Wanxiang is actively promoting digital and intelligent transformation, starting with the digitalization of workshop production and systematically planning for the factories of the future. By leveraging digital and intelligent technologies to reshape production models, Wanxiang has laid a solid foundation for the company’s high-quality development. Over the past year, numerous enterprises have been recognized as provincial-level Future Factories and Smart Factories, accelerating the pace of digital and intelligent upgrading in the manufacturing sector.

Zhejiang’s Factory of the Future: Zhejiang Wanxiang Precision Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

The Zhejiang Provincial Department of Economy and Information Technology has released the “List of Future Factories, Smart Factories, and Digital Workshops in Zhejiang Province for 2024.” Wanxiang Jinggong has been selected as a Future Factory in Zhejiang Province, with a construction type classified as “Leading Bird.”

Wanxiang Jinggong specializes in the production of automotive hub bearing units and is recognized as a demonstration enterprise for single-item champions in manufacturing. Building on the demand for intelligent process control in its production lines, Wanxiang Jinggong’s future factory has developed an “Intelligent Core” enterprise brain, establishing a comprehensive information-based production management and control system for hub bearing units. This system enables data-driven management and information-sharing collaboration throughout the entire production process, resulting in a 25.19% increase in overall production efficiency, an 18.37% reduction in energy consumption per ten thousand yuan of output value, a 10.59% decrease in operating costs, and a 20% shortening of product development cycles. The factory has also created a three-dimensional digital twin model, where data and physical operations are synchronized in real-time. This not only lays a solid foundation for enhancing efficiency and quality but also fosters a superior industrial ecosystem for R&D design, production manufacturing, marketing services, and operational management across the industry.

Jiangsu Province Intelligent Manufacturing Factory: Qianchao Senwei Co., Ltd.

The Jiangsu Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology has released the “List of Intelligent Manufacturing Factories in Jiangsu Province for 2024,” and Qianchao Senwei has been included on the list.

Qianchao Senwei’s precision forging technology—covering cold, warm, and hot processes—has reached a leading position in China in terms of both technological sophistication and product quality. In recent years, the company has been actively exploring pathways for further advancement and has embarked on building a smart manufacturing facility. The company has stepped up its efforts to develop intelligent production lines, equipment interconnections, robotic arms, automated loading and unloading systems, and infrared sensing technologies, thereby enhancing the overall capabilities of workshops—including efficient and interconnected equipment, real-time intelligent scheduling of production processes, and reduced reliance on manual labor. These measures have shortened production cycles, enabled continuous operations, ensured high-precision performance, and improved the reliability and stability of the production process. Additionally, the company has introduced digital systems such as SAP, BPM, and SRM, establishing a collaborative supply chain management platform that provides comprehensive support for managing enterprise resources, business processes, and the supply chain. This has optimized workflows, reduced costs, and strengthened the company’s competitive edge.

Hubei Province’s Advanced-Level Smart Factory: Qianchao Zhizao (Shishou) Co., Ltd.

The Hubei Provincial Department of Economy and Information Technology has released the “2024 List of Advanced-Level Smart Factories under the Intelligent Factory Tiered Cultivation Program,” and Shishou Qianchao Intelligent Manufacturing has been selected.

Shishou Qianchao Zhizao is dedicated to the R&D and production of high-precision rolling elements, including needle rollers, cylindrical rollers, tapered rollers, and steel balls. Through intelligent transformations in key areas—such as quality control via smart online inspection, flexible production line configurations for manufacturing operations, and online operational monitoring for equipment management—the company focuses on significantly enhancing production efficiency and addressing quality issues throughout the manufacturing process, thereby solidifying its technological advantages and core competitiveness. Among these products, the G10 hub steel ball, made from high-carbon chromium bearing steel, boasts manufacturing processes and performance that have reached internationally advanced levels. The G5 silent steel ball reduces noise levels by more than 20%, meeting the demand for high-performance rolling elements in new-energy vehicles and high-end passenger cars. The “High-Precision Cylindrical Roller Development” project has been designated as a key special project by the Hubei Provincial Department of Science and Technology, representing a “gap-filling” product that will help achieve domestic production of core foundational components for China’s industrial sector. Furthermore, the series of Grade-I precision tapered rollers with diameters below 9 mm have successfully achieved domestic substitution.

Hubei Province’s Advanced-Level Smart Factory: Wanxiang Tongda Co., Ltd.

The Hubei Provincial Department of Economy and Information Technology has released the “2024 List of Advanced-Level Smart Factories under the Intelligent Factory Tiered Cultivation Program,” and Wanxiang Tongda has been selected.

To meet the “five modernizations” requirements for complete vehicles and consolidate the company’s industry position—first in Hubei Province and among the top three nationwide—in the metal fuel tank sector, Wanxiang Tongda is vigorously promoting the construction of a smart factory. This has enabled integrated and intelligent connections across all process stages—from intelligent forming of the tank body and automated longitudinal seam welding using specialized machinery, to CNC-controlled partition installation and welding, as well as sealing inspection, packaging, and shipping—placing the company’s processing technology at the forefront of the industry. The company has also introduced information systems such as ERP, MES, SAP, and PLM, achieving digitalization throughout the entire product lifecycle—from R&D and design to supply chain management, intelligent workshop scheduling, real-time equipment monitoring, and human-machine collaborative operations across the entire production process. By establishing an integrated software-and-hardware smart management and control platform that links management information systems with on-site equipment, the company has laid a solid foundation for enhancing efficiency and profitability and realizing high-quality development.

Zhejiang Province Smart Factory: Dayang Shijia (Zhoushan) Premium Products Co., Ltd.

The Zhejiang Provincial Department of Economy and Information Technology has released the “List of Future Factories, Smart Factories, and Digital Workshops in Zhejiang Province for 2024,” and Dayang Youpin has been selected as a smart factory in Zhejiang Province.

Dayang Youpin specializes in the production of frozen tuna meat, as well as the processing and sale of quick-frozen foods. To drive the company’s upgrade and development, it is fully committed to building a smart factory for the deep processing of aquatic products. With the goal of establishing a world-leading, integrated tuna industry chain and an ocean-food industrial park, the factory has introduced modern, intelligent automated production lines for aquatic products and fully automated ultra-low-temperature cold storage facilities. By comprehensively leveraging technologies such as digital twins, the Internet of Things, 5G, and big data, the factory has achieved end-to-end automation and digital management—from raw material reception to finished-product packaging and warehousing. In the field of deep processing of aquatic products, the factory demonstrates outstanding levels of intelligence, bringing not only enhanced economic benefits to the company but also setting a new benchmark for smart factory construction in the industry.
Postscript: “Future Factory” refers to a modern factory that widely adopts technologies such as digital twins, the Internet of Things, big data, artificial intelligence, and the industrial internet, thereby achieving digital design, intelligent production, smart management, collaborative manufacturing, green manufacturing, safe operations, and significantly enhanced socio-economic benefits. It represents the highest level of intelligent manufacturing. The “Future Factory” is a continuously pursued goal, and based on its development level, it is divided into three tiers: the Digital Intelligence Standardization Tier (Digital Workshop), the Integrated Optimization Tier (Smart Factory), and the Innovation-Driven Tier (“Future Factory”).
The construction of “Future Factories” is not only a crucial step in the transformation of traditional industries toward intelligence and integration, but also an important strategic choice for enterprises to comprehensively enhance their core competitiveness and achieve high-quality development in the digital era. All Wanxiang companies will actively embrace digital and intelligent transformation, continuously refine their operations and steadily push beyond existing boundaries according to the three levels of “Future Factories,” creating more benchmark projects and continuing to take the lead in the currents of the times.