$4.5 million invested to upgrade traditional manufacturers

Ningbo government plans to allocate 30 million yuan ($4.5 million) each year for local enterprises above a designated size that are willing to accept the intelligent upgrading, according to the Ningbo Municipal Commission of Economy and Information Technology (NMCEIT).

Analysis for the enterprises on how to start their intelligent upgrading and corresponding analysis reports are also available to the companies, the implementation plan for the intelligent upgrading is issued by the NMCEIT states.

Intelligent manufacturing is the essence of Made in China 2025, a development plan for China's manufacturing industry over the next decade and as the plan's first pilot city, Ningbo intends to transform and upgrade its traditional economy by developing intelligent manufacturing.

"Intelligent upgrading is the only way to transform traditional industries," said the head of NMCEIT's technological upgrading office. "The implementation plan will act as a bridge between the enterprises and suppliers of intelligent manufacturing technology."

Difficulties in regards to technology, management and technicians encountered by manufacturing enterprises in their upgrading are the key issues that need to be solved in order to accelerate Ningbo's intelligent upgrading, according to the implementation plan.

Over 1,600 enterprises above a designated size are intending to accept the intelligent upgrading and the city plans to make an analysis of 500 such enterprises by the end of this year, the spokesman of the NMCEIT said.