FOURTEEN enterprises in Pingshan have been included in the Shenzhen Municipal Industry and Information Technology Bureau’s first batch of 42 advanced smart manufacturing factories for 2025, the highest number in the city. Advanced intelligent manufacturing factories emphasize digital transformation and network collaboration. They employ smart manufacturing equipment, industrial software, and systems that enable the exchange and sharing of production and operations data, precise control of key production processes, and collaborative management. Intelligent applications are implemented in critical scenarios to enhance efficiency and productivity. The 14 selected enterprises include Honor Device Co. Ltd., Shenzhen Sanofi Pasteur Biological Products Co. Ltd., Shenzhen Yongjia Electronic Technology Co. Ltd., Edan Instruments Inc., Shenzhen T-Brisun Case Co. Ltd., and Shenzhen Techdow Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. Honor’s self-funded facility, the Honor Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Park, opened in Pingshan in November 2021. This park concentrates on new product quality control certification, flagship device production, new craftsmanship and technology incubation, and the development of Honor’s artificial intelligence (AI) manufacturing capabilities. Equipped with industry-leading, high-precision, automatic manufacturing technology, the Honor park features 75% automation on its production lines. More than 40% of the automation technology was developed in-house by Honor’s research and development team. This has enabled Honor to achieve rapid production — on average, a phone can be manufactured in just 28.5 seconds. Sanofi Pasteur’s vaccine factory includes a vaccine plant, laboratories, warehouses, automated production lines, and experimental testing equipment. Through the construction of a digital intelligent factory, the company has realized full electronic recording, equipment networking, and a reduction in comprehensive energy consumption per unit of output value. Pingshan has been recognized for three consecutive years as one of China’s top 100 industrial districts by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology. In 2024, the district’s total output value of industrial enterprises above designated size — companies with at least 20 million yuan (US$2.78 million) in annual operating revenue — surpassed 600 billion yuan. This strong industrial agglomeration attracts enterprises to invest in Pingshan, fueling the rise of intelligent factories. Moreover, favorable policies support this momentum. Funding initiatives aimed at developing the digital economy in Pingshan, along with talent attraction policies targeting AI, high-end equipment and devices, the low-altitude economy, the aerospace industry, and software and information services, have accelerated the digital transformation of manufacturing. These measures help enterprises build digital production lines, workshops, factories, and industrial parks, while also supporting high-quality small and medium-sized enterprises in migrating to cloud systems and using data to empower intelligence. (Cao Zhen) | 