China - February 18, 2025 North China county paws its way to forefront with cat litter production (Voice_over) Ningcheng County in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is unearthing a fortune in the cat litter business. With abundant supplies of bentonite, a main ingredient in kitty litter, the small county is home to more than 30 kitty litter manufacturers with an annual output that exceeds two million tons. One factory in the county upgraded its production lines with smart technology to improve both product quality and efficiency. From raw material input to granulation and packaging, the process is largely automated, boosting the factory's daily production capacity by 30 percent. The company says they plan to add more smart production lines in the future. (Sound_bite) Wang Mingming, Head, cat litter producer: "This year, we aim to increase our annual production capacity from 200,000 tons to 300,000 tons to better expand into overseas markets." (Voice_over) To meet the growing and diversified consumer demand, local manufacturers are investing more in R and D, shifting from lower-end products to premium offerings. (Sound_bite) Wang Tingyan, Laboratory technician, quality control and R&D center, cat litter producer: "This year, we plan to introduce more new products, like lightweight cat litter. By making it even lighter, we aim to make it more suitable for elderly and female users, increasing usage frequency and reducing the need for frequent repurchases." (Voice_over) Ningcheng County is now the top cat of the country's kitty litter production with an annual output value of nearly 140 million U.S. dollars. [Restriction: No access Chinese mainland]