The old adage “what’s in a name” is taking on new significance in what at first glance appears to be a somewhat cosmetic name change by leading solar panel maker JinkoSolar Holding Co. Ltd. (JKS.US). But a closer look at the announcement, which says the company will drop the words “solar” and “energy” from its English and Chinese names, respectively, turns out to be quite a game changer for one of China’s oldest solar manufacturers.
乍看之下，光伏组件龙头晶科能源控股有限公司（JKS.US）这次改名似乎只是换个招牌，但“名字不只是名字”这件事，在此却有了新的意义。细看公司公告便会发现，公司将分别从英文及中文名称中删去“solar”及“能源”字样。对这家中国历史最悠久的光伏制造商之一而言，这次改名其实预示着一次相当重大的转变。
The company revealed that its main solar business will become one of its two main pillars, alongside a new second pillar that invests in emerging high-tech industries like AI, advanced materials and other “frontier technologies,” according to its announcement last Wednesday. Reflecting that shift, its board has voted to change the company’s English name to Jinko Holdings Ltd., losing the word “solar.” Similarly, its new Chinese name will lose the word “nengyuan,” or “energy.”
公司在上周三发布的公告中披露，主要光伏业务今后将成为两大业务支柱之一，另一支柱则是投资人工智能、先进材料及其他“前沿技术”等新兴高科技产业。为反映这项转变，董事会已表决通过将公司英文名称改为Jinko Holdings Ltd.，删去“solar”一词；同样地，新的中文名称也将删去“能源”二字。
The big backstory is that China’s solar sector is suffering from massive overcapacity due to a huge state-led buildup over the last decade. That’s caused prices for solar panels and materials used to make them to plunge, sending companies throughout the supply chain deeply into the red.
背后的大背景是，中国光伏行业在过去十年经历政府主导的大规模扩产，目前正深受严重产能过剩困扰。这导致光伏组件及其生产材料价格暴跌，令整条供应链上的企业深陷亏损。