A car is tested in the trial production center of Geely Automobile Holdings Ltd, an auto manufacturer which is among the top 100 manufacturing enterprises in Ningbo. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

The manufacturing industry in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province, has witnessed remarkable achievements over the past seven decades, according to an announcement at a news conference held by the municipal government of Ningbo on July 31.

Ningbo attaches great importance to the development of manufacturing, which is crucial to the city's economy, said Zhang Shifang, director of the municipal bureau of economy and information technology.

Over the past 70 years, Ningbo has formed a complete manufacturing industrial system that covers many areas, including heavy chemicals, equipment manufacturing, and a number of emerging industries. The city has focused on developing eight industries in particular, including high-end equipment, new materials and fashion textiles.

In 2018, the added value of local industries above the designated scale (industries with annual revenue of over $2.90 million) reached 373.08 billion yuan ($54.01 billion), a 236-fold increase since 1978, and the total profits of said industries were 122.75 billion yuan, 470 times the number in 1978.

Ningbo currently has more than 120,000 industrial enterprises, providing nearly 2 million jobs.

The city's top 100 manufacturing enterprises have become the driving force behind the local manufacturing industry. In 2018, the output value of the 100 enterprises totaled 763.4 billion yuan, accounting for 45.4 percent of the total output of the city's enterprises above the designated scale.