Integration of 5G technologies in the industrial
internet sector has improved the quality and efficiency of China's iron and
steel industry by several notches, especially through the use of big data-based
functions such as remote control, collaborative operations, and
troubleshooting.
Wuhan Iron and Steel Co. Ltd., a steelmaker in
Wuhan, has been one of the companies which successfully leveraged 5G technologies
to improve its production processes. Today, the company has a complete set of
equipment with advanced production processes for coking, ironing, steel making
and steel rolling, among others.
Wu Xiaodi, executive director of Wuhan Iron and
Steel, said they have successfully shifted to intelligent manufacturing
operations during the past four years.
"Besides real-time monitoring, the management
system enables human-machine dialogue and allows workers to give orders to
machines. Intelligent logistics and scheduling systems have helped improve the
overall level of intelligence. During this process, much of the work previously
done by people has been replaced by automation or drone. The advanced tech also
came in handy for combating the spread of the pandemic," he said.
According to Wu, the shift has given the steelmaker
increased confidence in normal production and pandemic prevention and control.
Wu added that the steelmaker is also exploring more
ways to ensure the smooth flow of the entire logistics system. "In this
effort, we received strong support from the Hubei provincial government. When
we found it difficult to establish contact with our suppliers due to pandemic
restrictions, the local government stepped in with coordination
efforts."
"If small enterprises are shut down, several
support facilities will face supply disruptions, while our production will be
hampered. So the government has been actively coordinating to help them resume
production, All of these ensure that the supply chain functions smoothly. After
the Wuhan experience in 2020, we are now more aware of the importance of smart
manufacturing, especially for such sudden and unexpected situations," he
said.
Wu said that they are introducing robots to
simplify the manufacturing process. The company will add 10,000 robots to
replace humans for simple, repetitive and relatively tiring jobs.
"When we use robots in manufacturing, there is
more data generated. We are also exploring ways to turn numbers into real
assets for our company and tap into the efficiency of the assets, which we call
the digital revolution. Our next step is to ensure targeted decision-making
through digitalization," added Wu.