Ningbo-based home appliance brand Fotile was ranked 10th among Chinese private companies in terms of the number of invention patents awarded in 2021, according to a report released by the National Intellectual Property Administration on Dec 5.

Chinese tech giant Huawei topped the list with 7,630 invention patents. Fotile made it to the top 10 with 862 invention patents. 

Fotile registered an average annual growth rate of more than 272 percent in the number of invention patents from 2019 to 2021, faster than any other domestic private companies, according to the report.

Founded in 1996 in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province, Fotile is a manufacturer of kitchen household utensils. The company designs, produces, and sells kitchen appliances such as range hoods, stoves, disinfection cabinets, microwaves, and dishwashers.

Earlier this year, a range hood technology developed the company won the Zhejiang Patent Gold Award. A new dishwasher by the company also obtained more than 100 patents, including more than 40 invention patents.