Industry News

This year's Intelligent Manufacturing Innovation Competition was officially launched on September 27 this year with the theme of "Innovation Dream Building, Intelligent Manufacturing Future". As an important part of the "Three-Year Action Plan for Digital Transformation of the Steel Industry", this competition has set up five competition topics, namely "factory design and R&D design, production and manufacturing, operation management, cross-scenario collaboration, and lean management", which attracted the active participation of 127 intelligent manufacturing solutions from the entire industry. After layers of selection, and after two stages of review and semi-finals, 20 outstanding results finally advanced to the finals. It is understood that the 20 outstanding results will be included in the "Recommended Catalog of Intelligent Manufacturing Solutions for the Steel Industry in 2024", becoming an important reference and resource library for the digital transformation of enterprises.

Feng Chao, deputy secretary-general of the China Iron and Steel Association, made a summary speech. Fu Xinfeng, director of the Science and Technology and Environmental Protection Department of the China Iron and Steel Association and executive secretary-general of the Steel Industry Branch of the Intelligent Manufacturing System Solution Supplier Alliance, served as the host. 12 experts from CISDI, China Electric Power Standardization Institute, China Iron and Steel Research Institute, CITIC Pacific Special Steel, Shougang Group, Hesteel Group, Ansteel Group Economic Research Institute, National Intelligent Manufacturing Expert Committee, Northeastern University, MCC Jingcheng, Siemens, and West China Securities Equity Investment Company participated in the review. More than 60 representatives from steel companies, universities, research institutes, and smart manufacturing solution providers including Baosteel Group, Ansteel Group, Shougang Jingtang, CITIC Pacific Special Steel, Masteel Group, Nanjing Iron and Steel Group, Jianlong Heavy Industry, Shandong Iron and Steel Group, Hunan Iron and Steel, Pangang Xichang Steel and Vanadium, Binxin Steel, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Northeastern University, Ansteel Group Beijing Research Institute, Metallurgical Automation Institute, Hesteel Group Strategic Research Institute, Shanghai Steel Union, Baosight Software, Jinheng Technology, Tongchuang Communication, MCC SEDI Information, Valin Cloud Innovation, Jinzi Tianzheng, and Watman Intelligent Technology participated in the finals.

Expert judges at the meeting told the reporter of China Metallurgical News that the overall quality of the solutions that entered the finals this year is relatively high, and the scenarios covered are more abundant, not only involving production and manufacturing links, but also expanding to sales, R&D, logistics, cost analysis, market forecasting, carbon management and other links. This means that while the intelligentization of steel enterprises is deepening and solidifying at the level of single scene application, it is also rapidly extending to the entire industrial chain. In particular, many solutions apply artificial intelligence technology, which shows that steel enterprises are keeping pace with the times and actively embracing new technologies such as AI.

This competition is hosted by the China Iron and Steel Association and the Steel Industry Branch of the Intelligent Manufacturing System Solution Supplier Alliance, and hosted by China Metallurgical Construction Group Co., Ltd., China Iron and Steel Research and Technology Group Co., Ltd., and Metallurgical Technology Development Center. In order to ensure the fairness, justice and openness of the competition, the Chongqing Yuzhong Notary Office supervised and notarized the entire competition.