Innovation attracts foreign delegations to CIIF

Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence have been playing a bigger role in the upgrading of China's manufacturing industry and the process of new industrialization, according to officials and company executives at the 25th China International Industry Fair (CIIF).

This year's CIIF, which is running in Shanghai from Tuesday until Saturday, will see more than 1,000 new technologies and products make their national or global debut, setting a new record. Covering about 300,000 square meters, also a record high, the CIIF has now outgrown its peer, the 78-year-old Hannover Messe, in size.

This year's CIIF also has more international exhibitors than previous editions, attracting 3,000 companies from 28 countries and regions including Germany, Japan and the United States.

The Saudi Arabian delegation, for example, is demonstrating progress in industrial transformation, the Industry 4.0 initiative and smart manufacturing, which are part of the country's Vision 2030 strategy.

Swiss manufacturing giant ABB is unveiling its Integrated Vision 2.0 version at this year's CIIF. By applying artificial intelligence, this latest vision-guided robotics solutions application can adapt to most cameras in the market and connect to the entire system in 30 minutes, significantly lowering cost, according to the company's marketing promotion executive Liu Hao.

Minister for Industry and Information Technology Li Lecheng said at Tuesday's opening ceremony that China intends to deepen global cooperation by aligning with international standards and further facilitating the construction of global industrial chains and supply chains featuring high security, efficiency, inclusiveness and mutual benefits.

In light of the interdisciplinary breakthroughs and collective leapfrogs being made in technology innovation, China will explore new trajectories like humanoid robots, brain-computer interfaces, metaverse and quantum information to accelerate its new industrialization process, he added.

"The CIIF is projected to create an open and coordinated smart industrial ecosystem, providing China's solutions for global industrial transformation and upgrading," said Tang Wenkan, deputy director of the Shanghai Commission of Economy and Informatization.

Shanghai's Mayor Gong Zheng said at the opening ceremony that the city has been advancing a form of industrial transformation and technology innovation that is grounded in the real economy.

Attaching greater importance to fundamental research into core technologies, Shanghai has been dedicated to building high-quality incubators, centers for proof of concept and institutions for technology transfers in a bid to transform more research results into products and, eventually, industries, he said.

Leading Chinese robotics companies including Siasun Robot & Automation, Chaifu Robot and Jaka Robotics will all display their latest technology during the fair.

Chaifu is showcasing the world's first heavy-duty industrial robot with a rated load capacity greater than five tons at the wrist, enough to lift a car. According to the company's marketing manager Cao Jiahao, the robot can be used for transporting oversized tools and handling extreme conditions in manufacturing, logistics, construction and mining.

As well as upgrading its home appliances, industry giant Gree has been pursuing progress in industrial equipment such as CNC machine tool and chips, as well as green energy technologies.

"Industrial equipment is the very basis of high-quality products," said Gree chairwoman Dong Mingzhu.

"The core of manufacturing is technologies rather than production procedures, whether it is about compressor, motor, capacitor or enameled wire. Therefore, technology self-reliance is vital."

A special zone demonstrating the application of AI in machine tools has been added to this year's CIIF for the first time. Shanghai SmartState Technology Co Ltd is attending the fair for the first time, and company executives say the smart agent they are debuting can serve as the brain for machine tools, enabling them to think and evolve on their own.

According to SmartState executives, once given a task, the agent can work out plans, make decisions and optimize processing paths on its own, making its efficiency rate 40 percent higher than other industrial software. With a micrometer-level control accuracy, the agent can program processing paths that no engineer can preset, meeting actual working condition requirements, they added.

Haizol, a digital platform for industrial components, is showcasing AI tools that can help Chinese companies discover new business opportunities.

In Yongkang in Zhejiang province, where nearly 70 percent of the world's stainless drinkware is produced, Haizol helped a client to redefine itself into a stainless steel stamping factory. The company has thus extended its business from bottles into high-performance water storage equipment liners used in the aerospace field and insulin injection liquid storage devices with vacuum layers, the latter of which carries a gross profit margin of 80 percent. These new products are proving popular in the overseas market.

According to Liu Haitao, Haizol partner and vice-president, a single AI tool can be used in the manufacture of all these products, helping companies to break through industry limitations without changing their techniques.

A business matchmaking event was held during the Tuesday session to better link the companies along the machine tool industrial chain while integrating AI more efficiently. This is part of Shanghai's efforts to address the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) action plan, released in July 2024, to cater to the development needs of machine tool companies.

Three demonstration platforms for pilot-scale experiments which will facilitate development of high-end machinery equipment, humanoid robots and new types of energy storage were unveiled during Tuesday's opening ceremony. Pilot-scale experiments are being conducted to validate findings from lab-scale experiments and gather data for commercialization.

Also on Tuesday, Pudong New Area nominated Shanghai's first batch of eight government-authorized chief manufacturing officers. Specializing in emerging technologies, including integrated circuitry, biomedicine, aviation, new-generation electronic information, the officers, who are also company executives, are tasked with providing forward-looking consultation and industry insights which are conducive to the concerted and high-quality development of various industries, according to Pudong officials.

A guideline for the high-level development of industrial parks detailing 19 approaches was also released by the MIIT and the National Development and Reform Commission during Tuesday's opening ceremony.