The XCA300 all-terrain crane manufactured by XCMG on display at the company's headquarters in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, June 6, 2024. [Photo by Wang Yiming/China.org.cn]

Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group (XCMG), China's leading machinery manufacturer, headquartered in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, is spearheading the digital transformation of the traditional manufacturing sector. 

"We prioritize 'intelligent upgrading, digital transformation and network connectivity' as the key focus of our company's development," said Li Zhongfu, director of information technology at XCMG Heavy Machinery, a core company of XCMG. 

This focus on digitalization has helped XCMG achieve over 100 billion yuan in revenue for the past four years, with a notable increase in new energy product revenues, and international sales exceeding 40%.

One example of XCMG's innovation is its intelligent production line for crane turntables. 

An intelligent production line for crane turntables at XCMG Heavy Machinery, Xuzhou, Jiangsu province. [Photo provided to China.org.cn]

According to Lyu Jinbo, director of the Intelligent Manufacturing Research Institute at XCMG Heavy Machinery, this production line is the first of its kind in the world for large structural components in the crane industry. It includes four parts: intelligent turntable welding line, online intelligent detection and calibration, intelligent machining line, and intelligent turntable tail production line. 

The line is a milestone in exploring intelligent manufacturing models for traditional industries, characterized by multi-variety, small-batch and discrete production, Lyu said.

He added that the company pioneered intelligent heavy-load logistics technology and coordinated 10 welding robots, enabling fully automated welding processes that previously required 36 welders to now be monitored and maintained by a single worker.

Since 2017, XCMG Heavy Machinery has invested 510 million yuan in building four digital workshops and 10 intelligent production lines. These efforts include establishing an industrial big data platform and a central control command center, earning recognition as national intelligent manufacturing demonstration factories.

"Our digital transformation is essential for enhancing market competitiveness and developing new quality productive forces," Li Zhongfu said. "This shift focuses on transitioning from low-end, inefficient production to high-end, efficient production."

The results of this digital transformation are clear. "As well as increasing sales, we have saved 310 million yuan annually in comprehensive production costs," Li noted.

In April, XCMG launched its G2 series of high-end cranes in global markets, showcasing 21 core technologies. Zhang Zhengde, deputy chief engineer of XCMG Heavy Machinery, highlighted that digitalization has enhanced the reliability, precision and energy efficiency of these products, helping them better meet customer needs.

Chen Yingwu, deputy director of Jiangsu Economic and Information Technology Research Institute, emphasized the importance of technological renovation for traditional industries. 

"XCMG's journey demonstrates that Chinese enterprises can master critical technologies and produce world-class products," he said. "We need leading companies like XCMG to drive the development of new quality productive forces."