Once you walked into WXPI High-end Intelligent Factory of wheel bearing unit, you will see all production lines operating at a steady and orderly pace, completing each procedure in high efficiency and accuracy. From successfully establishing a provincial-level ‘Future Factory’ to smoothly passing the dual certifications as a national-level ‘5G Fully Connected Factory’ and an ‘Excellence-Level Intelligent Factory,’ WXPI has steadily advanced along its path of intelligent manufacturing, achieving continuous quality improvements at every stage. This significant national honor was not achieved by a sudden or short-term strike, but by the whole team’s unwavering dedication and hard work over the long term. Working on the front lines of digital and intelligent transformation, they have accumulated innovations and achieved continuous breakthroughs. Leveraging AI-driven innovation, they have established a closed-loop system of ‘data sensing—autonomous analysis—intelligent decision-making’, propelling the intelligent factory toward a higher level of ecological integration. Thanks to these pioneering achievements, they were awarded the ‘Innovation of 2025’ Honor by Wanxiang Group.

Key members of the construction team from WXPI Excellence-level Intelligent Factory

Lou Dingshan,Chen Kai,Chen Guojun,Pan Fengjin,Fu Yejun

In response to the call of national ‘Intelligent Manufacturing’ Strategy and in accordance with the deployment requirements of the Group's Board of Directors, WXPI initiated the construction of an intelligent factory in 2013. After proposing the concept of ‘Future Factory’ in Zhejiang Province, the company focused on core areas such as system establishment, system integration, data connection, and business collaboration, accumulating solid experience and technical foundation for intelligent manufacturing upgrades. It established a digital workshop model and an intelligent factory, and was recognized as a ‘Future Factory’ in Zhejiang Province in 2024. However, the process of intelligent manufacturing upgrades has no end. In line with the higher cultivation requirements of the national ‘Excellence-level’ intelligent factory, the general manager of the company took the lead, the intelligent engineering department was in charge, and technical forces from related business lines such as research and development, operation, and quality were jointly organized to form a cross-disciplinary elite team, fully striving for the ‘upgraded version’ of intelligent manufacturing.

The ‘Excellence-Level’ Intelligent factory sets higher standards for the intelligent upgrading of production lines, the implementation of typical scenarios, and the collaborative application of AI—this is undoubtedly a tough battle. ‘We make promises that we will accomplish our tasks and mange to become the industry leader’, said Pan Fengjin, Manager of the Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering Department. His resounding words sounded the call to tackle this challenge head-on. During the construction of the third-generation automated wheel hub production line in the intelligent workshop, everyone threw themselves into the project with unwavering determination. They coordinated manpower and resources to provide full support while simultaneously fine-tuning equipment parameters, optimizing production line layouts, and verifying process accuracy. ‘We’d make adjustments after each failure and conduct repeated validations—I can’t even count how many sleepless nights we spent’, recalled Fu Yejun, who was in charge of equipment implementation.

Team crew were debugging equipment at flexible workstation

During those intense days of tackling challenges, everyone quietly persevered and gave selflessly. As the project approached critical milestones, the team practically ‘lived’ alongside the production line, verifying data logic over and over again and compiling version after version of system debugging logs. To finalize a set of key parameters, they stood watch by the equipment, repeatedly comparing and verifying the data until the data logic loop was seamless and the equipment was operating normally—only then would they call it a day. ‘Although it was hard work, being able to tackle challenges together with my colleagues and help the company upgrade makes it all worthwhile, no matter how tough it gets’, said Lou Dingshan, Deputy Manager of the Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering Department, voicing the sentiments of everyone. After extensive refinement, the production line was transformed beyond recognition. Chen Kai, Manager of the Safety and Environment Department, could not hide his pride: ‘Through the construction of the intelligent factory, I’ve seen the company’s determination and capability to advance its intelligent manufacturing upgrade. The changes to a few production lines or scenarios may be limited, but the conceptual upgrades, technological advancements, and talent development they represent are the company’s most valuable assets.’

 In line with the further development trend of deep localization in high-end manufacturing, the project group has focused on the practical application of AI technology, deeply engaged in innovative construction in all varieties of intelligent manufacturing scenarios. With a myriad of tasks before them and time exceptionally tight, the team shuttled between the office and the shop floor—handling administrative work, debugging equipment, optimizing production processes, and training production line workers. There were no grand declarations, only down-to-earth, hands-on effort. Everyone was united in purpose and worked in unison: doing a little more, moving one step further ahead, and completing the construction of each scenario as quickly as possible in accordance with national standards.

Hard work pays off. After multiple rounds of refinement and iteration, AI-powered equipment applications—such as AGV-based intelligent material handling, robotic loading and unloading, and in-line visual inspection—have been successively implemented. AI technology has been deeply integrated into processes including intelligent production scheduling, quality inspection, quality root cause analysis, and intelligent energy management, covering eight major scenarios such as equipment fault diagnosis and intelligent business decision-making, thereby making production operations and management decisions more scientific and efficient. The company’s technological evolution has never ceased. Having crossed the threshold from 0 to 1, it has subsequently completed multiple rounds of optimization and upgrades and is now setting its sights on even higher goals.

Team crew were constructing intelligent production management system

If automated equipment is the ‘framework’ of an intelligent factory, then digital systems are the ‘nerves and bloodstream’ that connect the entire facility. During the development of the digital twin system, the team completed key tasks such as interface development, data cleansing, and standardization. They deployed over 100 sensors to collect real-time data on equipment status and material flow, established a intelligent manufacturing control and management system centered on ERP, SRM, and IPMC, and built infrastructure such as a data center. These efforts enabled dynamic monitoring, simulation, and guided optimization of key parameters in the product manufacturing process. Today, managers can sit in their offices and get a comprehensive overview of equipment operating status and production line progress. They can also anticipate potential faults in advance, shifting from ‘reactive maintenance’ to ‘proactive early warning’, and provide intelligent decision-making for fault prediction, energy consumption optimization, and other areas.

This team has condensed its practical experience into a unique ‘battle culture’. They get used to list their missions, line those accomplished ones in green and those unaccomplished in red. The team also holds daily meeting to review the working progress to find out bottleneck problems and solve them promptly.In order understand national standards more clearly, they selected members to participate in the assessor training. After undergoing intensive closed-door training, they gained a thorough understanding of the new policy requirements, which became the solid foundation for the subsequent application and certification process.

Team crew were discussing the scenario-construction events

After months of preparation, the time finally came to demonstrate the true capabilities. After implementing actual multiple application modules in real-world scenarios, the project team officially entered the stage of applying the honor. The certification process for an ‘Excellence-Level Intelligent Factory’ is rigorous and complex, requiring the production of at least 15 videos showcasing typical application scenarios for submission to a panel of experts. ‘When we received the notice, we immediately reviewed the requirements, worked backward from the deadline, and strove to leave no stone unturned at every stage’, recalled Chen Kai, who coordinated the project application. With tight deadlines and a heavy workload, the team quickly divided up responsibilities, discussed and finalized the filming locations, and coordinated with professional crews to begin shooting. Simultaneously, they liaised with the heads of each production line in the workshop to schedule filming while ensuring production continued uninterrupted. During those days, the project team worked late into the night, capturing a massive amount of footage and distilling it into a highlight reel of less than 8 minutes. Not only did they submit the materials on time, but they also exceeded the requirement by submitting 22 additional business scenarios, bringing this ‘upgrade campaign’ in intelligent manufacturing to a successful interim conclusion.

With persistence and hard-working day by day, with years and months of efforts to iterate and overcome challenges, WXPI High-end Intelligent Factory of wheel bearing unit have made remarkable achievements on intelligent manufacturing: the new product development cycles have been shortened by 25 percent, production transparency has increased by 60 percent, and the product defect rate has been reduced by 35 percent. The ‘one-piece flow’ production line they established has boosted per-capita productivity by 40 percent, and the company’s R&D efficiency now ranks among the industry’s top tier. However, no matter how big the honor is would not change our original inspiration, and no matter how much achievements we made would not stop our steps forward. Certificated as national standard is not the the end goal. It’s just another new beginning for the high-end development of corporate intelligent manufacturing. In the future, this dedicated and hardworking team will continue to deepen its expertise in the field of digital and intelligent transformation, striving to build a ‘pioneering factory’ that meets international construction standards. ‘Driven by a sense of responsibility and mission, we are committed to improving product quality and enhancing customer satisfaction—and that is a task that requires sustained effort over the long term.’