Our institute organized a robotics technology exchange meeting.

[Shaobing Report] With the implementation of China's manufacturing power strategy and the issuance of the first ten-year action plan - 'Made in China 2025', 'High-end CNC machine tools and robots' have become one of the ten key areas clearly defined in the plan, bringing unprecedented development opportunities to the robotics industry. Coupled with the decline of China's demographic dividend and rising labor costs, robots will accelerate their entry into various fields. The development of the automotive manufacturing industry, centered on industrial robots, will become an inevitable path for intelligent manufacturing.

In response to the national development strategy and to adapt to the new characteristics and situations of the automotive manufacturing industry, as well as to understand the new technologies, new equipment, and new applications of internationally renowned robot manufacturers in the automotive field, a technical reserve for the intelligentization, automation, and unmanned (or less manpower) transformation of various specialized subsidiaries of the group was prepared. From December 8 to December 11, 2015, the '2015 FAW Group FAE Project Robot Application Technology Exchange Conference' was held at the Ninth Design and Research Institute of Mechanical Industry Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as the Ninth Institute). This conference was co-hosted by the Ninth Institute and the Group Development Department, with over a hundred experts and technical personnel from the Group Development Department, Jiefang Company, and various departments of the Ninth Institute participating in discussions. General Manager Liu Songping of the Ninth Institute, relevant leaders from group departments, and department leaders from the Ninth Institute attended and engaged in in-depth exchanges with on-site experts regarding robot applications and development trends. The conference was a great success.

The conference lasted three days and was hosted by Song Yanguo, Deputy General Manager of Chengdu Branch of the Ninth Institute and Executive Deputy Leader of FAE Project Team at Jiefang Truck Factory. At the meeting, Mu Xuefeng, Assistant General Manager of the Ninth Institute and Dean of Manufacturing Technology Division, delivered a speech. He first expressed gratitude to participating units and guests; reviewed past good cooperation experiences between the group company and robot manufacturers in several important construction projects; expressed good wishes and expectations for future cooperation; introduced the implementation background of the group's FAE project; emphasized the importance of robot applications in improving production efficiency, reducing labor costs, enhancing product quality, cutting costs, saving energy, and reducing emissions; also pointed out that intelligent transformation should not be a 'showpiece' for others but should be 'tailored to enterprises', calculating a good cost-benefit ratio while scientifically planning for advancement and rationality. It is essential to choose cost-effective products to ensure that funds are used effectively to ultimately generate tangible benefits.

Experts from three globally renowned robot manufacturers - ABB, FANUC, and KUKA - provided exciting and detailed explanations on various applications of robots in automotive manufacturing fields such as stamping, welding, painting, assembly, loading/unloading, logistics, deburring, cleaning, inspection, etc., using actual domestic and international cases. They showcased the latest cases including fully automated unmanned stamping production lines, intelligent material handling systems, highly flexible welding units, fully automated unmanned spraying production lines, all-around vehicle automatic assembly as well as powertrain assembly. Some new technologies such as tire automatic picking, assembly, tightening one-stop units; robot automatic gluing workstations (2 robots grabbing car bodies while 1 robot applies glue) opened up new ideas for future factory process planning and FAE transformation.

This conference was a rare opportunity for internationally renowned robot manufacturers to engage with various design, planning, and user units within FAW Group. Participants exchanged deeply about robot applications in automotive manufacturing fields which inspired mutual insights. Manufacturing units understood specific needs and current situations of user units which will lead to targeted products and transformation plans along with personalized services; user units learned about advanced technologies of robots, application examples, and development trends which prepared them well for technical reserves for the group's FAE project. The conference left a deep impression on attendees and created conditions for mutually beneficial cooperation between both parties. It laid a foundation for technological upgrades within the group company to achieve intelligent manufacturing, improve product quality and market competitiveness while realizing strategic development goals.