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.
China leads global tech evolution with lighthouse factories
China leads global tech evolution with lighthouse factories
China leads global tech evolution with lighthouse factories
China will take more effective measures to improve people's wellbeing, especially in education, healthcare, and social security, an official said Thursday in Beijing at a press conference on the interpretation of this year's government work report, which was submitted to the national legislature for deliberation earlier in the day.
Shen Danyang, head of the government work report drafting team and director of the State Council Research Office, said centering on enhancing educational equity and quality, the report made arrangements for education at all educational stages and of all types.
"Regarding preschool education, the policy of free education in the year prior to entering primary school will continue to be implemented this year, which is commonly referred to as free admission to the senior class of kindergartens. So, how can the income reduction of kindergartens be addressed? Subsidies will be provided by both the central and local governments, with the central government taking the lion's share. This year, the funds allocated to support the development of preschool education will increase significantly by 37.8 percent to ensure the implementation of the beneficial policy," he said.
Regarding senior high school education, Shen said the report stated that the supply of regular senior high school places will be increased,
Specifically, for areas with a continuous net inflow of population, a number of regular high schools will be planned and constructed on an annual basis. For regions with a temporary shortage of school places, priority will be given to the renovation and expansion of existing teaching buildings, student dormitories and canteens, he said.
Shen said the report put forward many supportive measures in healthcare.
"For instance, it urged efforts to strengthen coordination in drug use at the grassroots level, which mean improving the list of essential drugs, and optimizing the channels for drug supply and drug use coordination between upper- and lower-level medical and health institutions to make it more convenient for the public to use drugs at their doorstep. Besides, the report has made arrangements for supporting the development of innovative drugs for the third consecutive year. This year, China will strengthen the coordination of supportive policies in an all-round way, further address issues such as the barriers facing innovative drugs entering hospitals, and better meet the diverse medical and medication needs of the people," he said.
In terms of social security, Shen said the report proposed to continue raising the minimum standard of basic pensions for urban and rural residents -- a policy will benefit over 180 million elderly people.
"The central government will allocate 1.25 trillion yuan (about 181.25 billion U.S. dollars) in subsidy funds to ensure the timely and full payment of pensions. In response to the insufficient protection of the rights and interests of people engaging in new occupations, the report proposed to steadily and orderly expand the scale of the pilot program for occupational injury insurance. This year, the policy will cover 31 provincial-level regions across the country and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Meanwhile, enterprises specializing in travel, instant delivery and intra-city freight delivery will be included in the pilot program, which will ensure the safety of more laborers, such as food delivery workers and online car-hailing drivers," he said.
China to improve people's wellbeing in education, healthcare, social security: official
