Weihai sparks industrial growth with smart upgrades

The Weihai Torch Hi-tech Science Park in Shandong province is focusing on digital transformation and green upgrades, bolstering the advanced, intelligent, and sustainable development of the manufacturing industry.

So far, the zone has identified and reserved 72 projects for equipment upgrades and technological transformations in the industrial sector, with a total investment of 11.31 billion yuan ($1.6 billion). This year, the planned investment amounts to 3.17 billion yuan, and enterprises have been actively applying for various funding incentives.

At the intelligent aluminum alloy wheel hub factory of Weihai Wanfeng Auto Wheel Co Ltd, each machining unit has an electronic screen that updates in real-time with the model, quantity, and pending count of the wheels being processed. Below the screen, the intelligent conveyor system operates at high speed, efficiently transporting the wheels to different destinations.

Employees work at the intelligent aluminum alloy wheel hub factory of Weihai Wanfeng Auto Wheel Co Ltd in the Weihai Torch Hi-tech Science Park in Shandong province.  [Photo by Gao Xin/For chinadaily.com.cn]

"This conveyor system is like the 'main artery' of the workshop — it's highly efficient and can intelligently replenish materials in a timely manner, ensuring that each machine operates at full capacity," said Zheng Huiguang, the company's manufacturing manager.

This year, Wanfeng Auto Wheel plans to invest more than 50 million yuan in the advancement of the smart production line, increasing production efficiency while promoting energy conservation and emissions reduction.

Meanwhile, various non-standard automated equipment has been applied to different production lines to improve efficiency at the intelligent manufacturing department of Weihai Hualing Opto-Electronics Co Ltd.

"From automating a single process to entire production lines, from replacing labor with equipment to fully replacing manual work, some even aim for unmanned workshops," said Zhang Xiaojian, section chief of the company's sales department. (Edited by Yang Yingxue)