when the Jingkou Sub-branch of ABC Zhenjiang offered a 30-million-yuan loan. Affected by COVID-19, the process restarted in April using ABC’s online lending platform. The entire approval, investigation, credit granting and funding were completed online in just 15 days at an annual interest rate of 5.3%, with no extra fees. This timely, low-cost funding effectively relieved its capital strain.

ABC’s support was based on the company’s strong fundamentals: industry-leading technology, more than 20 patents, stable clients like major state-owned enterprises, and reliable repayment ability. Its products were even used in the construction of Wuhan Leishenshan Hospital.

Starting as a latecomer in 2009, Sujian Bridge rose to become a champion in the Bailey bridge sector by upholding rigorous craftsmanship and quality standards stricter than national requirements. It introduced intelligent production equipment and developed proprietary technologies, earning national high-tech enterprise certification with over 30 patents. Inspired by German industrial precision, it focuses solely on Bailey bridges to build a premium Chinese brand.

Supported by ABC’s financing, Sujian Bridge has broken its capital bottleneck. Backed by technological advantages and growing domestic and overseas orders, the company is accelerating its development and entering a fast-growth track amid the promising future of the prefabricated steel bridge industry.