The opening ceremony of China (Guangzhou) International Robot & Intelligent Manufacturing Exhibition (Hereinafter referred to as RoboIMEX2017) took place in the Guangzhou Pavilion at China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) on August 29, 2017. The three-day exhibition covered an area of over 50,000 square meters, 30,000 square meters bigger than that in the previous year. Moreover, more than 500 companies from the United States, Germany, Japan, Italy and Canada as well as the regions of China’s Taiwan and Hong Kong SAR sent delegations to attend the exhibition.

According to Sinomach’s General Manager Xu Jian, the exhibition covered six major sections, namely, robots, machine tools and automation equipment, additive manufacturing equipment, VR/AR equipment, intelligent equipment, and emerging technologies related to manufacturing technology industries.

Guangzhou industrial robots and intelligent equipment enterprises were eye-catching at this exhibition. The six-axis industrial robot-based scenario intelligent equipment of Guangzhou Tech-Long Packaging Machinery Ltd. and Guangzhou ZSROBOT, Guangzhou Electric and other local enterprises made a debut at the exhibition.

Intelligent equipment and robot industry becomes the main engine for advanced manufacturing industry

Intelligent welding was a great highlight in the booth of Guangzhou Zhongshe Robot Intelligent Equipment Co.,Ltd. (short for Guangzhou ZSROBOT).

In an area of less than two square meters, two six-axis industrial robots of about one meter high on the left and right sides were collaborating with each other in intelligent welding. Different from conventional welding, there was no spark splashing in the welding process, greatly reduing the risk of welding.

According to Technical Director of Guangzhou ZSROBOT Liu Yuhuang, this technology has been in the leading position in China, and has launched cooperation with GAC Toyota, GAC Honda and other auto manufacturers. By taking advantage of Toyota's unique electrical control technology and automatic linkage functions, the equipment can complete many procedures such as car body punching, spot welding, stud welding within only 48 seconds, saving operation labor force by 80% while increasing production efficiency by 30% .

As Xu Jian pointed out in his speech at the opening ceremony, thanks to sustained accumulation and stable growth, Guangzhou's advantage has become increasingly prominent in major smart devices and in robot research and development(R&D) that gradually become one of the main engines of advanced manufacturing industry growth in Guangzhoccumulation and stable growth, Guangzhou's advantage has become incu.

Guangzhou already made a layout in intelligent equipment and robot industry. Since 2015, Guangzhou has allocated 3 billion yuan special funds for three consecutive years to promote rapid development of key industries such as intelligent equipment and robots. In 2016, the city's output value of intelligent equipment and robot enterprises was nearly 50 billion yuan. Among them, GSK CNC Equipment Co. , Ltd. (GSK), STSRobotics were selected as "TOP10 Chinese Robot Enterprises", while eight companies became the first backbone enterprises in the robot industry, accounting one third of the total robot enterprises in the province.

In August 2017, Guangzhou officially became the first-tier city approved as Made in China 2025 Pilot Demonstration Cities. The Implementation Plan of Guangzhou to Build "Made in China 2025" Pilot Demonstration Cities(referred to as "Plan") pointed out that it should give full play to the basic advantages of Guangzhou in R&D, design and manufacturing of intelligent equipment, integrate intelligent manufacturing development with intelligent transformation and upgrading needs of traditional industries, so as to create an industry cluster of intelligent equipment and robots.

It should focus on the robot, rail transports, turnkey intelligent and system integrated solutions, and take Huangpu District as the axis while relying on Zengcheng, Nansha, Panyu, Baiyun and the central downtown, to create an intelligent equipment and robot industry cluster. The output value of intelligent equipment and robot industry will reach RMB 100 billion by 2019,.

Specifically, the plan puts forward that key technologies should be mastered in the field of intelligent equipment. For example, based on the organizations, research institutions and leading enterprises such as Guangzhou Industrial Robot Manufacturing and Application Industry Alliance, intelligent equipment research institute, Institute of Intelligent Equipment, Institute of Intelligent Robotics, we should tackle key problems in core technology and focus on enhancing common technical support and equipment integration of intelligent manufacturing as well as manufacturing capabilities and manufacturing capacity of core components.

At the exhibition, the head of the Guangzhou Electric Smart Manufacturing told reporters that Guangzhou Electric is focusing on creating Guangzhou intelligent manufacturing industry cluster and innovating in entrepreneurial ecosphere. And the project will be officially put into use in December. With intelligent manufacturing industry as its focus, "innovation incubation center" as its core carrier, industrial technology service platform and engineering research center as its pillars, the project is going to create "Guangzhou intelligent manufacturing industry cluster and innovation and startup ecosphere" that plays a leading role with innovation vitality.

Industrial robots and intelligent equipment help enterprise transformation and industrial upgrading

Liang Weifeng, the engineer of Automation Business Department of Guangzhou Tech-Long Packaging Machinery Ltd, told the reporter that "at present, our company has 20% -30% main business on industrial automation, and we will continue to increase inputs in this area." As a leading enterprise of beverage packaging machinery manufacturing industry, Guangzhou Tech-Long Packaging Machinery Ltd established Industrial Automation Department in 2013 to focus on the entire solution to comprehensive automation and intelligent of production, and the automatic assembly lines displayed in this exhibition is their favourite work.

In the exhibition area of Guangzhou Tech-Long Packaging Machinery Ltd, the company's independently developed annular storage intelligent transportation system attracted a lot of attention. The machinery arm, about 2.5 meters high, clipped goods from the six-storey annular storage rack crammed with goods and then put them stably on the conveyor belt. Finally, the goods were transported to the points by pickup carts.

At the exhibition, similar arm robot and intelligent equipment show were staged in succession.

After years of great endeavor, Guangzhou has achieved steady and rapid growth in the field of intelligent equipment and manufacturing, and is becoming the "storm center" of national equipment manufacturing industry, and it takes the lead in traditional manufacturing industry transformation and upgrading to the advanced manufacturing. Building city of intelligent equipment industry and taking the lead in exploring "China made 2025" and "Industry 4.0" have become the focus of future development strategy in Guangzhou.

Reporters at the exhibition noted that, apart from Guangzhou ZSROBOT, there were also a number of enterprises displaying their intelligent equipment related to automobile manufacturing.

For example, Guangzhou Mino Automotive Equipment Co., Ltd. displayed BIW manufacturing system, intelligent manufacturing data service platform and other cutting-edge technologies; RISONG TECHNOLOGY displayed its laser tracking system for welding seam used in intelligent manufacturing and intelligent welding fields.

The upgrading of automobile industry by utilizing industrial robots and intelligent equipment and accelerating transformation of production capacity is another focus for development of Guangzhou industrial robots and intelligent equipment enterprises.

At present, Guangzhou is focusing on implementing the "153" strategy of automotive industry. According to the Implementation Plan to Build Guangzhou International Auto Parts Industrial Base, Guangzhou is going to be built into a high-end auto parts manufacturing and export base, the state-level new energy auto parts industry cluster and the state-level intelligent network of auto parts industry cluster.

Reporters learned from Industry and Information Technology Commission of Guangzhou Municipality that, based on planning policies such as Strategic Plan for Made in Guangzhou 2025 and Implementation Opinions on Accelerating the Innovation Development of Advanced Manufacturing, and by taking advantage of driving effect of intelligent equipment and robot industry for industrial transformation and upgrading, Guangzhou will strive to develop into a center of key equipment of intelligent equipment, technology supply and R & D Innovation in the Pearl River Delta and even in the whole country.

Source: Invest Guangzhou, August 29, 2017