On March 22, 2014, the 4th Deep Foundation Engineering New Technology and New Equipment Development Forum successfully concluded at the Pearl River Hotel of the Guangzhou Military Region. With the theme of "Innovation, Safety, Efficiency, and Sustainable Development," the forum deeply discussed new situations and new problems in the deep foundation industry under the new circumstances, and showcased new technologies, new construction methods, and new achievements in deep foundation construction. The conference kicked off in a grand atmosphere. The opening ceremony was presided over by Hao Xinmin, President of the Foundation Engineering Branch of Chongqing Construction Industry Association. He briefly explained the main agenda of the conference and introduced the leaders, renowned experts, and entrepreneurs attending the meeting. Zhang Jinxun, Chairman of the Deep Foundation Construction Branch of China Construction Industry Association, delivered the first speech. He said that the Deep Foundation Development Forum plays an increasingly important role in building a platform for the industry and promoting progress. As foundation engineering reaches both sky and underground, and railway construction crosses regions and seas, it will promote interaction across the entire industry chain. Chairman Zhang Jinxun thoroughly summarized the outstanding achievements and shortcomings of deep foundation development, and looked ahead to the new situations faced. He pointed out that in the new year, favorable policies will provide guarantees for the development of deep foundation engineering, railway and urban rail construction will become an important market for deep foundation engineering development, and urban agglomeration and affordable housing construction will boost deep foundation engineering development. All these indicate that the deep foundation engineering market has broad prospects, requiring us to continuously deepen discussions, innovate, and adapt to the needs of the situation. In his speech, Gao Wensheng, Chairman of the Pile Foundation Academic Committee of the Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering Society of the China Civil Engineering Society, said that the Deep Foundation Development Forum has been successfully held three times so far, not only achieving fruitful results but also growing in scale, which fully demonstrates the charm and influence of the forum. The industry leaders and elites gathered today have witnessed that the forum is truly a high-end platform and authoritative conference in the industry. He stated that with the development of urbanization in China, especially the vigorous promotion of new urbanization, the development and utilization of underground space will increase, and its construction will become more modern. Therefore, pile foundation and foundation pit engineering technologies in deep foundation engineering are increasingly used in building engineering, municipal engineering, transportation road engineering, port and marine engineering, etc. Regional differences in economic development, complex and variable geological conditions, and vastly different construction environments will boost research and innovation in new technologies and equipment for deep foundation engineering. Thus, the forum has become an important carrier for development discussions.
Guo Chuanxin, Secretary-General of the Pile Machinery Branch of the China Construction Machinery Society, analyzed the current status of the pile machinery industry at the meeting and predicted the development trend for 2014. Secretary-General Guo pointed out that in the past year, while the pile machinery industry achieved remarkable results in technological invention, creation, and energy conservation and environmental protection, there were also problems that cannot be ignored. Mainly, under the situation of slowing economic development seeking quality, the industry faces challenges brought by the downturn. He said that from the sales data of recent years, after entering the 2,000 units/year sales volume, the market pull effect has weakened, showing the limited capacity of the pile machinery market segment. At the same time, the sales rankings of leading enterprises have undergone subtle changes, indicating differences in stage business objectives and marketing strategies among enterprises. At present and in the coming years, the main challenges facing the pile machinery industry are the severe situation of accounts receivable, increased pressure on payment collection and inventory, and tight cash flow that has affected suppliers. Therefore, Secretary-General Guo emphasized that in 2014, under the background of seeking progress while maintaining stable economic development, under the situation where new changes in the world economic situation pose more challenges to the construction machinery industry, under the situation where overcapacity will lead to intensified competition in the construction machinery industry, and under the situation where the continuous development of new situations places higher demands on new technologies, enterprises must work hard on internal strength, transformation and upgrading, thereby promoting independent innovation in the industry and striving to create a world-class level. After Secretary-General Guo's speech, Sun Jinshan, Editor-in-Chief of Foundation Engineering Magazine, also delivered an enthusiastic speech. As the organizer, Editor-in-Chief Sun felt honored to host this forum and expressed confidence in providing good service. He welcomed all leaders and guests present and wished the conference success.
In the subsequent keynote reports, Gao Wensheng, Director of the Foundation Engineering Institute of China Academy of Building Research; Wen Feng, Senior Engineer of CCCC Highway Consultants Co., Ltd.; Lin Benhai, Director of the Underground Engineering and Geological Hazard Research Center of Guangzhou University; and Guo Chuanxin, Secretary-General of the Pile Machinery Branch of the China Construction Machinery Society, delivered reports on "Current Status of Seismic and Design Research on Building Pile Foundations," "Design and Research of Steel Pipe Composite Pile Foundations for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge," "Research and Application of High-Strength and Super-Strength Composite Foundations in Guangdong Region," and "Pile Machinery at the 2014 CONEXPO in the United States," respectively. At the patent technology/product launch event, 12 entrepreneurs, experts, professors, and chief engineers, represented by Chen Zhongping, Chairman of Guangdong Shengrui Civil Engineering Technology Development Co., Ltd., gave detailed explanations and promotional presentations of their respective patented technologies and new products. Patented technologies and new products are new inventions and creations under the new situation, representing the cutting-edge level of the industry. The forum maintained a strong atmosphere of exchange and interaction throughout. During the discussions, everyone spoke freely and exchanged in depth, which not only deepened friendship but also promoted industry resource sharing and technological progress.
The forum also organized all representatives to conduct on-site inspections of major projects and visit the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge project. The conference edited and published selected excellent papers and commended and rewarded the award-winning authors. This forum gathered elites and experts, with a large scale and high specifications, and more than 300 representatives attended. The fruitful results achieved during the two-day conference fully demonstrated that the 4th Deep Foundation Engineering Development Forum was an unprecedented grand event for exchange and innovation in the industry.