Smart factory "sprouting", enterprise transformation continues to improve while facing challenges

　Analysis of the current situation of domestic smart factory construction

First of all, we need to know, what is a smart factory? Smart factory refers to the specific application of smart manufacturing-related technologies, products and systems such as mobile communication networks, data sensing monitoring, information interaction and integration, and advanced artificial intelligence at the factory level to achieve intelligent, networked, and flexible production systems. , greening.

As far as the current situation in our country is concerned, the production and assembly lines of various industries such as aviation, shipping, home appliances, rail transit, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, and equipment manufacturing are inseparable from intelligence. , so it is urgent to build a new smart factory. At present, many smart factories have emerged on the market. Smart factories such as Haier and Midea have become construction models for many enterprises. With the rapid rise of a new round of industrial transformation and technological revolution such as the Internet of Things, cloud computing, and intelligent equipment, my country's modern industrial informatization development has entered a new historical stage of building smart factories. In response to this change, the country immediately deployed and implemented the strategy of manufacturing a strong country. With policy support, domestic enterprises also seized this opportunity to accelerate the mutual complementation of informatization and industrialization. A series of new models, new business formats, and new characteristics of smart factories have sprung up. appears in our sight.

According to the editor’s understanding, China’s industrial software market size reached approximately 162.28 billion yuan in 2019, providing sufficient support for the construction of smart factories. "Made in China 2025" clearly states that by 2020, the level of intelligence in key manufacturing areas will be significantly improved, the operating costs of pilot demonstration projects will be reduced by 30%, the product production cycle will be shortened by 30%, and the defective product rate will be reduced by 30%. By 2025, key areas of the manufacturing industry will be fully intelligent, with operating costs of pilot demonstration projects reduced by 50%, product life cycles shortened by 50%, and defective product rates reduced by 50%. Based on the current enthusiasm and expansion speed of various industries in building smart factories, it is expected that China's smart factory industry will maintain an average annual growth rate of more than 10% in the next few years. By 2022, the market size of China's smart factory industry is expected to exceed1 trillion yuan.

　What challenges do smart factories face?

Although with the advancement of technology and the enhancement of scientific research capabilities, smart factories have Data processing capabilities and the ability to respond to emergencies are getting stronger and stronger, but many products are still not widely adopted. 2 out of 3 companies that pilot digital manufacturing solutions fail to roll them out at scale. Why, despite the enthusiasm for the transition to smart factories, so few companies are realizing its huge potential?

First of all, smart factories rely on information flow and system responsiveness. Without corresponding technical standards or requirements, high-quality popularization cannot be achieved. Smart factories have a relatively rich practical foundation and experience in developed countries abroad. However, because my country started late, the understanding and technical grasp of smart factories in various industries are uneven. Various industries use hundreds or even thousands of different technologies in the manufacturing process, so many technological standards that keep pace with the times are needed to regulate the construction of smart factories. The construction of smart factories in my country seriously lacks tracking of technical standards and standard adoption, and there are many overlapping areas between technical standards, making it impossible for the entire smart factory construction to be based on evidence. This is a major reason for the uneven development of smart factories in our country. In order to eliminate the above problems, coordination and cooperation between enterprises and organizations are the basis, and corresponding standards are formulated to promote the application of smart factories.

Secondly, the safety and controllability of smart factories needs to be further improved. Because smart factories require the interconnection of equipment and equipment within the factory and throughout the entire industrial chain, this connectivity increases manufacturers’ risks of cyberattacks, espionage, and data theft. This has led to a severe information security situation in domestic smart factories. Foreign construction and research in this area started earlier and have formed mature standards, products, and service systems. At the same time, core technologies and tools such as testing and certification, and safety protection products are also relatively mature, so their smart factories are not vulnerable to attacks. There is a lack of independent and controllable testing and certification technologies and tools in China, and relevant standards, safety consulting and assessment, etc. are still in the exploration and construction stage. To protect smart factories, multiple approaches and systems are needed, including security architecture for cyber-physical systems, detection of malware, and secure device management.

Later, with the increase of smart equipment suppliers in my country, smart factory equipment is highly competitive and faces more choices. Especially in terms of automation equipment, many companies blindly purchase automation equipment and automated production lines, and still think that smart factory construction is pure automation and robotization. And they only focus on purchasing CNC equipment, but they are not equipped with the corresponding software system, resulting in equipmentWe are at a disadvantage in terms of interconnection data collection. In response to this situation, enterprises should clearly require open data interfaces when purchasing equipment, so that most equipment can automatically collect data and realize workshop networking.

　Editor’s opinion

Under the influence of the multiple factors mentioned above, smart factories have become an alternative to enterprises in many fields. The best choice for artificial intelligence and transformation and upgrading. It is against this background that many companies are gradually transforming into smart factories. Although in the short term, the use of intelligent equipment will lead to increased investment by enterprises, in the long term, the savings in labor costs and efficiency improvements brought to enterprises by smart factories will continue to benefit enterprises.

　(Original title: Smart factory “sprouting”, enterprise transformation continues to improve while facing challenges)