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.

UN chief urges diplomacy amid US military threats against Iran: spokesperson

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is deeply concerned about the U.S. rhetoric suggesting possible intervention in the situation in Iran, urging all parties to pursue diplomacy and dialogue in line with the principles of the UN Charter, his spokesperson said on Monday.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that his administration is weighing "some very strong options," including potential military action against Iran amid the unrest across the Middle East country.

At a press briefing Monday at the UN Headquarters in New York, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, conveyed Guterres' alarm over the remarks.

"The rhetoric that we've heard around the situation in Iran, which is concerning to him (Guterres), and he encourages all to adopt a path of diplomacy and dialogue," said Dujarric.

"We push for dialogue, and I think the [UN] Charter is very clear on your question," Dujarric said when asked whether foreign intervention might help resolve the crisis. The UN Charter enshrines core principles including the sovereign equality of all states, non-intervention in the affairs of other states, and the peaceful settlement of disputes.

These norms were further reinforced by the 1970 Declaration on Principles of International Law, adopted by the UN General Assembly, which explicitly states that no state or group of states has the right to intervene, directly or indirectly, for any reason whatever, in the internal or external affairs of any other state.

Protests have erupted in several Iranian cities since late December over the sharp fall in the national currency rial and long-standing economic hardships. The reported death toll from the unrest on both sides of the security forces and civilians is mounting.