Bridges, as key hubs connecting regional economies and facilitating people’s livelihood exchanges, their construction quality and efficiency are directly related to the speed and depth of regional development. Amid the wave of infrastructure construction in emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and Africa, modular long-span steel structure bridges have become the preferred solution to overcome complex geological conditions and shorten the construction period due to their unique advantages. Zhenjiang Great Wall Heavy Industry Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Great Wall Heavy Industry”) has deep roots in the steel structure production field, focusing on the R&D and manufacturing of modular steel structure bridges. It controls quality with strict international standards, improves production capacity through intelligent upgrading, and provides efficient and reliable bridge construction solutions for global customers. Many projects have been delivered ahead of schedule to multiple countries in Southeast Asia and Africa, winning wide acclaim in the market.

I. What is a Modular Long-Span Steel Structure Bridge?

A modular long-span steel structure bridge refers to a type of bridge where the main structure of the bridge is decomposed into several standardized and modular steel components. After precise processing, assembly and inspection are completed in the factory, the components are transported to the construction site for rapid splicing and installation. Compared with traditional concrete bridges and on-site welded steel structure bridges, it has significant advantages and perfectly meets the construction needs of emerging markets.

In terms of construction efficiency, the collaborative mode of “factory prefabrication + on-site assembly” greatly shortens the construction period. Traditional bridge construction is easily affected by natural conditions such as geology and climate, and the construction period often lasts for several months or even years. However, the core components of modular steel bridges are produced in a standardized manner in the factory, which is not affected by external interference. On-site assembly only requires a small number of professional personnel and equipment, which can shorten the construction period by more than 50% and accurately solve the core demand of “catching up with the construction period and seizing the time limit” in emerging markets. In terms of structural performance, steel structures have the advantages of high strength, light weight and good seismic performance, with outstanding long-span design capabilities. They can easily span complex terrains such as rivers and canyons, and are suitable for the construction environment with developed water systems and diverse terrains in Southeast Asia and Africa. At the same time, the later maintenance is convenient, the recyclability rate is high, which conforms to the concept of green and sustainable development, and reduces the operation and maintenance costs of the whole life cycle of the project. In terms of adaptability, modular design supports personalized customization. It can flexibly adjust component specifications, span sizes and load-bearing standards according to the specific needs of different countries and projects, realizing precise adaptation of “one bridge, one plan”.

II. Anchoring International Standards: The Compliance Practice Path of BS5400 and AS5100

The safety and durability of bridge construction lie in strictly following international design standards. Different regions and countries around the world have formulated strict technical standards for bridge construction. Among them, BS5400 (British Bridge Design Standard) and AS5100 (Australian Bridge Design Standard) are authoritative standards with high international recognition and wide application. They put forward extremely high requirements for bridge structural design, material performance, load-bearing capacity, corrosion resistance and other aspects. As a steel structure enterprise deeply engaged in the foreign trade market, Great Wall Heavy Industry is well aware that standard compliance is the “pass” to enter the international market, and has always implemented international standards throughout the entire process of product R&D and production and manufacturing.

To fully meet international standards such as BS5400 and AS5100, Great Wall Heavy Industry has established a professional technical R&D and standard compliance team. All team members have rich experience in international bridge projects, thoroughly study the details of standards from various countries, and convert standard requirements into specific production technical parameters. In the raw material procurement link, high-quality steel that meets international standards is strictly selected, and a complete raw material traceability system is established. Each batch of raw materials undergoes strict quality inspection to ensure that the material performance meets the standards. In the production and processing link, refined management is implemented. From the cutting, welding, assembly to painting of steel components, each process has formulated standardized operating procedures, equipped with high-precision testing equipment, and fully controls key indicators such as component dimensional accuracy and welding quality. Especially in the bridge surface treatment process, which is crucial to the service life of the bridge, the company adopts advanced processes such as shot blasting derusting and multi-layer anti-corrosion coating. First, shot blasting derusting is carried out on the surface of steel components to remove rust, oil stains and other impurities, so that the surface roughness of the components meets the specified requirements, which lays a solid foundation for the subsequent coating. Then, according to the environmental characteristics of the project location (such as high temperature, high humidity, strong corrosion in Southeast Asia and Africa), a multi-layer anti-corrosion coating system is adopted. The primer ensures good adhesion between the coating and the steel surface, the intermediate coat enhances the anti-corrosion performance and thickness of the coating, and the top coat provides excellent weather resistance and decorative performance. This multi-layer coating structure can effectively resist the erosion of harsh environments such as moisture, salt spray and chemicals, and greatly extend the service life of the bridge. At the same time, the company actively cooperates with international authoritative testing institutions and can provide globally recognized test reports such as SGS and BV, covering core testing scopes such as material performance, structural strength and corrosion resistance, and verifying product quality with third-party authoritative certification to make customers feel at ease. Up to now, many of the company’s bridge projects exported to Southeast Asia and Africa have been designed and produced in strict accordance with BS5400 or AS5100 standards, and all have passed the acceptance of customers and third-party institutions, achieving zero-quality problem delivery.

III. Intelligent Manufacturing Empowers Production Capacity

On the basis of ensuring product quality, the ability of early delivery is another core competitiveness for Great Wall Heavy Industry to win customers’ trust. Infrastructure construction in Southeast Asia and Africa is often closely related to regional economic development plans. Early delivery of projects can help customers realize bridge opening to traffic as soon as possible, accelerating regional resource circulation and economic development. To improve production efficiency and ensure early delivery, Great Wall Heavy Industry has continuously increased investment in production equipment in recent years, purchased a number of new automated production equipment, and built an intelligent production line.

The newly added automated equipment covers key production links such as intelligent cutting robots, automated welding production lines and numerical control assembly platforms, realizing the automation, precision and high efficiency of steel component processing. The intelligent cutting robot can realize high-precision cutting of steel, with an error controlled at the millimeter level, which greatly improves the processing precision and cutting efficiency of components; the automated welding production line adopts advanced welding technology, which not only improves the stability of welding quality, but also increases the welding efficiency by more than 30%; the numerical control assembly platform realizes precise assembly of modular components, effectively shortening the assembly period. The investment in intelligent equipment has increased the company’s overall production capacity by more than 40%, greatly shortened the production cycle, and provided a solid guarantee for the early delivery of projects. With strong production capacity, many of the company’s export projects have been delivered ahead of schedule: the original plan for a river-crossing bridge project in Southeast Asia was 6 months, but it was actually completed 1 month ahead of schedule, ensuring the smooth progress of on-site construction; in an urban trunk road bridge project in Africa, in response to the customer’s urgent demand for opening to traffic, the company optimized the production process, allocated the production capacity of automated equipment, completed the delivery 20 days ahead of schedule, and won high praise from the customer. It should be emphasized that the company’s intelligent production line also covers the automated operation of the bridge surface treatment process. The automated shot blasting equipment can ensure the uniformity and stability of the derusting effect, avoiding the inconsistency caused by manual operation; the automated coating equipment can realize precise control of the coating thickness and uniformity, ensuring that the surface treatment quality of each component meets the standard requirements. The integration of intelligent equipment in the surface treatment link not only improves the processing efficiency, but also further guarantees the anti-corrosion performance of the bridge, laying a more solid foundation for the long-term stable operation of the bridge in harsh environments.

IV. Looking to the Future: Deeply Cultivating the Global Market and Building a Diversified Cooperation System

At present, Great Wall Heavy Industry has accumulated rich project experience and a good market reputation in the Southeast Asian and African markets, and its products cover various fields such as highway bridges and municipal bridges. Looking to the future, the company will continue to focus on the technological innovation and quality upgrading of modular steel structure bridges, further deepen the research and adaptation of international bridge design standards, and continuously expand the global market layout – on the basis of consolidating the Southeast Asian and African markets, actively explore cooperation opportunities in more emerging markets. At the same time, increase investment in intelligent manufacturing, promote the comprehensive digital transformation of the production process, improve production efficiency and quality control level, and provide customers with more high-quality and efficient bridge construction solutions. In addition, strengthen cooperation with international engineering contracting enterprises and design institutions, build a diversified cooperation system, and jointly contribute to the high-quality development of global infrastructure construction. In the field of bridge surface treatment, the company will also continue to carry out technological research, introduce more advanced environmentally friendly and efficient surface treatment technologies and materials, further improve the anti-corrosion performance and service life of bridges, and provide more competitive products for global customers.

V. Common Customer Q&A: Accurately Responding to Core Demands

Q: Can your company’s modular steel structure bridges be adapted to the special geological and climatic conditions in our region?

A: Absolutely. Our modular design supports personalized customization. We will pertinently optimize the bridge structure design and material selection according to the local geological survey report and climate data (such as high temperature, high humidity, strong corrosion, etc.) provided by you, combined with the specific needs of the project. For example, for the high-temperature and high-humidity climate in Southeast Asia, we adopt a special anti-corrosion coating process; for the complex geology in some parts of Africa, we optimize the design of bridge foundation components to ensure the stability and durability of the bridge. At the same time, we will strictly follow the international standards or local standards recognized in your region for design and production, fully ensuring the adaptability and safety of the bridge. In terms of surface treatment, we will also adjust the anti-corrosion coating system according to the local environmental characteristics to ensure that the bridge can resist the erosion of the local harsh environment for a long time.

Q: Are the test reports provided by your company recognized in our country?

A: The SGS, BV and other test reports provided by us are issued by globally authoritative third-party testing institutions and are widely recognized in Southeast Asia, Africa and most countries and regions around the world. These reports include comprehensive testing data on the bridge surface treatment process, such as coating thickness, adhesion, and corrosion resistance, which can fully prove the quality of the surface treatment. If you have special requirements, we can also coordinate with authoritative testing institutions to carry out targeted testing in accordance with local relevant regulations, ensuring that the test reports meet the local acceptance requirements and guaranteeing the smooth progress of the project.

Q: If we have urgent delivery needs, can your company guarantee early delivery?

A: Yes. We have an intelligent production line with sufficient production capacity and flexible scheduling, which can quickly respond to urgent delivery needs. In the past, we have completed many urgent delivery projects for customers in Southeast Asia and Africa, accumulating rich experience in emergency production scheduling. The intelligent production line also ensures the efficiency of the surface treatment link, avoiding delays in the production cycle caused by the surface treatment process. If you have urgent delivery needs, you can clearly communicate with us at the initial stage of project cooperation. We will formulate targeted production plans, optimize production processes, allocate production resources, and fully guarantee the early delivery of the project to meet your construction schedule requirements.

Q: Can your company provide a full set of project services, including installation guidance?

A: Yes. We provide a full set of services including “production + delivery + installation guidance”. After the delivery of the products, we will send a professional technical team to the construction site to provide splicing and installation guidance for modular components, answer technical questions encountered during the construction process, and assist in completing on-site splicing and acceptance. At the same time, we will provide complete technical data (including installation manuals, maintenance manuals, etc.), which include detailed explanations on the maintenance and maintenance of the bridge surface coating, to ensure the normal use and maintenance of the bridge in the later period.