China leads global tech evolution with lighthouse factories

China

China leads global tech evolution with lighthouse factories

2024-09-28 17:06 Last Updated At：23:17

China's manufacturing prowess has placed it at the forefront of global technological advancements, driving the sector towards smarter and more eco-friendly practices.

"Lighthouse" is the designation given to factories that have evolved and successfully implemented Fourth Industrial Revolution technology. Currently China boasts around 40 percent of the global lighthouse factories, ranking first in the world.

In the 100,000 square meter manufacturing plant of Sany Group in Hunan Province, the maximum output has been as high as 800 trucks per month since 2021.

Yao Zhiheng, director of Intelligent Manufacturing of Sany Group, likens the production of pump trucks to the art of tailored suits, but with a futuristic twist. The key to this innovation is the main control room.

"In the control room, we allocate specific tasks to the operating machines through our advanced systems – transforming steel plates into diverse, customized parts with remarkable efficiency," said Yao.

Efficiency is key, and the factory's smart optimization techniques have boosted steel utilization rates from 70 percent to over 80 percent, leading to significant cost savings.

"By increasing steel utilization by just one percentage point, we're able to reduce our costs by nearly 20 million yuan, about 2.8 million U.S. dollars," said Yao.

From cutting to welding to assembling, the factory's nine major manufacturing processes and 32 production scenarios have achieved full automation.

"The company's digitalization efforts span 368 projects with a total investment of 664 million yuan(about 95 million US dollars). These projects aim to foster high-quality development and align with our country's push for new industrialization," said Jiang Qingbin, vice president of Sany Group.

However, Jiang acknowledges that the heavy industry's upgrade path is not without challenges.

"We still face challenges like meeting diverse demands on assembly lines and information barriers across industrial chains," said Jiang.

But Jiang remains confident that China's ongoing reforms aimed at integrating the real and digital economies will help overcome these obstacles.

As China's manufacturing sector continues to lead the world in technological advancements, factories such as Sany Group stand as beacons of hope for a smarter and more sustainable future.

Putin, Trump hold phone call on issues of Iran, Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone conversation on Wednesday, discussing the recent shooting at the White House press dinner, the situation in Iran and the Ukraine crisis, the Kremlin said.

The Russian president informed his U.S. counterpart of Russia's readiness to declare a truce with Ukraine for the period of Victory Day commemorations.

Trump voiced strong support for the initiative, noting that "the holiday marks our common victory over Nazism in World War II," said Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov after the phone conversation that lasted over an hour and a half.

At Trump's request, Putin described the current situation along the contact line with Ukraine, where Russian troops maintain the strategic initiative and are pushing back enemy positions, said Ushakov.

Putin reaffirmed that the goals of the special military operation will be achieved in any case, the aide said. Russia would prefer this to be achieved through negotiations, for which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskymust respond positively to the well-known proposals that have been repeatedly put forward, including by the U.S. side, he said. Russia has handed over more than 20,000 bodies of the deceased to Ukraine, Putin told Trump, adding that Ukraine has returned just over 500 bodies to Russia since the beginning of 2025.

Among the issues on the international agenda, the two leaders focused primarily on the situation in Iran and the Persian Gulf, according to the Kremlin.

Putin viewed Trump's decision to extend the ceasefire with Iran as the right move, as it will help stabilize the situation, Ushakov said, adding that Putin drew attention to the inevitable, extremely dire consequences not only for Iran and its neighbors, but also for the entire international community should the United States and Israel resort to force again.

Russia remains firmly determined to fully support diplomatic efforts aimed at finding a peaceful settlement to the crisis, and has put forward a number of proposals intended to resolve differences over the Iranian nuclear program, said the presidential aide.

Ushakov noted that to this end, Moscow will maintain active contacts with Iranian representatives, leaders of Persian Gulf states, as well as with Israel and the U.S. negotiating team.

For his part, Trump also outlined his assessment of the Middle East situation to Putin.