Technological upgrading boosts textile enterprise's development

Established in 2017 in Jieshou, a county-level city in Fuyang, the Anhui-based new material enterprise Geely Sambo has developed high-quality thermal products for scenarios including the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, China’s Antarctic research expeditions, and State Grid operations, breaking a long-standing market monopoly by foreign manufacturers.

In a showroom demonstration in Anhui province, the monitor of a thermal imaging camera displays numbers rising rapidly. While standard thermal insulation materials plateau at 34 degrees Celsius, the special polar thermal fleece developed by Geely Sambo, a new high-tech material enterprise in Jieshou, a county-level city in Fuyang, Anhui province, can exceed 50 degrees in seconds.

This is the result of years of effort. Starting with a complete traditional supply chain producing everything from sewing threads, spinning, and weaving to home textiles, Geely Sambo faced shrinking profit margins due to rising labor costs and market competition. In 2017, through a local industry-university match-making initiative, Geely Sambo collaborated with Academician Yu Jianyong’s team from Donghua University to focus on advanced functional textiles.

They have developed strong technological advantages and produced high-quality products, including high-performance thermal padding applied in key scenarios such as the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, China’s Antarctic research expeditions, and State Grid operations, breaking a long-standing market monopoly by foreign manufacturers.

Geely Sambo develops high-performance thermal padding for Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Antarctic exploration scenarios. [Photo by Sun Lingxuan/China.org.cn]

In August, its aerogel space thermal insulation padding was selected as one of Anhui province's first batch of new materials. With one-eighth the thermal conductivity of conventional thermal materials, this material can also be used in outdoor equipment and thermal protection for new energy batteries.

Geely Sambo now maintains stable partnerships with major domestic apparel brands such as Bosideng and HLA Group. Its flame-retardant safety protection fleece ranks No.1 with a 51.3% share in the domestic firefighting and special protection market. The company has also explored expansion into international markets by adopting the strategy of exporting materials first and then completing processing overseas. This avoids high transportation costs of materials.

A workshop at Geely Sambo. [Photo by Sun Lingxuan/China.org.cn]

The company’s bedding products integrate tea polyphenols into fabrics to create an enduring refreshing fragrance that persists even when washed. Its continued freshness is gaining popularity among consumers.

To date, the company holds 190 licensed patents, including 118 invention patents, and has undertaken 12 national-level and provincial-level scientific research programs. Its R&D team accounts for more than one-third of its employees. In 2025, more than 20 million yuan ($2.8 million) were invested in research.