Select Language:
China currently operates over 43,000 smart factories, including more than 35,000 at the basic level and over 8,000 at higher levels that serve as centers for integrating technological and industrial innovation, according to a recent report.
Among the higher-level factories, 15 are classified as pioneer-level, more than 500 as excellence-level, with the remaining categorized as advanced. This data is part of the latest annual development report on smart factories, which was produced by a research institute under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
The report highlights the current state of smart factory development across China and projects future trends. It notes that smart factories at all levels now cover more than 90% of key manufacturing sectors, with excellence-level facilities extending across 34 different categories. In industries such as petroleum and chemicals, electrical machinery, and steel and non-ferrous metals, excellence-level smart factories account for over 32% of the sector.
Jiangsu Province boasts the highest number of excellence-level smart factories, numbering 67, followed by Shandong with 49, Zhejiang with 38, Shanghai with 28, and Hubei with 24. These five regions also lead in pioneer-level smart plants, with two each.
These factories incorporate intelligent manufacturing tools and industrial software systems that connect production equipment with information systems. This integration allows for the comprehensive optimization of the entire product lifecycle, manufacturing processes, and supply chain management, significantly enhancing operational efficiency.
The classification standards established previously specify that pioneer-level smart factories achieve 100% connectivity between computer numerical control (CNC) machines and key production devices, with artificial intelligence applications making up at least 60%. Their smart models are recognized as being among the best globally. Excellence-level factories meet slightly lower standards but still lead nationally, while advanced factories focus on intelligent production at critical points, and basic factories concentrate on automated processes and digital management of production and operations.
ChatGPT
Perplexity
Gemini AI
Grok AI
