Hangzhou in east China’s Zhejiang province has made remarkable achievements in boosting the digital and intelligent transformation of its manufacturing industry since 2013, thanks to the efforts of local government and enterprises that have provided smart transformation solutions.

File photo shows a worker at a manufacturing company operating an intelligent system for production management.

Statistics show that as of the end of 2020, Hangzhou had implemented 5,003 projects to replace manual workers with machines at manufacturers and 1,744 programs to equip factories with capabilities focusing on the Internet of Things, which have helped 110,000 manufacturers to employ the use of cloud services. As a result, over 90 percent of manufacturing enterprises above the designated size in the city have realized digital transformation.

The Hangzhou government has encouraged enterprises to play a leading role in advancing smart transformation. There were nearly 600 digital solutions providers in the city as of the end of last year. One of them is Zhejiang Litai Industrial Internet Co., Ltd., which provides digital solutions for a local factory.

“In the past, the factory had to record and adjust its production process manually, which led to low efficiency and mistakes,” said an engineer from the company, adding that the company’s system can automatically give production instructions.

File photo shows an intelligent plant, operated by Wanxiang Qianchao Co., Ltd., located in east China’s Zhejiang province.

In addition to the digitalization of production equipment, digital solution providers in Hangzhou offer a wider selection of services to manufacturers.

For example, automated visual inspection solutions enable manufacturers to save on manpower by replacing human labor with machines as well as reducing missing detection rates. Moreover, an intelligent logistics system helps manufacturers to significantly improve the efficiency of their storage management.

This digital and intelligent transformation has yielded remarkable benefits. In 2020, the industrial value added per mu (667 square meters) of manufacturers above the designated size in Hangzhou surpassed 1.97 million yuan (about $305,544), up 8.71 percent from a year earlier. Meanwhile, their per capita labor productivity reached 362,000 yuan, which was 10,000 yuan higher than the previous year.

The Hangzhou government has also provided significant support for manufacturers’ smart transformation. A smart manufacturing service center has been established in the city’s Qiantang district to offer quality services to manufacturers, such as talent cultivation.

Furthermore, technical support from Internet giants, funding from financial institutions and talent cultivation initiated through cooperative programs between schools and enterprises have promoted the manufacturing industry’s smart transformation in Hangzhou.

“Under the guidance of the government, providers of intelligent transformation solutions have delivered real benefits to manufacturing companies, which lays a foundation for deepening smart transformation in the future,” said You Rongfu, deputy head of the Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology.

“We will continue to facilitate transformation and upgrading in manufacturing through digital technologies and expand the digital economy,” You added. 

(Editor: Ye Ke)