南方财经全媒体记者 杨雨莱 广州报道

Free your eyes. Monitor the parts assembly with machine vision and AI technology. Free your hands. Weld the tiniest screws with gigantic robotic arms. None of those scenes are from sci-fi movies. May I present to you, the intelligent eco-factory of GAC AION.

Located in Guangzhou, it is known by its other name, "The Lighthouse Factory." This is an honor reserved for the "world's most advanced factories," carefully chosen by the World Economic Forum and McKinsey & Company. This title represents the highest level of intelligent manufacturing and digitalization in the entire industry.

As of today, there are 153 factories included in the lighthouse network around the world. Leading the way in the development of the manufacturing industry. Notable global industry leaders such as BMW, Johnson & Johnson, Schneider and more have made it on the list.

China has the most "lighthouse factories" in the world. With a total of 63, eight of which are established in China's major manufacturing province, Guangdong. They are found in four Greater Bay Area cities: Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, and Zhongshan, illuminating the path of modernization in Guangdong.

All eight "lighthouse factories" are selected based on their uniqueness. The newly-selected intelligent eco-factory of GAC AION is the only "lighthouse factory" in the new energy automobile industry worldwide and the first GAC Group factory with zero carbon emissions during the manufacturing process. 

It deploys over 40 instances of the 4th industrial revolution and offers more than 100,000 configuration options to clients. Through its fully automated production lines with hybrid production models, it has managed to lower manufacturing costs by 58%, and increase its production efficiency by 50%. For every 53 seconds you spend sitting in your chair, this eco-factory has produced a brand-new customized car.

Looking at the west bank of the Pearl River Estuary, the home appliance giant Midea is adding advanced technology to its dishwashers. As one of the world's largest dishwasher factories, the Shunde dishwasher factory of Midea has an annual output of 6 million units. With the help of digitalization and intelligent upgrades, the revenue of this factory has increased by 61% over the past three years. It also successfully achieved a 24% decrease in unit production costs and a 41% decrease in delivery time.

Another hour's drive towards the south, brings us to the Zhongshan factory of Wistron, the first "lighthouse factory" in Zhongshan. Despite being called "lighthouses", the "light-off warehouses" there are actually pitch black. The facility's most occupied "staff" are automated transportation robots. They are shuttling among over 20 production lines, completing the loading, unloading, and intelligent delivery of various materials.

Meanwhile, the east bank of the Pearl River Estuary also shines. We've already heard plenty of compliments about the manufacturing capabilities of Foxconn's Shenzhen factory. FII, under the leadership of Foxconn, has also established a super factory in Shenzhen. It also commits to the sharing of a "lighthouse experience" by introducing digital technology applications to over 1,000 manufacturing companies and providing industrial and technological services for 50,000 small and medium-sized companies. In doing so, it achieves the goal of establishing more "little lighthouses" with the assistance of a "big lighthouse."

However, marching into the future of intelligent manufacturing, will "lighthouse factories" be enough? Of course not. The manufacturing industry in Guangdong extends beyond these "lighthouse factories" and is supported by industrial clusters and regional innovation capabilities.

In 2023, the added values of the 20 strategic industrial clusters in Guangdong province accounted for 40% of GDP with eight of them reaching the trillion-dollar level. China's one-sixth of automobiles, one-fourth of new energy vehicles, one-third of industrial robots, half of the cell phones and televisions, and nearly 90% of drones, are "Guangdong-made."

In terms of science and technology innovation, Guangdong spent about 460 billion yuan on R&D in 2023, accounting for 3.39% of its GDP, showcasing its remarkable performance in this field.

Guangdong's regional comprehensive innovation ability has been the top nationwide for the past seven years, proving the great potential and competitiveness of Guangdong's manufacturing industry.

"A single spark can start a prairie fire." The intelligent manufacturing experience of Guangdong, like a spark, passes from one region to another, to empower multiple industries, to keep up with the tide of the digital economy, to facilitate the formation of new quality productivity, and to ignite the establishment of more industrial "lighthouses".

出品：南财国际传播中心 21新媒体中心 创意互动中心

策划统筹：于晓娜 丁青云

内容统筹：谭婷

责任编辑：黄欣然

执行统筹：黄欣然 

设计统筹：林军明

视频统筹：白宇航

监制：施诗

英文翻译&配音：李莹亮

海外运营监制: 黄燕淑

海外运营内容统筹: 黄子豪

运营支持：曾静娇

审校：蒋韵 黄志明