Manufacturers urged to think smarter

The sheer scale of the Chinese market gives the country an edge to develop smart manufacturing, the global chairman of the professional services firm Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd said.

But to succeed, David Cruickshank said, companies not only need to upgrade their systems but also have to extend the scope of smart manufacturing to the entire business.

His comments come as the central government is pressing ahead with the Made in China 2025 initiative to encourage companies to apply automation to build more intelligent manufacturing solutions that rely less on labor. It also encourages customization of goods, instead of focusing on mass production.