In an era of profound transformation, how can the manufacturing sector leverage intelligence to shape the future?

　　As everyone can see, in today’s socio‑economic landscape, eight major technological domains—information technology, mobile technology, web technologies, embedded systems, the Internet of Things, cloud computing, big data, and artificial intelligence—will provide critical support for the intelligent transformation of the manufacturing sector. The “Made in China + Internet” initiative should focus on the core pillars of innovation, commercialization, dissemination, and application of smart technologies. Enterprises across all industries subject to this integration must take the lead, proactively embrace the internet, undertake self‑driven transformation, and meet the challenges ahead.

　　Recently, the Second China Manufacturing 2025 (Shenzhen) Summit Forum, themed “The Path to Intelligent Transformation in Global Manufacturing,” was held in Shenzhen. The forum brought together domestic and international representatives from the manufacturing sector to engage in in-depth discussions on emerging trends and characteristics in global manufacturing innovation, progress made since the implementation of “Made in China 2025,” and how the manufacturing industry can leverage intelligence to shape the future in an era of profound structural change.

　　What drives the transformation of the manufacturing sector?

　　“Promoting the deep integration of informatization and industrialization, with industrialization playing the leading and supporting role, while informatization serves as the driving and guiding force,” noted Li Yizhong, a member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, deputy director of its Economic Committee, and former minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, in his keynote address. He emphasized the need to fully leverage informatization’s role in driving and guiding economic development, using it to advance intelligent manufacturing and harnessing the Internet to optimize the allocation of natural and social resources.

　　Li Yizhong stated, “Among the many ‘Internet Plus’ initiatives, ‘Made in China Plus Internet’ should be given top priority. We must focus on the core—innovation, transformation, dissemination, and application of intelligent technologies.” He noted that more than 90 percent of enterprises nationwide now widely use the internet, and over one-third have fully integrated e‑commerce into their supply chains and sales networks. Experience has shown that the enterprises in the sectors being transformed by “Plus” initiatives should take the lead; they should not passively wait but instead recognize the direction of today’s new economy, proactively embrace the internet, undertake self‑reform, and meet the challenges ahead.

　　Achieving a smart transformation of the manufacturing sector is inseparable from technological support. Zhong Zhihua, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and president of Tongji University, stated that eight major technologies—information technology, mobile technology, web technology, embedded systems, the Internet of Things, cloud computing, big data, and artificial intelligence—will provide crucial underpinnings for this smart transition. He believes that “Made in China 2025” represents the first step toward becoming a manufacturing powerhouse. The vision for a manufacturing powerhouse unfolds in three phases, each spanning ten years: from 2015 to 2025 marks the initial stage, during which China will join the ranks of manufacturing powerhouses but remain relatively low in the global hierarchy; by 2035, China will occupy a mid‑range position among leading manufacturing nations; and by 2045, it will assume a world‑leading role, coinciding with the realization of the second centenary goal and China’s full entry into the league of major world powers.

　　Xia Lin, Director of the Xinhua News Agency’s Center for World Affairs and former Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Xinhua, stated that from the “Jiaolong dives into the sea” to the “Chang’e mission to the moon,” and now to high-speed rail going global, new entities and business models—represented by high-end equipment manufacturing and cutting-edge technology industries—are expanding rapidly, injecting powerful endogenous momentum into China’s economy and becoming a new engine for growth. “This underscores China’s transformation from a manufacturing giant to a manufacturing powerhouse, which is not only a fundamental requirement for economic and social development but also carries profound practical significance and far-reaching historical implications,” Xia Lin said.

　　The future of intelligent transformation is promising.

　　At the forum, business leaders from both China and abroad—representing industry pioneers such as XCMG Group, Shenyang Machine Tool, Accenture, and Johnson Controls—engaged in discussions on cutting-edge trends in intelligent manufacturing. Wang Min, Chairman and Party Secretary of XCMG Group, who has spent 47 years in the manufacturing sector, remarked: “Manufacturing is still undergoing a challenging phase of transformation and upgrading. Today, manufacturers worldwide—particularly those in equipment manufacturing—are focused on advancing technology, enhancing quality, reducing costs, and figuring out how to make customers more satisfied and more willing to purchase their products.”

　　Wang Min stated that XCMG has fully launched its intelligent manufacturing initiatives, with the key challenge being to establish a closed-loop system that starts in the market and ultimately feeds back into it. “I am confident that within just a few years, one of the two or three most cutting-edge, top-tier companies in this industry will undoubtedly be XCMG,” Wang Min said.

　　Zhao Biao, acting chairman and president of Shenyang Machine Tool Co., Ltd., stated that, as the national industrial economy undergoes transformation, Shenyang Machine Tool is facing overcapacity in the mid- and low-end segments. In response to these challenges, the company has broken through the core technologies of machine tool operating control systems, which had long been monopolized by Japan and Germany. With its own proprietary core technologies, the enterprise is now promoting and applying smart manufacturing across all regions of China, implementing it through the establishment of intelligent factories.

　　“True intelligent manufacturing represents a transformation in both production methods and production relations. Thanks to smart technologies, the traditional large‑scale, one‑stop production model can be replaced by a more agile, decentralized approach organized around discrete business units. The goal of intelligent manufacturing is to enhance overall societal efficiency while enabling the vision of ‘mass entrepreneurship and innovation’ to take root and bear fruit,” Zhao Biao pointed out.

　　Wu Qi, Accenture’s Global Vice President and Vice Chairman of Greater China, shared two case studies illustrating the value of product intelligence. He noted that Siemens deployed an intelligent system along the Madrid–Barcelona rail corridor, boosting on-time performance to 99.9% and increasing the railway’s market share from 40% to 60%. Meanwhile, Philips has developed an implantable chip capable of predicting risk factors for cerebral thrombosis and coronary heart disease 8 to 12 hours in advance. Once a potential hazard is detected, the backend system automatically alerts physicians, dispatches an ambulance, and coordinates with hospitals. He emphasized that enhancing the competitiveness of products and services through smart manufacturing represents a critical breakthrough that China’s smart manufacturing agenda must address.

　　Georg Spoettl, a professor at the University of Bremen in Germany and the lead initiator of the Sino-German Smart Manufacturing Education Alliance (in preparation), points out that in the Industry 4.0 era, manufacturing is carried out through networks and intelligent machines, which also means that data transmission—both in the formation of production processes and in inter‑system connectivity—is significantly accelerated. At the same time, the speed of data storage and transmission is exceptionally high, and human–machine interaction has become highly effective, making these developments particularly beneficial for smart manufacturing.

　　There is no doubt that intelligent manufacturing is advancing rapidly worldwide, emerging as a major trend in the manufacturing sector and exerting profound influence on industrial development and the global division of labor. At present, China’s traditional manufacturing industry is undergoing a transformation toward intelligent manufacturing, while emerging sectors—led by 3D printing, robotics, and drones—are experiencing rapid growth, with a growing cohort of leading enterprises taking center stage. The sound development of the intelligent manufacturing industry will serve as a powerful catalyst for reshaping production methods, giving rise to new modes of production, industrial forms, and business models. Experts at the conference noted that 2017 will mark the inaugural year of accelerated growth in intelligent manufacturing. Accelerating the development of intelligent manufacturing is of paramount importance for fostering innovation-driven enterprise growth and achieving industrial upgrading and transformation; it also represents a critical cornerstone for expanding the horizons of China’s manufacturing sector.