State-owned Datong Coal has a history of more than 50 years, but recent corporate reforms and resource integration have increased its size. In the first nine months of 2010 alone it produced nearly 115 million tons of coal.

In fact it is striving to be a new, super big coal and electric energy group, with developments in various fields other than coalmines, such as machinery manufacturing, logistics, and even tourism.

Much of this is the result of reforms that came about under China's tenth Five-Year Plan, from 2001 to 2005. During that period, the coalmine increased in size from 1,827 sq m to 6,157 sq m. Its total assets have grown from 16.6 billion yuan to 26.8 billion yuan.

The group's transportation and sales of coal grew annually during that period, and production surpassed 100 million tons, making it the country's second largest coalmine group, after the Shenhua Group.

The company also changed its sales model and adjusted the marketing structure. To integrate resources and cater to a segmented market, it began developing the "Dayou" coal brand and the blast-furnace injection market.

As a result, Datong Coal attracted several large-scale consumers, placing 5-million-ton and 10-million-ton orders. Sales increased and, for 2005, amounted to 23.6 billion yuan, or six times the amount for 2000.

The company dug more new coalmines in the 2001-2005 period, and built other main coal bases at Shuozhou, Xuangang and Shuonan.