Rockwell Automation

Manufacturing is the heart of a country’s economy. It plays an important role in supporting the national economy and the livelihood of its people. China, similar to other major world economies, prioritizes the advancement of its manufacturing industry, cultivating and consolidating sustainable competitive advantages over the global manufacturing industry.

Currently, with the backdrop of supply-side reform and dual circulation, China is at a critical stage of evolving from low-cost manufacturing to data-driven, smart manufacturing. Technological and industrial breakthroughs provide a historic opportunity to transform Chinese manufacturing into an advanced, intelligent, and green industry.

China's manufacturing industry must seize this opportunity. Previously, the core value of the manufacturing industry came from the high efficiency and low cost achieved by large-scale production. However, it was difficult to connect the manufacturing industry with the entire value chain – for example raw materials and supply chain, and value-added after-sales services. With continuous development and innovation in information technology, it has become easier to integrate the full value chain.

The key to sustainable innovation in the manufacturing industry is digitalization. There are challenges to this transformation, such as the complexity of the processes, lack of preparedness, and difficulty connecting IT and OT systems to be able to leverage data. But enterprises can create a feasible, sustainable path by paying attention to certain factors and collaborating with a reliable partner.

On a technical level, Rockwell Automation integrates professional knowledge and technical insights with information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT). The success of digital transformation in the manufacturing industry lies in swiftly matching the actual demand with the corresponding digital capability, and widely advocating its innovation value. Step-by-step planning and rapid iteration will facilitate continuous improvement, allowing prompt responses to changes and fluctuations in market demand.

For methodology, Rockwell Automation advocates a “Think Big, Start Small, Scale Fast” policy. Take the status quo diagnosis as the starting point, the digital transformation blueprint as the strategic goal, and the pilot quick win as the first step. Rockwell suggests a four-step strategy to carry this out.

It is important to recognize that the competitive advantages of digital transformation are not only at the technical level, but more importantly, elevate traditional business theories. Enterprises should prioritize the strategic value and significance of digital transformation, invest in digitalization and big data, and open up the original value chain, to create new business models and generate new values. The organic connection between digital transformation and the innovation mindset of manufacturing employees is important, and digital transformation should provide an opportunity to upgrade talent structures and free up the innovative capabilities of employees.

Based on the above insights, Rockwell Automation strives to collaborate with enterprises in the manufacturing industry, to transform manufacturing and upgrade the overall industrial structure, supporting “China Smart Manufacturing” in earning its place in the fiercely competitive global manufacturing industry.

Download the full report：Cultivate Sustainable Innovations For The Global Manufacturing Industry