State Grid Jiangxi Electric Power: Powering Smart Manufacturing in Traditional Herbal Medicine Processing

Zhangshu in Jiangxi Province has long been known as the “Capital of Chinese Medicine.” The Zhangbang method of processing traditional Chinese medicine, a national-level intangible cultural heritage item, is renowned for its skilled knife work and precise heat control. As the traditional Chinese medicine industry advances toward digitalization and green development, local pharmaceutical companies have been switching from firewood to electricity. In the workshops of Jiangxi Zhangshu Tianqitang Chinese Herbal Pieces Co., Ltd., fully automatic induction-heated herb stir-frying machines and smart air-drying lines have replaced the traditional wood-fired stoves, and heat control that once relied on experience alone is now guided by precise heating curves displayed on a central control screen.

A woman demonstrates traditional herb-processing techniques before a wall of herbal medicine drawers (Photo: Zhang Zhenhuan)

To support the development of the industrial cluster across the board, State Grid Jiangxi Electric Power has made advance arrangements to expand power supply capacity and carry out associated external power supply line projects for the industrial parks, bolstering grid support. In view of the sharp load swings of herb stir-frying machines and drying rooms, its service teams have mapped the power-use patterns and peak hours of each production line. To support the adoption of smart manufacturing in this heritage craft, they have drawn up tailored power supply support plans for individual enterprises and kept dedicated support records, combining live-line work, load transfer and targeted inspections to provide comprehensive power supply support.

Service team members inspect power distribution equipment in a company’s workshop (Photo: Zhang Zhenhuan)

As herb processing shifts from judging heat by flame color at traditional wood-fired stoves to relying on a stable power supply for smart production lines, State Grid Jiangxi Electric Power is providing reliable electricity to support pharmaceutical companies’ technological upgrades and carbon emission reductions, helping herbal medicines rooted in a thousand-year-old tradition reach wider markets.

(Gong Kexin, Zou Qiong)