Shanghai banks on smart manufacturing

The recent China International Industry Fair showcased the latest developments and products in manufacturing, serving as a platform for countries around the world to share opportunities in China's new phase of industrialization through deeper understanding and practical cooperation, officials said.

An action plan on accelerating next-generation intelligent manufacturing was launched by the Shanghai municipal government during the opening ceremony of this year's CIIF on Oct 12. The project aims to make the city home to 500 advanced intelligent factories and raise the city's robot density to 600 robots per 10,000 employees by 2028.

Under the plan, Shanghai will carry out four major projects and 19 key tasks to promote the in-depth integration of artificial intelligence and manufacturing, and accelerate the development of a next-generation intelligent manufacturing system.

"We hope countries around the world can use the China International Industry Fair to deepen understanding, cooperate pragmatically, share the opportunities of China's new industrialization and jointly create a bright future for the smart economy," said Wang Weiming, chief engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

As artificial intelligence reshapes the entire manufacturing process, from research and development and production to management, the MIIT will focus on new-generation intelligent manufacturing to steer the manufacturing sector toward smart, green and integrated development, Wang said.

"The goal is to build a mutually beneficial industrial ecosystem through industrial innovation, system optimization and further integration between artificial intelligence and manufacturing," Wang added.

In line with central government deployment, the action plan lays out clear goals for 2028, including establishing intelligent factories at all key manufacturing enterprises across the city and promoting the widespread adoption of AI in these factories.

Specifically, 500 advanced intelligent factories will be developed, more than 2,000 artificial intelligence-empowered manufacturing scenarios will be in operation, and new infrastructure facilities will be available to meet the needs of next-generation intelligent manufacturing, the plan states.

The action plan also sets a target of raising the city's robot density, a key gauge of the adoption of automation in manufacturing.

Meanwhile, as many as 8,000 humanoid robots will be deployed in factories by 2028, bringing the industry scale of AI-empowered new intelligent manufacturing equipment to more than 200 billion yuan ($29.98 billion) and expanding the intelligent manufacturing system integration industry to 100 billion yuan.

Chen Jie, vice-mayor of Shanghai, said this year's CIIF showcased new-generation intelligent manufacturing in a more systematic way for the first time.

Shanghai's approach to advanced manufacturing will focus on strengthening the foundation of its real economy, enhancing the city's leading position in high-end industries, and building a modernized industrial system.

"Centered on new generation intelligent manufacturing, explorations will be made into the application of large models on production lines, integrating agents into the manufacturing process, and using embodied intelligence to reshape production models," said Chen.

"Enterprises and institutions from home and abroad use the CIIF to expand practical cooperation, learn more about Shanghai, invest in Shanghai, settle down here, share new development opportunities, and create a new future for manufacturing together," Chen added.