The Guangdong Provincial People's Government is calling upon Zhuhai and other cities to utilize new-generation technology to hasten the digitalization of industries to reduce costs, improve quality and efficiency, and integrate supply chains.

Zhuhai's household appliances, software and information services, biomedicine and health, intelligent robots, and new materials industries are especially cited in the Implementation Plan for the Digital Transformation of Guangdong's Manufacturing Industry (2021-25). The document was released recently along with supportive policies and measures.

It proposes, for instance, that Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Foshan, and Huizhou household appliance industrial bases transform production flexibility, set up operation and management platforms, and foster an ecology among products and services. Supply chains within and outside the enterprises are to be integrated and optimized, while mass scale user-centered customization is encouraged.  

In terms of software and information services, Zhuhai will accelerate the development of embedded software, integrated circuit (IC) design, office and platform-based software, and new-type information services that rely on electronic information, IC, equipment manufacture, and intelligent home appliances industrial bases.

Gree's industrial robot [File photo by Zhong Fan]

Zhuhai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou biomedicine industrial bases are to advance development of biological information technology, cross-over integration of life sciences and information technology, and digitalization.

In addition, long-term blueprints have been plotted for Zhuhai's strategic emerging industries such as intelligent robots and new materials.

Tailored policies are available for integrating innovations by leading and backbone enterprises and for digitalizing medium and small-sized manufacturers, industrial parks, aggregated zones, and key industrial and supply chains. 

In recent years, Zhuhai has expedited digitalization of the manufacturing industry and development of industrial internet. One example is that production lines at Gree Electric Appliances headquarters in Qianshan went through "5G + industrial internet" transformation last year with the support of Huawei.

The city now basically realizes continuous 5G network coverage, which leapfrogged in development last year. In total, more than 6,000 5G base stations were put into use in 2020, and another 10,000 are being built this year. The ultra high speed, low time delay, and wide connection of 5G is to help Zhuhai become a benchmark "smart" city in the country with "smart" manufacturing development and "smart" factory construction. 

By 2025, Guangdong will push forward the digital transformation of more than 50,000 industrial enterprises above designated size and prompt 1 million enterprises to use cloud technology, exerting the leading role as a national industrial internet demonstration zone.