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On the morning of November 25th, the Tsinghua-SAIS visited Tongding Group Co., Ltd. Established in 2001, Tongding is an optical fiber, communications cable, optical cable, signal cable, and distributed optical fiber sensing positioning manufacturer. It is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and is a top 500 company in China and has earned numerous awards for its competitiveness in the optical fiber and cable industry. 

After a brief introduction to the company’s history and the entrepreneurial growth and operating lessons learned by CEO and founder Shen Xiaoping, product samples and the range of products Tongding Group produces were presented.

Next, under the guidance of the heads of two different technical departments, the Tsinghua-SAIS team explored Tongding’s extensive factory floors. For most of this portion of the visit, the entire production line of an overhead street level optical fiber communications cable was followed. Starting at the top floor of the plant, optical fiber grade glass is melted down from huge cylindrical ingots. A fiber just 125 µm is extruded downwards from the melting ingot to eventually be rolled into a huge spool. 

Before reaching the spool, technicians and the department heads clearly explained the complex measurement processes used to ensure quality the quality and consistency of the extruded fiber. After measurements confirm that the fiber is within acceptable bounds, but all while it is rapidly progressing downwards the fiber is cooled, protective coatings are applied and cured, and the glass is polished and tempered before finally reaching the spool. 

We are very grateful to Tongding for (as much as possible) simplifying an extremely complex process for us. 




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