The Q6 Sink Dishwasher developed by Fotile, a kitchen appliance company based in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province [Photo/zj.zjol.com]

Fotile, a prestigious kitchen appliance company based in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province, won the China Design Gold Award for its brand new Q6 Sink Dishwasher at the 20th China Patent Award, which was announced by the State Intellectual Property Office recently.

The China Patent Award, founded in 1989, is the nation's sole government award for Chinese outstanding patented inventions and industrial designs, and is recognized by the World Intellectual Property Organization. 

It is the first time that a Ningbo company has won the award, and also the first time that the award has seen a domestic dishwasher winner. 

Founded in 1996, Fotile has been devoted to the R&D and innovations of China's kitchen appliances over the years, with its kitchen ventilator ranking 1st in the domestic market for five consecutive years. 

It launched the industry's first smart steamer in 2009 and accelerated the popularization of dishwashers with the first Fotile dishwasher launched in 2015 that integrates a sink, dishwasher and vegetable purifier. 

With sales revenue topping 10 billion yuan ($1.46 billion) last year, Fotile became the first kitchen appliance company in China to hit 10 billion yuan in annual sales. 

It currently holds nearly 2,200 patents, including 350 patents for inventions.

A worker operates machines in the production workshop of Fotile. [Photo/zj.zjol.com]

Robots work in the production line of Fotile. [Photo/zj.zjol.com]