Special Action for Brand Valuation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Based on Quality Standards (2023-2025)

To leverage the leading role of quality standard brands, promote the improvement of management, quality and efficiency of small and medium-sized enterprises, and accelerate their progress towards becoming specialized, refined, distinctive and innovative, this action plan is hereby formulated.
I. Guiding Ideology


II. Action Objectives
By 2025, the awareness of quality standards and brands among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will be significantly enhanced, their comprehensive efficiency will continue to improve, and the contribution of quality standards and brands to the survival and development of SMEs will keep increasing, effectively promoting the specialized, refined, distinctive and innovative development of SMEs.
More than 10,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will be added to implement advanced quality management system standards, over 1,000 SMEs will be involved in standard formulation and other standardization work, and more than 2,000 SMEs will be added to implement brand cultivation management system standards. More than 10,000 SMEs' management and technical skills personnel will be trained, over 1,000 public service platforms for SMEs in relevant fields will be added, and 300 outstanding benchmarks for quality, standards and brands of SMEs will be formed.
III. Key Tasks
(1) Enhance quality standards and brand awareness.
Conduct specialized training for managers of small and medium-sized enterprises, guiding them to firmly establish the concepts that "quality is the life of an enterprise", "first-class enterprises set standards", and "brand is the soul of an enterprise", and to establish clear and definite quality standards, brand policies, missions, visions and values, and build a culture of pursuing excellence. Carry out key standard promotion and standardization services, guiding enterprises to enhance their standardization capabilities. Leverage the role of the "Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Service Month" and the online learning platform for industrial and information technology technical and skilled talents to provide professional training and guidance for small and medium-sized enterprises, and strengthen the construction of professional teams in quality standards and brands.
(2) Establish an advanced quality management system.
We will intensify the campaign to enhance the quality management system certification for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and support more SMEs in establishing quality management systems and obtaining certification. We will leverage the value-added effect of quality management systems, guide SMEs to strictly implement quality management system standards, and ensure the effective operation of the systems. We will encourage specialized, refined, distinctive and innovative SMEs to implement advanced quality management standards, scientifically assess the implementation effects, and achieve continuous success in quality management and growth in financial and economic benefits. We will promote the standards for evaluating quality management capabilities, carry out self-declarations and level evaluations of enterprises' quality management capabilities, and guide SMEs to continuously improve and enhance their overall quality management performance. We will encourage leading enterprises to strengthen coordination and cooperation with their upstream and downstream SMEs to improve the quality management level of the industrial chain and supply chain.
(3) Promote the digitalization of quality management.
Help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) embrace the concept of digital quality management, and carry out in-depth activities such as the "Deep Dive into Digital Quality Management". Utilize formats like salons, forums, and online open classes to promote the "Implementation Guidelines for Digital Quality Management in Manufacturing (Trial)". Popularize mature digital and intelligent quality control models, and provide targeted digital quality management solutions for SMEs. Organize case selection and experience sharing activities. Enhance the effectiveness of digital quality management implementation, and support professional institutions in offering SMEs services such as transformation consultation, diagnosis and assessment, and digitalization level evaluation. Assist SMEs in focusing on key business processes and effectively utilizing digital quality management tools.
(4) Enhance the quality level of products.
Help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) introduce applicable quality engineering technologies, promote advanced quality design tools, and enhance the level of product quality design; conduct diagnosis and evaluation of key process quality control capabilities and implement improvements to ensure consistency and stability in manufacturing; optimize inspection and testing methods to guarantee testing accuracy; support SMEs in actively participating in the evaluation and certification of China's first-of-a-kind major technical equipment, promoting technological innovation and demonstration applications. Strengthen quality management throughout the product life cycle, popularize methods, tools, and software such as lean management and lean manufacturing, deepen the application of the industrial internet identification and resolution system in quality management, and promote quality planning, quality control, quality assurance, and quality improvement throughout the product life cycle, forming a closed-loop management from design, manufacturing, use to after-sales service, and continuously improving product quality.
(V) Promote product quality grading.
Support more small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to participate in product quality grading, focusing on key industries such as machinery, electronics, textiles, steel, building materials, and non-ferrous metals, and carry out product quality grading evaluations. Encourage industry associations and professional institutions to guide SMEs in participating in the formulation of product quality grading standards, and formulate product quality grading group standards and industry standards around product performance, technical capabilities, and user demands. Encourage SMEs to move towards medium and high-end based on their own realities, and promote specialized, refined, distinctive and innovative SMEs and "little giants" to conduct high-end quality evaluations, increasing the supply of high-quality products.
(6) Control quality risks.
Guide small and medium-sized enterprises to establish a quality risk awareness, accelerate the popularization of relevant laws, regulations and implementation rules, help them build a solid awareness of quality bottom line, and operate in accordance with laws and regulations. Enhance the quality risk prevention capabilities of small and medium-sized enterprises, guide them to carry out quality management risk identification and assessment, reduce the rate of defective products, rework and repair costs, and minimize the losses from returns. Guide enterprises to utilize 5G, industrial internet and other related technologies, models, and methods and tools such as fault prediction and health management to strengthen equipment fault prevention and reduce quality risk hazards. Support professional institutions in providing quality risk identification and early warning services to small and medium-sized enterprises, and guide enterprises to establish emergency response and systematic assessment mechanisms.
(7) Enhance standardization capabilities.
Guide industry associations and professional institutions to enhance standardized training for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and develop manuals for SMEs' participation in standardization work. Encourage SMEs to establish and improve standardized management systems, strengthen the construction of enterprise standard systems, comprehensively enhance their standardized management capabilities, and strive to become standard innovation enterprises. Support SMEs in strengthening the introduction and cultivation of professional and technical personnel, and focus on building a high-level and professional enterprise standardization talent team. Support SMEs in extracting practical experience and technological innovation achievements in relevant fields, actively incorporate new technologies, new processes and new products into enterprise standards, and significantly enhance their capabilities in formulating and implementing standards. Encourage SMEs to formulate enterprise standards with technical indicators superior to national and industry standards, strive to become "leaders" in enterprise standards, and continuously improve the innovation and advancement of enterprise standards.
(VIII) Support participation in standard setting.
Support "little giant" enterprises specializing in unique and innovative technologies to leverage their distinctive advantages, actively participate in international standardization work, contribute international standard proposals based on innovative technologies, and jointly establish international standards with upstream and downstream enterprises in the global industrial chain. Support specialized, refined, distinctive and innovative small and medium-sized enterprises in participating in the formulation of national and industry standards, and continuously enhance the advancement and applicability of standards. Encourage a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises to quickly respond to technological innovation and market development demands, and actively participate in the work of group standards.
(9) Strengthen the role of standards in promoting integrated development.
Focus on enhancing the resilience and security of industrial and supply chains. Guide leading enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to strengthen collaboration throughout the entire industrial chain through standards. Encourage SMEs to increase their investment in standardization work. Jointly conduct technical verifications of key technical indicators, general test methods, and typical application cases in standards. Promote the interconnection of standards in the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain, including design, manufacturing, process, testing, and application. Facilitate leading enterprises and SMEs to build a common technical standard system, a close industrial chain collaboration system, and a complete supply chain management system. Promote the integrated development of large, medium, and small enterprises.
(10) Continuously promote the implementation and compliance with standards.
Focus on enhancing the management level of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), support industry associations, professional standardization institutions, etc. in promoting management standards, and guide a large number of SMEs to fully implement advanced and applicable standards such as quality management systems, environmental management systems, occupational health and safety management systems, supply chain security management systems, energy management systems, integration of informatization and industrialization management systems, and intellectual property management systems, to help SMEs reduce costs, improve quality and efficiency. Focus on improving the technological level of SMEs, support professional standardization technical committees in conducting specialized training on technical standard systems, and guide a large number of SMEs to comprehensively enhance the comprehensive competitiveness of their products and services by implementing advanced technical standards.
(11) Improve brand management.
Guide more small and medium-sized enterprises to establish brand awareness, carry out in-depth promotion and implementation of brand cultivation and management system standards, and guide enterprises to formulate brand strategies that suit their own development characteristics. Guide small and medium-sized enterprises to enhance brand management capabilities, strengthen trademark registration, use and protection, and improve the operation level of brand management throughout the entire life cycle, including brand design, market promotion and brand maintenance. Promote small and medium-sized enterprises to effectively carry out brand management, encourage them to increase brand investment, create their own brands, expand marketing channels, strengthen operation monitoring, actively participate in domestic and international innovation design awards, and support qualified enterprises to participate in overseas brand display and promotion activities, so as to comprehensively enhance brand value.
(12) Strengthen brand cultivation.
Encourage specialized, refined, distinctive and innovative small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to optimize user experience and develop production methods such as personalized customization, mass customization and mid-to-high-end customization. In consumer goods fields such as cosmetics, clothing, home textiles and electronic products, strive to build a brand array of famous products. Promote and implement the "Thousand Enterprises, Hundred Cities" trademark brand value enhancement action to boost the trademark brand value of SMEs and SME characteristic clusters. Organize and carry out activities such as brand story exchanges and innovation and entrepreneurship competitions to tell the brand stories of "Made in China" and expand the influence of enterprises. Set up specialized, refined, distinctive and innovative exhibition areas at events such as the China International SME Expo to promote domestic products and help expand domestic and international markets. Encourage SME characteristic clusters to create a number of distinctive and highly-reputed regional brands for SMEs, promote and publicize the regional brand image, and strengthen the application and value assessment of regional brands.
(13) Promote the assessment of quality standards and brand value.
Guide small and medium-sized enterprises to objectively recognize the value of quality standards and brands, and enable them to have a genuine sense of gain in the process of promoting quality standards and brands. Establish an assessment mechanism for the benefits of quality standards and brands of small and medium-sized enterprises, improve a series of standards such as the guidelines for evaluating the economic benefits of standard improvement, and build a trademark brand value evaluation system with Chinese characteristics in the new era. Focus on economic and social benefits, and conduct value assessment with scientific methods. Organize and carry out monitoring and analysis of the current situation of brand development of small and medium-sized enterprises to provide data support for the scientific assessment of the brand value of small and medium-sized enterprises. Strengthen the development and application of value evaluation software tools for small and medium-sized enterprises, and actively promote software evaluation tools.
(14) Strengthen the capacity building of public services.
Relying on the public service platform for industrial technology infrastructure, effectively enhance the service capabilities of testing and inspection professional institutions for small and medium-sized enterprises. Promote industrial product quality control and technical evaluation laboratories, public service platforms for industrial technology infrastructure, standardization technical committees and professional institutions, and national technology standard innovation bases to strengthen the construction of quality, standard and brand capabilities, overcome a number of key common technologies, verify a number of key standard indicators, and improve technical support capabilities such as problem diagnosis, analysis and testing, and improvement and verification. Encourage laboratories, platforms, professional institutions and standardization application verification environments to open up testing sites, instruments and equipment and other resources to small and medium-sized enterprises.
(15) Improve the level of public services.
Support professional institutions in providing one-stop industrial technology infrastructure services such as measurement, standards, inspection and testing, experimental verification, certification and accreditation, industrial information, intellectual property, and technology transfer for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the fields of basic components, basic parts, basic materials, basic software, and basic processes. Actively carry out activities such as "Measurement Services for SMEs", "Inspection and Testing to Promote Industrial Upgrading", and "Mobile Consultation on Product Quality Technology Assistance", and encourage the issuance of "Testing Vouchers" and other methods to support SMEs in strengthening inspection and testing and experimental verification. Support professional institutions in conducting on-site standardization diagnosis, supply and demand matching, and standardization pilot projects for innovative SMEs, providing overall standardization solutions and domestic and international standardization information services, and promoting SMEs to understand, learn and apply standards. Support the development of a number of professional service institutions for brand cultivation and operation to provide services such as brand creation and cultivation, consultation and evaluation, and brand protection for SMEs. Strengthen the construction of trademark brand guidance stations and cultivate well-known trademark brands.
IV. Safeguard Measures
(1) Strengthen organizational leadership. Relevant departments in all regions should enhance coordination and promotion efforts, and strengthen the coordination and linkage with related plans and policies in industries, finance, finance, human resources and other fields to ensure the implementation of various measures. Industrial and Information Technology departments in all regions should pay attention to guiding industry associations, public service institutions for small and medium-sized enterprises, universities, research institutes, think tanks and other organizations to play a bridging and connecting role, and carry out research and technical services on quality improvement, standard setting, brand building, etc. Strengthen the leading and exemplary role of leading enterprises to drive the coordinated development of upstream and downstream small and medium-sized enterprises.
(2) Strengthen policy support.
Implement the policy of additional pre-tax deduction for research and development expenses that meet the conditions in the enterprise quality improvement activities, and promote the supply of policies in science and technology, market supervision, finance and taxation, etc. Strengthen the construction of the quality standard brand training course system and teaching faculty for small and medium-sized enterprises. Incorporate key quality indicators into the recognition conditions and evaluation standards for the cultivation of high-quality enterprises at different levels. Improve the financing credit enhancement system covering elements such as quality, standards, brands and patents, and promote financing for quality and efficiency-oriented enterprises.
(3) Strengthen publicity and guidance.
Organize and carry out publicity and exchange activities on quality standards and brands, and enhance the publicity and interpretation of quality standards and brands for small and medium-sized enterprises. Regularly summarize and promote the successful practices and typical experiences of manufacturing single-champion enterprises, specialized, refined, distinctive and innovative "little giant" enterprises, and quality standards and brand benchmarks, and give full play to the exemplary and leading role of advanced models.
(4) Strengthen implementation supervision.
Strengthen the operation monitoring of the development of quality standards and brands of small and medium-sized enterprises, make full use of big data and other means for structured analysis and judgment, enhance the dynamic monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of special actions, and based on the results of operation monitoring and evaluation, timely improve the tasks and measures to enhance the implementation effect.