Intelligent manufacturing driver for technological progress

The resolution on further deepening reform adopted on July 18 at the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China stressed the importance of expansion of advanced manufacturing clusters, saying the manufacturing sector should be made more higher-end, smarter, and more eco-friendly.

In fact, China is emerging as a global player in intelligent manufacturing because of its economic resilience, innovation capabilities, abundant talent pool, comprehensive industry and supply chains, vast market and concentrated efforts to improve the quality of its products.

First, China's huge and growing market demand drives the country's technological progress while continuously injecting new impetus into the economy. China's huge market not only offers unending scopes to apply research results to industry, in order to improve productivity and product quality, it also accelerates the development of new technologies. China's strong domestic consumption capacity and leading role in the global supply chains prompt Chinese enterprises to independently develop their technologies, improve production efficiency and quality, and reduce costs, optimizing and upgrading China's economic structure.

Second, manufacturing, which covers almost all industrial sectors, remains a key driver of China's economic growth and a major stabilizing factor. And the country's comprehensive manufacturing capability provides the base for technological innovation and industrial upgrading, endowing China with unique integration capabilities and the ability to timely respond to challenging times.

China can quickly access any type of supply chain for its products, including those for high-end products and traditional manufacturing products, demonstrating the efficiency with which the country can realize industrial transformation. Such advantages have helped China to play an important role in the global manufacturing system.

Third, the abundant number of talents in China has helped promote innovation and sharpen its competitive edge in the industrial sector. A large number of high-quality talents in the engineering and technological sectors, nurtured by the country's education system, that enter the job market every year provide the impetus for intelligent manufacturing. China has increased investment in vocational and higher education, focusing on cultivating professional talents for intelligent manufacturing. These talents provide the momentum for China's innovation-driven development.

And fourth, concentrated efforts should be made to achieve technological breakthroughs and high-quality development. In fact, China has made major breakthroughs in fields such as aviation, aerospace, high-speed trains, maritime and nuclear power, advancing manufacturing technology.

China's intelligent manufacturing is progressing well, driven by innovations and high-quality development. This progress has not only helped increase the country's production capacity and reduce production costs and product prices but also promoted the development of related industries as new growth drivers.

Thanks to well-organized scientific research, China's intelligent manufacturing has achieved major breakthroughs in aeronautics. For example, China independently developed the Tianzhou series of cargo spacecraft. It has also increased the cargo capacity of the spacecraft, and helped upgrade and optimize the cabin structure.

The manufacturing team at China Academy of Space Technology, in collaboration with Tsinghua University, addressed the core manufacturing technology issues with the support of a program devised by intelligent robots. Plus, the innovation of mobile-hybrid machining robots has helped China to more efficiently manufacture high-quality large components. The independent development of Tianzhou manufacturing technology and equipment raised China's global status in high-end manufacturing and competitiveness.

By developing and applying a heavy dye-forging press, China has broken the Western economies' technological blockades in its pursuit of independent R&D in manufacturing, and aeronautical equipment and components such as aircraft landing gear. Local production of high-precision, high-tonnage dye-forging equipment boosted China's competitiveness in high-end manufacturing, significantly advancing core technologies and bolstering intelligent manufacturing, reducing dependence on foreign technologies and promoting independent development.

Thanks to policy support and intensified research, China's intelligent manufacturing is set to reach newer heights. The narrowing gap between China and the West in intelligent manufacturing such as machines used to manufacture machines means China has huge potential to achieve technological breakthroughs and industrial upgrading. Yet China's intelligent manufacturing needs to shift paths, aiming to make leapfrog achievements through innovation. This is in line with the proposal for the development of new quality productive forces.

In the field of computer numerical control systems and high-end equipment, China has accumulated rich experience and developed high-tech through learning. For example, through technical cooperation with countries such as Germany and Japan, China learned about advanced manufacturing technologies and realized that merely following foreign technologies cannot help China realize healthy, sustained development.

The development of the Tianzhou spacecraft and heavy single-cylinder dye-forging press show China's potential in path-shifting development. The Tianzhou spacecraft reflects China's independent innovation capability in high-end manufacturing. The heavy single-cylinder dye-forging press indicated that China can achieve breakthroughs in key technologies.

Also, some cases provide valuable experience, which could propel economic development. Innovation in intelligent manufacturing will continue to promote China's technological progress and industrial upgrading.

The author is a professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

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