Chinese manufacturers call for integrated automation

Automated production and integrating the process is the future of manufacturing in China, industry representatives said on Saturday.



As labor costs rise, Chinese manufacturers have been implementing measures to become more competitive, and many major manufacturing hubs in the country have started to use industrial robots, Lu Shan, head of Beijing-based industry consulting group CCID, said during an annual summit of the China Enterprise Confederation on Saturday in Zhuzhou, Central China's Hunan Province.



"From welding to assembly lines and testing, robots have been replacing people in China, especially in electronics manufacturing. But companies have to determine how to integrate robots and people," he said.



Smart manufacturing is not only about automating production but also making it more consistent. "Logistics management is crucial," Shan Yong, senior director at CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co, the country's major train manufacturer, said at the summit.



"For automobiles and airplane, for example, production often involves about 400,000 items and complex procedures, and how to efficiently integrate them is more important than using industrial robots," Shan said.



The company said in April on its website that it had upgraded its facilities in Malaysia this year as it looks to win the bid for the Singapore-Malaysia high-speed rail project.



The company said it has developed 51 types of mainline electric locomotives for rapid passenger transit, dual-purpose transport and heavy-duty freight transport, which have produced 7,500 locomotives so far.



To upgrade their production, Chinese manufacturers have to continuously enhance the quality of their products to make them more globally competitive, Xu Jianquan, senior director at China's major heavy machinery manufacturing XCMG Group, said. "However, some of our technologies, such as those for hydraulic technology and energy efficiency, still lag behind their Western counterparts," he said.

