Tianjin Showcases Craftsmanship At The Sword Debate, Henan Keeps The Relay Going With New Highlights — The 9th National Printing Industry Vocational Skills Competition Tianjin Leg Successfully Wraps Up

By the Haihe River in July, skill and passion intertwine, craftsmanship and dreams resonate together.

As the final assessment criteria were settled, the 9th National Printing Industry Vocational Skills Competition for Offset Plate Makers and Print Finishers came to a successful close in Tianjin. This year's competition, themed 'Skills Illuminate the Future,' attracted over 7,000 participants from the printing industry and professional schools across 31 provinces (regions, and cities), with over 460 contestants reaching the finals. During several days of intense competition, they showcased the talents of printing industry professionals in the new era with their superb skills, also adding vivid notes to the development of a high-level skilled workforce in the industry.

At the competition, all participants stayed calm and strived for excellence, not only competing in operational speed but also in craftsmanship precision, demonstrating the spirit of artisans even in a small space. A group of solidly trained and highly skilled professionals stood out in the competition.

Focusing on Cutting-Edge Technology and Industry Upgrading

The competition projects in the Tianjin leg-Lithographic Plate Maker and Print Finisher-directly target the core needs of high-quality industry development.

The Lithographic Plate Maker competition took place at the School of Packaging and Printing Engineering, Tianjin Vocational University. The contest focuses on prepress digital skills and tests participants on creative design, color management, and digital workflow applications. It comprehensively checks how well contestants master modern plate-making techniques and optimize processes, highlighting the crucial role of prepress in ensuring print quality throughout the workflow.

At the competition for print finishing operators, Tianjin Changrong Technology Group Co., Ltd., as one of the co-organizers, provided five Zhen·MK1060CSB full-waste die-cutting machines and two MK800SF laser die-cutting machines as competition equipment. These cutting-edge machines, representing the latest trends in the industry, not only test contestants' skills with traditional techniques but also their ability to apply new digital and smart technologies.

Liu Shuai, Technical Training Director of Tianjin Changrong Technology Group Co., Ltd., said, 'Laser die-cutting is a modern emerging finishing technique for printed products. It's a new development in the digital printing field and represents the trend in the industry. This competition stays up-to-date, bringing everyone the latest equipment, cutting-edge technology, and gear that represents the future of printing.'

Authoritative and fair judging, strong support from all sides

To ensure the competition is professional, authoritative, and fair, the organizers assembled a judging team made up of industry experts, technical backbones from leading companies, and professional teachers from vocational colleges. They follow standardized scoring criteria and closed competition management throughout, strictly enforcing all competition rules.

Xiao Yueping, a judge at the national competition, said after the event that the contestants' skillful handling of high-precision equipment and deep understanding of process standards vividly showed the new generation of skilled workers' dedication, focus, and pursuit of excellence.

Using Competitions to Boost Learning and Strengthen Foundations, Passing Skills Toward the Future

From the perspective of industry development, the successful organization of these two competition events is not only a comprehensive review of the skill levels in China's printing industry, covering both pre-press and post-press fields, but also an important way to promote the cultivation of skilled talent in the industry.

Currently, China's printing industry is rapidly transforming toward a smart and green integrated direction, and the technical literacy of frontline skilled workers directly affects the quality of this industry upgrade. The competition encourages learning through participation, training through contests, and building through skills. It not only provides practitioners with a national platform to showcase craftsmanship and exchange experiences but also guides the whole industry toward valuing skills and respecting craftsmanship, laying a solid talent foundation for high-quality industry development.

With the exciting conclusion of the Tianjin stage, the relay baton of the competition is about to pass to the Central Plains. On August 7, the Digital Printing Operator competition will officially kick off at Henan University of Journalism and Communication. From Tianjin to Henan, from a meticulous pursuit of traditional craftsmanship to innovative applications of digital technology, the 9th National Printing Industry Skills Competition is using skills as its brush and ingenuity as its ink, painting a magnificent picture of high-quality development in China's printing industry.

Let's look forward together to seeing the digital printing contestants on the upcoming Henan stage shine again and bring this skills extravaganza to a perfect ending.