Guided by the Shenzhen Municipal Committee of the Communist Youth League of China, and jointly organised by the Shenzhen Youth Academy with the support of the Youth Work Committee of the Shenzhen Municipal State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, the "Youth Voices on Innovation—Shenzhen Youth Case Showcase on Party-Building Empowerment for Breakthroughs, Youth Contributions to a Strong Industrial Base" concluded successfully. The project "Optimising the Port Empty Container Pickup and Damaged Container Exchange Process: Reducing Driver Burdens and Enhancing the Efficiency of Logistics," submitted by the Youth League Committee of YANTIAN, stood out for its practical effectiveness in addressing real livelihood challenges. The project was awarded Third Prize in the Public Services Track.

Empowered by new quality productive forces, the project exemplifies a "small entry point, big impact", offering a replicable, practice-based model for boosting terminal productivity.

The competition aims to encourage Shenzhen's youth, under the guidance of Party building, to transform micro-innovation into a distinctive strength of Party–Youth League integration across three tracks—public services, development support, and technological innovation—driving industrial upgrade and urban development.

To amplify the competition's value and consolidate practical experience, outstanding cases with strong innovation and demonstrative value will be professionally curated and included in the Compendium of Exemplary Shenzhen Youth Micro-Innovation Cases, to be promoted and shared as a key outcome of Shenzhen's youth Party-building innovation efforts. (Source: Shenzhen Youth)

Focusing on livelihood needs: solving the "run-themselves-ragged" challenge faced by tractor drivers

Under YANTIAN's traditional operating model, the process of damaged container exchange had long been a major pain point for tractor drivers. When a damaged container was identified during gate inspection, drivers were often required to make repeated trips to complete various procedures. Repair locations were communicated verbally, resulting in time-consuming coordination, unrecorded repair status, and unclear accountability. Many drivers described the experience as having to "run themselves ragged."

To address this long-standing livelihood challenge, YANTIAN formed a youth task force that conducted extensive frontline research and developed an optimization strategy known as "one reduction, one addition." Rooted in real operational scenarios and human-centred design, the initiative delivers a replicable and scalable innovation model. Rather than pursuing technological sophistication alone, it places driver experience at the heart of process redesign, vividly demonstrating the value of "small innovations with meaningful impact."

Breaking new ground through innovation: "one reduction, one addition" delivers smart, one-stop services

The "reduction" focuses on streamlining the damaged container exchange process, while the "addition" introduces a pre-inspection yard function to identify problematic containers in advance. Supported by the robust computing capabilities of the YANTIAN Operating System, these dual measures that simplify exchange points and enable pre-inspection at yards achieve simultaneous improvements in operational efficiency and process clarity.

In practice, inspectors can use handheld terminals to instantly initiate container exchange or repair requests, with the system automatically assigning the appropriate handling location. Drivers, in turn, receive real-time, precise guidance via a mobile App, including locations for damaged container drop-off, undamaged container pickup, and repair yards, enabling one-click access to all task-related information.

➡️One-click container exchange
Inspectors initiate tasks via handheld devices, with locations assigned automatically by the system.
➡️One-click container repair
Repair tasks are registered instantly and synchronised with repair yards.
➡️Driver App with precise navigation
Full-process operational locations are pushed to drivers in real time.

All operational instructions are now issued and completed directly at the gate lanes, fully replacing traditional manual communication and paper-based records. As a result, the damaged container exchange process has become more transparent, more efficient, and significantly more driver-friendly.

Livelihood impact and logistics efficiency: saving drivers more than 60 hours every day

Since its implementation, the project has delivered immediate and measurable results, with data clearly validating the effectiveness of the optimisation. On average, each driver saves at least six minutes per shift. The optimised process now supports over 600 container exchange services and more than 100 container repair services per day, saving the driver community over 60 hours every day.

By digitising and visualising the workflow, the initiative has not only significantly improved operational efficiency, but also strengthened the foundation of operations management. These tangible, practical measures have effectively reduced drivers' operational burden while boosting overall logistics efficiency.

Small innovations, big future: injecting youthful momentum into high-quality port development

This award represents both a strong affirmation of the innovative practices led by YANTIAN's youth and a clear demonstration of the power of Party-building to energise industrial development. As one of the world's largest single container terminals, YANTIAN has consistently regarded innovation as a core driving force. As early as 15 years ago, it established the “Work Improvement Team”, creating a broad platform for employees to turn ideas into practical solutions. To date, the committee has spearheaded the implementation of more than 300 high-quality innovation projects, transforming numerous small, focused initiatives into large-scale, huge-impact results. By continuously leveraging new quality productive forces, YANTIAN has enhanced operational efficiency and performance, contributing solid port-sector strength to Shenzhen's role as a pioneering demonstration zone of socialism with Chinese characteristics.

Looking to the future, YANTIAN will remain committed to innovation-led development and will continue to champion the ethos of model workers, the dignity of labour, and the spirit of true craftsmanship. The company strives to inspire more workers, particularly the younger generation, to pursue mastery through skill and to contribute to the country through their technical expertise. YANTIAN will further expand its efforts to cultivate high-calibre professionals and master-level craftsmen, providing strong talent support for a transportation power and for serving as a forerunner in China's modernisation journey. Through practical action, YANTIAN will inject new momentum into the high-quality development of the port industry and play an even greater role in driving regional economic growth and technological advancement across the sector.