Some people think this statement accurately reflects the actual situation of the industry; however, others believe that classifying most enterprises into the "non-standard" category does not align with the actual data and facts, and it would also harm the interests of those enterprises that genuinely produce high-quality products. Both viewpoints have their merits, but there is one issue that needs to be clarified: Currently, no official institution or industry association can provide an accurate report to prove how many cable manufacturing enterprises in China have ever produced non-standard products.
Therefore, 30% cannot be used as statistical data, and it is not appropriate to label a certain place or industry directly. The statement "All products are from cotton lake" is also unfair. The existence of non-compliant enterprises in a certain area does not mean that all enterprises in that area produce problematic products. The cable industry in Guangdong Province is large in scale and has a large number of enterprises, including small-scale processing enterprises and large companies that strictly follow national standards for production and accept supervision and review by regulatory authorities. Extending individual problems to the entire region for resolution will not solve the quality issues and will also affect those enterprises that comply with regulations. However, the data is not based on and does not represent that there are no concerns behind it.
The "Notice on Publishing the Post-Approval Supervision Sampling Results of Industrial Product Production License Holders in 2025" issued by Guangdong Province mentioned that the test results of four types of wire and cable products were disqualification. This conclusion does not prove that all enterprises in the entire industry have problems, but it can indicate that the certified enterprises still have some issues to be addressed in production management, raw material control, and quality inspection.
What worries the market is that not just a few defective products are found in a certain batch, but why some non-standard wire and cable products can still find buyers. When consumers search for wire and cable on e-commerce platforms, they will find that the prices of many products are much lower than the normal cost. Some home decoration wires are sold by the hundred meters, with prices so low that they are unacceptable. There are cost issues for copper materials, insulating materials, labor, and logistics. When the selling price is close to or lower than the factory price of regular enterprises, then what exactly has been omitted in this product? The answer is self-evident. Some products have less conductor material, some materials do not meet the requirements, some marked lengths do not match the actual lengths, and even some testing links do not play their due role. Although it seems cheap, it may cause problems such as excessive heat generation, short circuits, and fires when used. After an accident, consumers generally cannot rely solely on appearance to determine responsibility, and they cannot recover losses.
The existence of non-standard products is not due to the presence of manufacturing enterprises alone, but because it has always had its place in the market. Factors such as the pursuit of low prices in engineering projects, the reduction of profits through layer-by-layer subcontracting, the purchasing party only considering cost and not quality, and the carelessness of on-site acceptance will all lead enterprises into a situation where they first negotiate the price and then make a decision. Some bidding projects use the lowest price as the sole criterion for evaluation. Regular enterprises will purchase raw materials according to industry standards and conduct inspections, and will also take responsibility after problems arise.
Therefore, their quotations cannot be compared with those of illegal enterprises. So, the compliant enterprises are in an unfavorable position. It is not allowed to randomly reduce the amount of copper materials, not to use ordinary materials as high-level materials, not to omit testing links, and definitely not to transfer all risks to the next party. If competitors use low prices to snatch orders, then the enterprise will have to face the actual pressure： if it continues to adhere to its standards, the orders will decrease; while following the trend of lowering prices, it may lead to a decline in product quality. The most dangerous situation is not that there are some illegal small workshops in the market, but that some enterprises that were previously operating lawfully are also beginning to waver.
Due to the fact that others have lowered their standards, one cannot avoid lowering their own standards either; because the focus of customers is on price, investment in quality is regarded as an unnecessary expense. If this change continues to expand, the industry's bottom line will become increasingly lower.
Therefore, the debate over whether "30% is accurate" is meaningless. It would be better to first address the following three issues.
First, the definition of non-standard products and statistical data should be more clear. The production behaviors of enterprises are inconsistent, the produced goods do not meet the requirements of the contract or have not undergone certification, the raw materials used are unqualified, and not all are different. One cannot use the same vague proportion to summarize all situations. If the regulatory authorities and industry associations can continuously release sample results, penalty information, and the rectification situations of enterprises, then the uncertainty of the market will be reduced significantly, and the judgment of enterprises will be more based. Second, bidding and tendering should not merely be judged based on the lowest price. Cables are important equipment related to personal safety, so the composition of raw materials, inspection reports, supply history, and after-sales service obligations of the cables should all be included in the assessment.
For quotations that are significantly lower than the reasonable cost, explanations should be provided, and it is not simply treating the low price as ability. Third, supervision should include both online and offline aspects. Non-standard cables not only appear in small workshops, but also have their presence in e-commerce, wholesale market sales channels, and engineering supply chains. Platforms should strictly review the qualifications of merchants, product certifications, and promotional content, and the purchasers should not wait until an accident occurs to verify the origin of the products. For consumers, when choosing wires and cables, one should not merely decide based on the price. They should verify the name, specification, length, the standard it complies with, the qualification of the production enterprise, and the certificate of conformity, etc. When the price is very low, it is best to ask oneself： How was it saved?
Many enterprises in the cable industry started with low-threshold processing and do not mean that all enterprises must rely on non-standard products to survive. The change in the industry is not simply achieved by putting a label on a certain area, but rather requires the illegal to bear greater responsibility and the law-abiding enterprises not to lose business opportunities due to the implementation of standards. Although 30% cannot be determined to be accurate or not, it has already sent a signal to the market： If those who abide by the rules do not receive benefits for a long time, then the low-price competition will continue. What deserves our attention is not whether this data will eventually be what percentage, but whether the problem will be fewer after the next sampling and whether there will be more qualified enterprises.
