Liu Hongfei: Independent Innovator and Industry Promoter of Chinese Spectral Instruments

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Hunan Instrument and Meter Industry Association, in order to comprehensively review and showcase the development process and brilliant achievements of the Hunan Instrument and Meter Industry over the past 40 years, the association has published a commemorative collection titled "40 Years of Hunan Instrument and Meter Industry". This collection includes and recognizes Dr. Liu Hongfei and Aopu Tiancheng as leaders and benchmark companies in the field of hyperspectral instruments, and their significant contributions to the industry's development over the long term. The original text is as follows:

Forty years of hard work and deep cultivation, passed down from generation to generation. In the development scroll of the Hunan Instrument and Meter Industry Association (hereinafter referred to as the "Association"), there are engraved the blue threads of pioneers, shining with the wisdom of technology, remembering the determined responsibility of the helmsman, and also condensing the silent cultivation of service providers. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the association, we have launched a special series of "Character Stories" aimed at tracing the industry lighthouses that illuminate the future of the industry. In this issue of 'Character', let's get closer to Mr. Liu Hongfei and experience his outstanding contributions and personal style together.

Liu Hongfei's career began in top global instrument companies, where he worked as the General Manager of Business Units at Agilent and II-VI companies in the United States. This experience gave him a deep understanding of the research and market operation of international and advanced instruments, and also made him realize the dilemma of China being at the mercy of others in the field of high-precision instruments. With the belief that "Chinese people can also create world-class and first-class spectral instruments", he responded to the national call for "innovation and entrepreneurship" in 2015, resolutely gave up overseas advantages and conditions, and returned to China to establish Optosky, with its headquarters located in Xiamen.

In the early stages of entrepreneurship, the team size was small and the conditions were difficult, but he firmly believed that domestic instruments must take the path of independent innovation. From optical design, core components to algorithm software, he led the team step by step to achieve breakthroughs and optimizations in key technologies, setting a benchmark for the high-quality development of domestic instruments.

As a technology worker from Hunan, Liu Hongfei always cares about his hometown. At the end of 2022, inspired by the "Return of Hunan Merchants" policy, he led Opu Tiancheng to settle in Changsha and establish the Opu Tiancheng Global R&D Center and Second Headquarters Base. He said, "Changsha not only has a strong industrial foundation and talent resources, but also has an active innovation atmosphere and a precise customer base. As a native of Hunan, I also hope to contribute to the development of my hometown

In less than three years, the Changsha team has grown to over 170 people, becoming one of the largest and most powerful R&D and industrialization teams in the group. Aopu Tiancheng has established a deep cooperation mechanism with local universities and research institutions such as Central South University, National University of Defense Technology, and Hunan University to promote technological breakthroughs and achievement transformation; At the same time, we actively connect with Hunan's advantageous industries such as new energy, agricultural technology, chemical pharmaceuticals, and high-end equipment, and provide customized spectral solutions to assist in the intelligent transformation of industries.

From 2023 to 2025, AOPU Tiancheng Hunan Company has successively been awarded the titles of "National High tech Enterprise", "Hunan Province Specialized, Refined, Special and New Small and Medium sized Enterprise" and "Changsha Technology Innovation Center", and has established expert workstations and postdoctoral innovation practice bases, becoming an important support for scientific and technological innovation in the instrumentation industry in our province.

Under the leadership of Liu Hongfei, Aopu Tiancheng has achieved multiple breakthroughs in domestic spectroscopic instruments:

• The product system is comprehensively improved: more than ten product lines have been formed, including Raman spectroscopy, near-infrared spectroscopy, hyperspectral imaging, fluorescence spectroscopy, LIBS, etc., serving multiple fields such as scientific research, industry, agriculture, medical care, environmental protection, etc. Some products have reached the international and advanced level.

• High participation in industry standard setting: Led the development of multiple national, industry, and group standards such as "Visible Near Infrared Surface Spectrometer" and "Smart Agriculture Multispectral Imaging Technology Specification", participated in the development of more than 20 standards such as "General Specification for Raman Spectrometer", and promoted the development of industry standards.

• Honor and market double harvest: Aopu Tiancheng has been awarded the title of "Key Little Giant" enterprise at the national, national, and national levels. Its products have been exported to more than 70 countries and regions, becoming a mainstream Chinese brand in markets such as Russia and the Middle East, achieving a leap from "import substitution" to "export breakthrough".

Liu Hongfei not only deeply cultivates technology, but also has a forward-looking industrial vision. He has presided over multiple scientific research tasks such as the National Key R&D Program and the Hunan Province "Leading the List" major project, promoting the coordinated development of industry, academia, research and application. While achieving technological independence, he actively promotes the layout of Opu Tiancheng in the global market, and its products have successfully entered Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and other regions, serving international water resources management, petrochemicals, smart laboratories and other projects, fully demonstrating the strong strength and good reputation of Chinese instrument and meter enterprises.

Liu Hongfei proposed a dual track strategy of "standing tall and standing firm": "Standing tall" means facing the forefront of world technology and breaking through "bottleneck" technologies; 'Site' is to promote the implementation of spectral technology in the industry and help traditional industries improve quality and efficiency. He attaches great importance to the construction of the industrial chain ecosystem, and drives the overall level of the industry to improve through technology diffusion, standard output, and talent cultivation. The Changsha base is an important pivot of this strategy: in the next three to five years, it will build an intelligent manufacturing base for spectral instruments with a production capacity of over 50000 units, launch more than 100 new products, and create a new highland for global spectral technology innovation.

Dr. Liu Hongfei's growth and entrepreneurial journey is a vivid portrayal of scientists serving the country in industry and Hunan talents giving back to their hometown. The Opu Tiancheng led by him has not only become a leading enterprise in domestic spectroscopic instruments, but also significantly enhanced Hunan's innovation level and industrial influence in the field of high-end spectroscopic instruments, and has become an important force for China's high-end instruments to go global. He said, "We want the Chinese people to use their own high-end spectral instruments, and the whole world to use China's high-end spectral instruments." This belief stems from the spirit of "caring about the world and daring to be the first" of Hunan people, and also conforms to the era theme of high-quality development of China's manufacturing industry and the development of new quality productivity. His practice not only injected continuous innovation momentum into the instrumentation industry in Hunan, but also led the regional industry to move from "following" to "running in parallel" and even "leading", laying a solid foundation for writing a new chapter of high-quality development of instrumentation in Hunan.