“Specialized, Sophisticated, Unique, and New” enterprises refer to those that exhibit characteristics of specialization, refinement, uniqueness, and innovation, demonstrating strong competitiveness and growth potential within their respective fields. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology categorizes the identification and cultivation of high-quality SMEs into three tiers: innovative SMEs, “Specialized, Sophisticated, Unique, and New” SMEs, and “Little Giants” within this category. Among them, “Little Giants” are the cream of the crop, focusing on niche markets, boasting strong innovation capabilities, high market shares, mastery of core technologies, and excellent quality and efficiency. This article provides an overview of the cultivation of “Specialized, Sophisticated, Unique, and New” enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta region, based on the Firestone Creation Industry Data Center.

(Note: Data in this article is as of December 31, 2023. For more data on “Specialized, Sophisticated, Unique, and New” enterprises, please contact Firestone Creation. The original report can be downloaded at the end of this article)

Cultivation of “Specialized, Sophisticated, Unique, and New” SMEs

According to data from the Firestone Creation Industry Data Center, there are over 140,000 “Specialized, Sophisticated, Unique, and New” SMEs in China, with 38,500 located in the three provinces and one city of the Yangtze River Delta region, accounting for approximately 30% of the national total.

Figure 1: Distribution of “Specialized, Sophisticated, Unique, and New” SMEs in Shanghai

Source: Firestone Creation Industry Data Center

In terms of cultivation across provinces and cities, Shanghai has cumulatively cultivated 12,000 “Specialized, Sophisticated, Unique, and New” SMEs. Among them, Pudong New Area leads with over 2,300, followed by Minhang, Songjiang, and Jiading districts, each with over 1,000, collectively accounting for 53.9% of the total in these four districts.

Figure 2: Distribution of “Specialized, Sophisticated, Unique, and New” SMEs in Zhejiang Province

Source: Firestone Creation Industry Data Center

Zhejiang has cumulatively cultivated 10,100 “Specialized, Sophisticated, Unique, and New” SMEs, with Hangzhou leading the pack with over 2,600. Ningbo, Jiaxing, and Wenzhou have each cultivated over 1,000, with the top four cities collectively accounting for 62.8% of the total.

Figure 3: Distribution of “Specialized, Sophisticated, Unique, and New” SMEs in Jiangsu Province

Source: Firestone Creation Industry Data Center

Jiangsu has cumulatively cultivated 10,800 “Specialized, Sophisticated, Unique, and New” SMEs, with Suzhou, Wuxi, Nanjing, and Yancheng topping the list, collectively accounting for 61.3% of the total. Suzhou leads the way with over 2,600 cultivated enterprises.

Figure 4: Distribution of “Specialized, Sophisticated, Unique, and New” SMEs in Anhui Province

Source: Firestone Creation Industry Data Center

Anhui has cultivated nearly 5,500 “Specialized, Sophisticated, Unique, and New” SMEs, primarily concentrated in Hefei with over 1,500, accounting for nearly 30% of the total.

Connecting to industry data makes data utilization simpler

Since 2019, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has announced five batches of national-level “Little Giant” enterprises under the “Specialized, Sophisticated, Unique, and New” category, with a total of 4,308 in the Yangtze River Delta region. Jiangsu leads with 1,510, followed by Zhejiang with 1,460.

Figure 5: Distribution of Yangtze River Delta “Little Giant” Enterprises

Source: Firestone Creation Industry Data Center

By city, Yangtze River Delta “Little Giant” enterprises are primarily concentrated in Shanghai, Suzhou, Ningbo, Hangzhou, Wuxi, Nanjing, Hefei, Changzhou, Jiaxing, and Wenzhou.

Table 1: Top 10 Cities in the Yangtze River Delta with the Highest Number of “Little Giant” Enterprises

Source: Firestone Creation Industry Data Center

The top 10 cities account for 67.1% of the total number of “Little Giant” enterprises. Zhejiang and Jiangsu each have four cities on this list.

From the perspective of the primary classifications of the national economy, “Little Giant” enterprises in the three provinces and one city of the Yangtze River Delta are primarily distributed in manufacturing, scientific research and technical services, information transmission, software, and information technology services, as well as wholesale and retail trade.

Figure 6: Industry Distribution of Yangtze River Delta “Little Giant” Enterprises (Primary Classifications of the National Economy)

Source: Firestone Creation Industry Data Center

Specifically, Shanghai’s “Little Giant” enterprises are primarily concentrated in manufacturing and scientific research and technical services, with a relatively even distribution between the two sectors. The Yangtze River Delta region boasts the highest number of “Little Giant” enterprises in scientific research and technical services, as well as information transmission, software, and information technology services.

Table 2: Distribution of Key Fields for Yangtze River Delta “Little Giant” Enterprises

Source: Firestone Creation Industry Data Center

In terms of revenue in 2023, over 3,580 “Little Giant” enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta region generated revenues of RMB 100 million or more, accounting for 83.26% of the total; over 1,160 enterprises generated revenues of RMB 500 million or more, accounting for 27.09%; and over 500 enterprises generated revenues of RMB 1 billion or more, accounting for 11.75%.

Figure 7: Distribution of “Little Giant” Enterprises with Revenues of RMB 100 Million or More

Source: Firestone Creation Industry Data Center