Ningbo manufacturers tailor products for SCO markets

Aiduo Wiper's windshield wiper products. [Photo/Yongpai app]

Ningbo manufacturers are adapting products and services to win customers across the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) markets.

In the first seven months of 2026, Ningbo's trade with other SCO member countries reached 62.31 billion yuan ($9.26 billion), up 11.3 percent year-on-year. Exports rose 18.7 percent, led by machinery and electrical products, high-tech goods, and electric vehicles.

Better logistics are driving the growth. A China-Europe freight train regularly operated by a Ningbo company can reach Kazakhstan from Yining, Xinjiang, in about three days, cutting logistics costs and delivery times by roughly one-third.

But getting products there is only the first step. Ningbo companies are increasingly adapting them to local conditions.

Ningbo-based Aiduo Wiper developed a rubber-silicone blend for Iran's intense sunlight, extending blade life by about 50 percent. It also developed reinforced snow brushes, with more than 500,000 sold annually across five Central Asian countries.

Other manufacturers have adjusted inverters and electrical equipment for dusty, cold, and unstable environments, while auto exporters have built more than 20 sales and after-sales service locations across Central Asia, Russia, and Belarus.

Consumer habits are also shaping products. Refrigerator makers have increased storage capacity for large Central Asian households, while cookware and barbecue appliance companies have enlarged their products to suit local cooking and dining habits.

For Ningbo exporters, understanding local needs is becoming as important as making a competitive product.