Connectivity set to overhaul manufacturing

The industrial internet will bring production into the modern age through automation and communication in Guangzhou Development District

Guangzhou Development District, the Economic and Information Commission of Guangdong Province and the Guangzhou government will establish a demonstration zone for the industrial internet, according to an agreement signed at the China Industry Internet Conference held in November.

"The industrial internet, a product of the new generation of integrated information technology and manufacturing, is becoming a cornerstone to support the next generation of the industrial revolution," said Xu Dan, director of the district's economy and information bureau.

"It will have a full range of profound and revolutionary influences on the future development of industry."

The agreement announced that Guangzhou Development District will launch a comprehensive industrial internet platform to boost smart manufacturing and industrial innovation.

Involving big data and cloud calculation technologies, the industrial internet platform will connect all the companies in the district and cover various processes online, including operations, management, collaborative design and manufacturing execution.

According to Xu, the first level of the industrial internet refers to digital production, a new type of automated manufacturing that combines advanced machines with internet-connected sensors.

Through automatic technologies, the production line can achieve automatic manufacturing without workers, because the procedures can be completed by software that connects digitally controlled machines.

The second level involves the combination of manufacturing and service industries, in which after-sales services are regarded as a key step for the upgrade of manufacturing, Xu said.

People can equip their products with data collectors, then the data can be used to help make the product more efficient. That step actually enables machines to communicate.

Taking refrigerators as an example, when users adjust the temperature with the thermometer in the machine, the data is stored and transmitted to its producers.

By calculating the statistics collected through the multitude of users, the producers can adjust their refrigerator's temperature range to fit more people's habits.

The third level of the industrial internet, according to Xu, is a comprehensive platform that basically functions as an online database that can process the information obtained by different channels.

Through modern data and information technology, the platform can upload the necessary data needed to guide the production of a group of companies over a large area. Then, the companies that participate in the platform can get the information they need, such as the price of raw materials and the number of potential customers, and even find their business partners.

"The industrial internet involves an innovative infrastructure of networks, which can realize the deep integration of humans, machines and products, and build up a new format of the intelligent industry," Xu said.

Lei Qun, executive vice-president of Guangzhou Haozhi Industrial Co Ltd, said: "I believe the industrial internet, as set up by Guangzhou Development District, will provide promising support to our production."

As an innovation-driven company established in the district in 2006, Guangzhou Haozhi Industrial specializes in the design and manufacturing of lathe spindles that are used to make precision instruments. It began to upgrade its plants according to industrial internet concepts in 2010.

The company established a software package to guide its purchasing, sales, human resources, equipment maintenance and financial management. It also introduced robots and automatic devices in its workshops. "Currently, most of the production process can be finished without human input. We will take a positive role to participate in industrial internet platform in the Guangzhou Development District and pave the way for 100 percent unmanned production," Lei said. In November, the State Council, China's cabinet, unveiled a guideline that aims to build 10 cross-industry platforms by 2020 and set up industrial internet infrastructure covering all of the country's regions and sectors by 2025.

In October, Guangzhou Development District signed an agreement with CasiCloud, a factory cloud platform service provider based in Beijing.

Together, they launched the industrial internet public platform in the district on Dec 15 to serve companies in Guangzhou and the Pearl River Delta.

Guangzhou Development District is a core industrial agglomeration area established in 1984, which generates about 40 percent of the industrial revenue in Guangzhou.

The number of high-tech companies in the district exceeds 1,000 and there are 579 research institutions. Many Fortune 500, State-owned and Chinese Top 500 enterprises have invested in the district.

To boost more investment in the district and attract more high-profile talent to work and live there, the district launched four groups of "10 golden policies" and "10 jade policies", offering financial support and awards to startups and professionals. The district will invest as much as 10 billion yuan ($1.51 billion) to guide investment, and to support the integration of technology and finance.

liyou@chinadaily.com.cn