Participants and categories: National machinery industry enterprises, scientific research institutions, relevant colleges and universities, applied undergraduate colleges, vocational colleges (including technical schools), divided into 13 categories such as automobiles, electrical appliances, and engineering machinery.

Purpose of the competition: Strengthen exchanges and cooperation and talent training among industry enterprises, scientific research institutions, and colleges, promote the integrated development of AI+ industrial design, artificial intelligence and manufacturing, enhance new quality productivity, design capabilities and design results transformation capabilities, and promote industry transformation and upgrading.

Competition process: Registration began in August 2024, and more than 700 entries were received nationwide. After the initial evaluation, 521 entries met the competition requirements; the finals were held from December 22 to 24.

Results of the competition: 26 companies including Shanghai University of Engineering Science won gold medals, 50 companies including Ruiqi Holdings won silver medals, and 75 companies including Junyi Automation won bronze medals.

 Concurrent events: The 2024 Shanghai (Songjiang) Industrial Large Model Design Competition was held simultaneously, with a special industrial large model track. Shengshi Weisheng Technology and Chint Electric won the gold medal in this track.

Related activities and achievements: Held the 2024 Mechanical Industry Design Innovation Theme Forum and other activities; Songjiang District released the "AI+Manufacturing" ecological matrix "1+2+3+N" of the National Torch Shanghai Songjiang Dongjing Artificial Intelligence Industrial Base; held a signing ceremony for key projects of the National Torch Shanghai Songjiang Dongjing Artificial Intelligence Industrial Base, and 8 high-quality projects were landed in Songjiang Dongjing.

On March 4, 2025, the top event in the design industry, the German iF Design Award, was announced. Maple&Co, a Chinese brand for maternal and infant travel, stood out from tens of thousands of entries worldwide with its "sandwich" safety seat booster pad, and won the 2025 iF Design Award in one fell swoop, becoming the first domestic brand of safety seat booster pad to win this honor!

From the perspective of R&D concept, Maple&Co, relying on more than 30 years of experience in car seat R&D, boldly integrates the automotive industry's shock filtration concept into the field of infant travel, and pioneered the "sandwich shock absorbing structure". This structure is like creating a special and comfortable nest for children. It absorbs and disperses the bumpy energy during driving by layers, greatly reducing the vibration discomfort of children when riding. At the same time, Mabu also introduced the high-end car seat supply chain into the maternal and infant field, and applied the AirWell foam technology jointly developed with BASF of Germany to ensure the natural development of children's spine and hips in all directions.

In terms of product innovation design, this height-enhancing cushion has many highlights. The armrest design of traditional height-enhancing cushions often squeezes the hip space of children. The "sandwich" does the opposite, cancels redundant parts, and innovatively achieves an ultra-wide seat width of 415mm. This not only gives children free riding space, but also cleverly solves the problem of "safe travel for 3 people in the back row" for families with two children. Mothers can easily take care of two children in the middle, perfectly integrating practicality and aesthetics, and transforming travel pain points into elegant design language.

The iF jury praised it highly, saying that this product "has both functionality and aesthetic breakthroughs". This award is a high recognition of Mabu's design strength, and it is also a gorgeous bloom of domestic products on the international stage. It has set a new benchmark for the design of maternal and child travel products and also let the world see China's innovative power

In Zhejiang, a traditional enterprise faced the dilemma of relocation and transformation. After repeated weighing, it made up its mind to upgrade the workshop with robots, automated production lines, and intelligent systems.

After the transformation, production efficiency doubled, product qualification rate increased by 15%, and overall efficiency increased by 35%. The production line after technological transformation has also become a "star" product that peers are competing for, and market demand continues to rise.

Data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology show that in 2024, industrial production will grow well, and the added value of high-tech manufacturing will increase by 8.9%, which is 3.1 percentage points faster than that of large-scale industries. As of December 20, 2024, my country has built more than 1,200 advanced smart factories and more than 230 excellent smart factories. The development of smart manufacturing has achieved results, the scale of the smart manufacturing equipment industry has grown rapidly, and the ecological system has been initially formed.

A digital production workshop in a manufacturing industry. Photo by Wang Shaoshao, a reporter from People's Daily Online

At present, digital technologies represented by artificial intelligence and big data are becoming a new driving force for the development of the manufacturing industry.

"Digital technology is an important engine for reshaping the global manufacturing competition landscape and plays a key role in enhancing the competitiveness of my country's manufacturing industry." Zhang Zhengang, professor of the School of Business Administration of South China University of Technology and director of the Guangzhou Digital Innovation Research Center, said in an interview with reporters that its role can be divided into three aspects. First, it drives efficiency improvement. Digital technologies such as big data, industrial Internet, and artificial intelligence promote full-process, full-factor, and all-round intelligence, greatly promoting enterprises to reduce costs, improve quality, and increase efficiency; second, it accelerates the product development process. Generative AI empowers product research and development and accelerates the speed of technology and product iteration; third, it reshapes the industrial ecology, relying on the dual-cross platform of the industrial Internet to achieve full-process digitalization and optimize the collaborative services of the industrial chain.

The manufacturing workshop is connected to the market on one end and production on the other end. It is an important carrier for digital technology to empower real productivity. In the workshop, watch the traditional manufacturing industry change to "new" and be full of vitality.

In Guizhou, on a tire manufacturing production line, multiple handling robots are carrying materials in an orderly manner, the robotic arms on the production line are waving, and the display screen in the workshop shows various data such as the operating status of the manufacturing equipment in real time.

The transformation of tires from "manufacturing" to "intelligent manufacturing" is a "qualitative change" brought about by new technologies. "Many people think that tires do not have much high-tech content. In fact, tire research and development involves multiple disciplines such as material science and aerodynamics, and the manufacturing process requirements are also very complex." The technician of the workshop told reporters that the industrial software developed by the team helped the company achieve a 35% increase in production efficiency, a 25% reduction in product delivery cycle, and a 20% reduction in comprehensive costs.

In the workshop, watch the emerging industry advance from "new" and gather energy to gain momentum.

In Zhejiang, the 400,000th mass-produced car of a new energy vehicle manufacturing company rolled off the production line a few days ago. The intelligent mechanical trolley that accurately locates and arrives at the loading and unloading area lifts the cargo box with both arms and places it steadily on the material rack... On the intelligent production line, the humanoid robot has multimodal perception and autonomous decision-making capabilities, and is able to complete tasks such as handling, sorting and quality inspection.

In Jiangsu, the first green intelligent production line was successfully put into production on a photovoltaic module manufacturing production line. The automated material handling vehicle accurately delivers solar panel components to each production station, and the various data in the central control room flash in real time for timely monitoring... On the green production line, the system adjusts the production process in real time through big data analysis, and the equipment reduces energy consumption through adaptive control, realizing the recycling of factory wastewater and waste gas. After the new production line was put into use, the production capacity increased by 30% and the energy efficiency increased by 25%.

In the workshop, see the craftsmanship spirit under the background of digital intelligence.

Every morning, Master Wang walks into the workshop. His workstation is no longer equipped with only traditional welding guns. Laser welding machines and intelligent control systems have become his powerful "assistants". "Through this device, I can better control every detail and reduce many manual errors by adjusting welding parameters in real time." Master Wang told reporters that, especially when dealing with some heavy steel plates, the intelligent detection system helps him accurately measure temperature and pressure. Combined with manual control, the sealing accuracy can now reach 1/50 of the hair.

In the transformation of manufacturing industry from intelligent to digital, the craftsmanship of talents and intelligent technology complement each other, driving the industry towards a more efficient, precise and intelligent future.

How to further consolidate the foundation of "intelligent manufacturing" in the future? Zhang Zhengang suggested that we should give full play to the role of leading enterprises, establish incentive policies for leading enterprises, give full play to their role in mentoring, provide subsidies for "cloud computing and data use" to small and medium-sized enterprises, and reduce the cost of trial and error; we should cultivate a team of digital talents, promote the joint training of digital talents by schools and enterprises, strengthen the construction of the mechanism of chief data officers of enterprises, and optimize the evaluation mechanism to encourage the growth and development of digital talents; we should strengthen the construction of digital transformation infrastructure, improve the service level of industrial Internet cross-platform to enable enterprise transformation and upgrading, strengthen the construction of standard guidance, open scenarios, and tolerance of failure mechanisms, and build a good ecology of digital transformation. (Intern Tian Keyi also contributed to this article)

People's Daily reporter Wang Shaoshao

Source: People's Daily

Industrial Design +” empowers new manufacturing.

00:30 Tesla Technology Introduction

Tesla's car products are homologous. Its batteries, motors, electronic controls and our fully autonomous driving chips provide robot hardware support. Using Tesla's visual neural network, it uses more massive algorithms to make it smarter to carry out its instructions. Focus on the 7th China International... Expand 01:06 Material research on 3D printing technology.

3D printing technology will have a lot of material loss. We have done a lot of material research at MIT and Harvard. The early design has a lot of artificial intelligence algorithm optimization, which obtains your body data, can save materials and achieve sustainable goals. Focus on the 7th China International Industrial... Expand

01:32 Application of industrial design in ships and automobiles Hubei TV station Du Ruixue, Fang Yuhang, Zhang Long and Luo Haoyang reported: In the application of ship and automobile appearance, interior, and Chinese style elements, we can enhance the standardization and visual effect of our product brand image and improve the competitiveness of our products.

Functionality principle

- Basic function realization: The product must be able to meet the basic needs of users in actual use, such as the mobile phone must be able to make clear calls, surf the Internet, process information, etc.

- Stable and reliable performance: Under the specified conditions and time, the product must be able to stably perform its functions, just like the car engine must be able to operate stably under various road conditions and environments.

- Functional expansion: Consider the possible functional expansion needs of the product in the future and reserve space for product upgrades, such as smart watches can add new health monitoring functions through software upgrades.

Ease of use principle

- Convenient operation: The product operation process should be simple and clear to reduce the user's learning cost, such as the one-click operation of smart home appliances.

- Ergonomics: The size, shape, weight, etc. of the product should conform to the physiological structure and movement characteristics of the human body, such as the design of the tool handle that fits the hand.

- Easy maintenance: The structural design of the product should be convenient for users to perform daily maintenance and care, such as the use of modular design, which is convenient for disassembly and replacement of parts.

Aesthetic principles

- Beautiful shape: The shape, color, material, etc. of the product should be harmonious and unified, giving people a sense of beauty, such as the simple and smooth appearance design of Apple mobile phones.

- Unique style: It has a unique design style that can stand out from many products and reflect the brand characteristics, such as the unique shape and color matching of Dyson hair dryers.

- Coordination with the environment: The product should be able to coordinate with the surrounding environment in the use environment and not appear abrupt, such as the design of outdoor furniture should be integrated with the natural environment.

Economic principle

- Cost control: Under the premise of ensuring product quality and function, it is necessary to control production costs and reasonably select materials and processes, such as using cost-effective materials to replace expensive materials.

- Improved production efficiency: The design should be easy to manufacture, improve production efficiency, and reduce production cycles and costs, such as using standardized and universal component designs.

- Accurate market positioning: According to the target market and user needs, reasonably determine the product price to ensure that the product has market competitiveness and profit margins.

Innovation principle

- Technological innovation: Use new technologies, new materials, and new processes to improve product performance and quality, such as using new battery technology to improve the endurance of electronic products.

- Functional innovation: Develop new functions or optimize and upgrade existing functions to meet new user needs, such as adding face recognition functions to smart door locks.

- Form innovation: Innovate in the appearance, structure, packaging and other aspects of the product to bring a new experience to users, such as the innovative design of foldable mobile phones.

Sustainability principle

- Environmentally friendly material selection: Give priority to recyclable, degradable, non-toxic and harmless environmentally friendly materials to reduce pollution to the environment, such as the use of natural materials such as bamboo fiber and hemp fiber.

- Energy-saving design: Products should reduce energy consumption as much as possible during use, such as the design of energy-saving lamps and energy-saving home appliances.

- Product life extension: By optimizing the design and manufacturing process, the service life of the product can be improved and the pressure on the environment caused by product replacement can be reduced, such as the use of high-quality components and sturdy structural design.

The development trend of industrial product design is multi-dimensional, not only reflected in the application of technology, but also in the transformation of design concepts, the diversification of market demand and the evolution of the competitive landscape. The following is a detailed introduction:

- Technological innovation: AI is deeply integrated into industrial design, which can assist creative ideas and optimize solutions, and can also predict market trends and consumer preferences through big data analysis. Digital manufacturing technology makes it easier to transform designs into products, smart interconnected products become mainstream, and Internet of Things technology enables products to have functions such as remote monitoring. VR and AR technologies help designers verify solutions in virtual environments, and consumers can also use this to understand products more intuitively.

- Concept transformation: Sustainable development has become an important concept. Designers use environmentally friendly materials to optimize product life cycles and reduce energy consumption and waste generation. Minimalist design style is popular, and products focus on basic functions to reduce cognitive burden. Emotional design is valued, and designers stimulate consumers' emotional resonance through elements such as form.

- Diversified market demand: Consumer demand is diversified, personalized design is emerging, and intelligent manufacturing technology supports large-scale customized production. Inclusive design has become an important principle. Designers pay attention to the needs of different groups of people and provide barrier-free and easy-to-use products and services.

- Evolution of the competitive landscape: The competitive landscape of the industrial design industry has diversified, and cross-field innovative companies have emerged. With the acceleration of globalization, international cooperation and competition have become more frequent, and domestic design companies are actively seeking cooperation and exchanges to enhance their competitiveness.

- Increased demand for high skills: Operating and maintaining industrial robots and performing system integration require practitioners to have cross-field knowledge such as machinery, electronics, computers, and automation, and master programming, data analysis, and robot operation skills. - Reduced demand for low skills: In the past, the number of jobs in the manufacturing industry that only required simple physical labor or basic operating skills has decreased, and the demand for pure physical laborers and low-skilled workers has decreased.

Regional differences in employment

- Increased employment opportunities in industrial clusters: In areas where domestic industrial robot industries are concentrated, such as Guangdong, Shanghai, Jiangsu and other places, related enterprises are concentrated, and robot research and development, production, and application are complete. Not only do robot manufacturing companies need a large number of talents, but there are also many manufacturing companies that apply robots, providing abundant employment opportunities for highly skilled talents.

- Adjustment of employment structure in non-agglomeration areas: If manufacturing companies in non-industrial clusters introduce domestic industrial robots, it may lead to a reduction in local traditional manufacturing jobs. However, due to the lack of supporting industries related to robots, the increase in emerging jobs is limited, and the adjustment of employment structure faces greater pressure.

Job structure changes

 - Reduction of traditional jobs: Some highly repetitive and dangerous jobs are gradually replaced by robots, such as welding and spraying in automobile manufacturing, and parts assembly in electronics factories. - Increase in emerging positions: The research and development, production, installation and debugging, maintenance, programming and control of robots require professional talents, which has given rise to positions such as robot engineers, system integration engineers, and electrical engineers. At the same time, the data generated by the operation of robots also needs data analysts to process and analyze.

Changes in skill requirements

- Increased demand for high skills: Operating and maintaining industrial robots and performing system integration require practitioners to have cross-domain knowledge such as machinery, electronics, computers, and automation, and master programming, data analysis, and robot operation skills. - Reduced demand for low skills: In the past, the number of positions in the manufacturing industry that only required simple physical labor or basic operating skills has decreased, and the demand for pure physical laborers and low-skilled workers has decreased.

Regional differences in employment

- Increased employment opportunities in industrial clusters: In areas where domestic industrial robot industries are concentrated, such as Guangdong, Shanghai, Jiangsu and other places, related enterprises are concentrated, and robot research and development, production, and application are complete. Not only do robot manufacturing companies need a large number of talents, but there are also many manufacturing companies that apply robots, providing abundant employment opportunities for highly skilled talents.

- Adjustment of employment structure in non-agglomeration areas: If manufacturing companies in non-industrial clusters introduce domestic industrial robots, it may lead to a reduction in local traditional manufacturing jobs. However, due to the lack of supporting industries related to robots, the increase in emerging jobs is limited, and the adjustment of employment structure faces greater pressure.

On the third day of the first lunar month, the New Year atmosphere was strong. A forum for hometown sages full of affection and hope opened warmly in Shiling Town, Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province. The general manager of Guangzhou Zhizhuo Design attended the forum and sat together with the leaders and fellow villagers in his hometown to talk about hometown feelings and discuss development together. At the symposium, Xu Daogang, secretary of the Shiling Town Party Committee, hoped that the villagers who went out would continue to be the "pioneers", "doers" and "propagandists" of their hometown, play a leading role in demonstration, promote the good resources, environment and culture of Shiling, introduce new concepts, good projects and high-end talents from outside, actively participate in the construction of typical towns and villages of Shiling's "Hundred Million Project", drive the economic and social development of Shiling, and jointly draw a green and beautiful Shiling in the new era.

Li Xixiang, deputy secretary of the Shiling Town Party Committee and mayor, reported on the economic and social development of Shiling Town in 2024. At the symposium, more than 50 villagers who went out combined their own industry experience and resource advantages to put forward many valuable opinions and suggestions for the development of their hometown, and expressed that they would do their best in attracting investment, "Hundred Million Project", rural revitalization and other aspects, and actively make greater contributions to the development of their hometown.

The meeting also read out the list of members of the Shiling Town Chamber of Commerce, the list of recommended institutions of the Education Promotion Association and the proposal for green and beautiful rural construction. In order to help build a green and beautiful hometown, the local people also donated money enthusiastically, pledging 926,800 yuan on the spot, adding green to the green and beautiful Shiling ecological construction with practical actions.

   “AWE2025 will be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Center from March 20 to 23, 2025, with the theme of “AI Technology, AI Life”. The exhibition will focus on the in-depth application of artificial intelligence technology in the field of home appliances and consumer electronics, showcase smart home appliances and consumer electronics products, as well as the latest solutions in the fields of smart home, smart travel, smart health, etc., and present new industrial formats and new models of integrated, scenario-based and customized home appliances and homes.”

CES 2025 Shanghai Xin Expo Hisense Smart Refrigerator Becomes the Highlight of the Exhibition During CES 2025, Hisense participated in the exhibition with the theme of "AI Your Life", and its smart large-screen refrigerator 780 made a stunning appearance as the control center of the smart kitchen. Through AI technology, this refrigerator can connect the entire scenario-based smart kitchen, realizing the leap from single product intelligence to full kitchen intelligence. It can recommend personalized recipes based on the user's eating habits and health needs, and automatically manage the purchase and storage of ingredients. At the same time, it can be linked with kitchen appliances such as smart ovens and smart dishwashers to realize the automation of smart cooking and tableware washing, making kitchen life more convenient and interesting.

Hisense's vacuum preservation technology is leading

From the original vacuum ice temperature technology of Vacuum 1.0 to the original vacuum magnetic field preservation of Vacuum 4.0, Hisense refrigerators are constantly upgraded. Take Hisense's brilliant 565 vacuum first-class cabin fully embedded refrigerator as an example. It is equipped with vacuum molecular-level fresh-keeping technology, which keeps the food in a low-pressure and low-oxygen vacuum environment, and is equipped with magnetic field technology that affects the movement of food cell molecules, effectively preventing food oxidation, reducing metabolic rate, inhibiting bacterial growth, and achieving 7-day sealed first-class freshness.

Hisense's other AI achievements

In addition to smart refrigerators, Hisense also demonstrated the innovative application results of AI in multiple scenarios such as display technology, smart home, and smart city. For example, Hisense released the world's first 116-inch RGB-Mini LED TV, which uses RGB three-dimensional color control liquid crystal display technology to achieve a major leap from traditional black and white backlight to RGB multi-primary color backlight, and from single light control to light and color control. .