The history of the integration of industrialization and informatization has undergone a long developmental stage. The Central Committee proposed at the 16th National Congress: “Informatization drives industrialization, and industrialization promotes informatization”; at the 17th National Congress: “The integration of industrialization and informatization”; and at the 18th National Congress: “Deep integration of industrialization and informatization”.
Once the concept of integration was proposed, there have been ongoing issues regarding the correct understanding and appropriate implementation of this integration. How should the relationship between industrialization and informatization be positioned, how should it be done, and how can it effectively promote economic development? If this question is not clarified, the integration may go astray and remain abstract.
1. It is “Two Integrations” not “One Integration”
Why pursue the integration of two aspects? What is the basic direction of this integration? The reason for the integration is that China’s industrialization process is not yet complete, while the global trend of informatization has already arrived. China began the great and arduous process of simultaneous advancement of industrialization and informatization under conditions of incomplete industrial facilities, insufficient industrial technology accumulation, and unfinished industrialization foundations. Initially, it was hoped that “informatization would drive industrialization and industrialization would promote informatization”, but it was found that the effectiveness of both “driving” and “promoting” was limited, leading to the proposal of “integration of two aspects” and “deep integration of two aspects”.
Industrialization and informatization should be a mutually integrated, mutually promoting, and long-term coordinated development process. Clearly, we are dealing with two integrations, not one integration, nor should we shift focus between the two at will. This point must be grasped. If informatization is inadequate, industrialization will certainly not succeed. However, if industrialization does not succeed, informatization cannot truly be realized either.
However, a common phenomenon in the industry is that when discussing the integration of two aspects, the focus is predominantly on “manufacturing informatization”, primarily discussing software aspects while neglecting the construction of hardware. When “software defines everything” is mentioned, the importance of software, the internet, and cloud computing is emphasized, seemingly downplaying the importance of hardware. Even when “hardware” is mentioned, it often emphasizes electronic hardware like computers and chips, while severely neglecting various mechanical and electromechanical hardware devices.
In reality, I have observed that whenever equipment construction is discussed, the prevailing mindset often only considers the construction of hard equipment; conversely, when discussing the integration of two aspects, the common mindset tends to only consider informatization (one aspect of soft equipment) construction. Both of these mindsets are undesirable. Soft equipment and hard equipment should develop in a mutually coordinated and balanced manner. The relationship between soft equipment and hard equipment is illustrated in Figure 1.
Figure 1 Soft Equipment and Hard Equipment
2. Huge Gaps in Hard Equipment
In the contexts of Germany’s Industry 4.0, America’s Industrial Internet, and Japan’s industrial value chain construction, there has been no significant mention of the construction of hard equipment, which is a content that the industrial systems of Germany, the United States, and Japan do not consider. The premise of this “non-consideration” is that their industrialization processes have been completed over one or two hundred years, and their industrialization is in a mature and “ready” state. However, for our country, the construction process of industrialization is still ongoing, and many enterprises have not even established mature processes. This is the national situation and “Chinese characteristics” that we must face in the process of integrating two aspects.
Many people in the manufacturing industry have likely seen a widely circulated WeChat post: “Precision Reducer: The Japanese say kneel, and there are not many robots in the world that can stand up…” The precision reducer mentioned in this article is the key core transmission mechanism on robots—precision reducers. The vast majority of precision reducers used in robot joints worldwide are produced in Japan. Another video that has had a significant impact in the industry is that of the precision bearing with extremely low friction, which can rotate for a long time with just a slight push, produced by Germany’s Schaeffler Group. Such critical precision components, even if design drawings are provided to certain state-owned or private enterprises, may not yield equally advanced products. The gaps are multifaceted. Therefore, although China has built the most comprehensive industrial product production system in the world, there are still many hard equipment areas where Chinese manufacturing cannot produce or reach world-leading levels, such as:
1. Sensors—sensors applicable to various special working conditions;
2. Robots/Mechanical Arms—robots that guide each other, move collaboratively, and have cognitive abilities;
3. High-end Equipment—high-end CNC machine tools, chip manufacturing miniaturization equipment, special equipment, etc.;
4. Electronic Devices—various embedded hardware, neural synapse chips, dedicated microprocessors, high-end digital display devices, etc.;
5. Precision Instruments—special testing instruments, digital cameras, etc.;
6. Key Components—precision reducers, precision bearings, etc.;
7. High-end Materials—special materials, composite materials, intelligent materials, etc.
Due to space limitations, I will not elaborate further. In summary, we still have a long way to go in hard equipment for industrialization.
No matter how well the software is done and how developed the end-user is, without hard equipment as actuators to realize product functions in the physical world, it will ultimately be in vain.
3. Multiple Pathways for Integration
The integration of two aspects is not just about the integration of two aspects. If understood from multiple, deeper, and broader perspectives, various pathways for the integration of two aspects have occurred or are currently developing throughout history.
Top-level Integration—refers to the broad and extensive integration of the two aspects (the integration of informatization and industrialization). The banner of integration continues to advance, but every two or three years, the specific “grasping points” under the overarching theme of integration will change and adjust. For example, last year’s “State Document [2016] No. 28” was one of the top-level grasping points for the integration of manufacturing and the internet.
Bottom-level Integration—refers to the “physical digitization, digital physicalization” proposed by me two years ago. “Physical digitization” means digitizing the shape and motion state of physical space, such as digital photography, CT scans, simulation models, digital libraries, etc.; recording data of operational activities of equipment, networks, communities, etc.; home appliances with chips/boxes connected to the internet, devices connected to sensors, etc.; WeChat greetings for New Year wishes, electronic business cards, etc.; while “digital physicalization” means materializing the shape and motion state of digital space, such as NC processing, injection molding, casting, powder, rubber molding, etc.; 3D printing, digital printing, etc.; customizing digital models that do not yet have physical objects to obtain fully personalized products, etc. Bottom-level integration occurs daily, laying a solid technical foundation for top-level integration.
Mechatronic Integration—China began research and application in mechatronics in the early 1980s. The State Council specially established a mechatronics leadership group and included this technology in the “863 Program”. At that time, microelectronics technology was relatively mature, and integrating sensors, measurement and control instruments, servo drives, electronic components, single-board computers, and other “electronic” elements into mechanical equipment had become a development trend. Technologies such as robots, CAX systems, and flexible manufacturing systems also began to emerge in China. The integration of two aspects in China can be generally said to have started at that time, even though the concept of integration had not yet formed.
Soft and Hard Integration—refers to “software hardwareization and hardware softwareization”. “Software hardwareization” refers to using hardware to achieve some functions originally realized by software, leveraging the efficient operation speed of hardware circuits to significantly enhance the overall operational speed of the system, such as FPGA-based dedicated software hardwareization; while “hardware softwareization” refers to using software to realize certain functions of hardware, thus eliminating some complex hardware development processes. More efficient software can control simpler hardware circuits, thereby achieving relatively complex system functions with higher overall operational efficiency.
Diverse Network Integration—refers to integrating applications from various heterogeneous networks into a single IP network. Specifically, this means integrating voice data based on PSTN telecom networks, broadcast video data based on coaxial cables, and information data based on the internet into the same converged network for transmission, ultimately unifying into a fully digital and mobile internet, where computing, communication, and broadcasting gradually merge into one.
Cyber-Physical Integration—The concept of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), an enabling technology for Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing, has become increasingly popular in recent years. CPS has explosively risen in recent years and is a new form of system formed by the convergence of “digital entities (C)” and “physical entities (P)”—it is also one of the results of the long-term development of the integration of two aspects. I can summarize the definition of CPS in one sentence: CPS is a technical system that perceives, accesses, and controls various physical entities connected over a network.
Soft and Hard Equipment Integration—based on the results of the aforementioned various technological integrations, especially in recent years driven by CPS, traditional hard equipment has begun to integrate and develop with soft equipment on a large scale. Intelligent robots, smart machine tools, and intelligent production lines are all results of the integration of soft and hard equipment.
If readers observe closely, they may find even more specific forms of integration. This will not be elaborated here.
4. The ABC of Integration
Since we are discussing integration, I also attempt to provide a popular interpretation from another angle: the so-called integration of two aspects is actually a reorganization activity of “ABC”—A is atoms (Atom), B is bits (Bit), and C represents digital activities based on bits such as “computation + communication + collaboration + control”—the continuous reorganization of these three elements generates the various forms of integration patterns and processes mentioned above, leading to innovations in research and development models, manufacturing paradigms, service models, and other new modes.
However, it should be noted that during the reorganization of ABC, regardless of whether the final combination is simple or complex, unitary or systemic, incremental or revolutionary, it has optimized and retained all parties involved after reorganization in different forms. To be more specific, it has simultaneously optimized and retained work and trust, soft and hard, C and P aspects, rather than arbitrarily negating or discarding any one of them. We look forward to the powerful and precise system functions that can be achieved together after the deep integration of ABC, with none of the elements missing!
Therefore, in this sense, emphasizing informatization while neglecting industrialization, stressing “software defines” while ignoring hardware efficacy, valuing soft equipment while overlooking hard equipment, focusing on C while ignoring P, or the opposite—emphasizing industrialization while neglecting informatization, stressing hardware efficacy while neglecting software empowerment, valuing hard equipment while ignoring soft equipment, emphasizing P while neglecting C—are all incorrect and undesirable.
5. Conclusion
Without network connectivity and software empowerment, products struggle to become intelligent. However, we must not overlook the various physical devices connected at the network’s endpoints simply because we have applied IoT and software. We must not underestimate the physical means of realization just because we have employed “cloud XX” techniques. In the great process of human understanding, optimizing, and transforming the world, a common sense that needs to be adhered to is: the interaction between materials is essential; no matter how well product development is done in the digital realm, and regardless of how powerful the digital/informatization methods are, it is still necessary to realize specific functions in the physical world.
A VR presentation of a “Manchu-Han Feast” will certainly starve people!
In 2015, I once wrote a rhyme in a WeChat group, and I will use it to conclude this article: No matter how good the internet and informatization are, they cannot “weld steel plates, tighten bolts, sink submarines, float large ships, turn wheels, replace rice, block shells, or launch rockets”. Only by integrating P with C and controlling P with C, C and P can coexist harmoniously, can we make our world better.
Both aspects should be strong, and both integrations should be robust; this should be the iron law of the integration of two aspects!
Author’s Bio: Zhao Min—Executive Director of the China Association of Inventions, President of the Research Association of Invention Methods, General Manager of Innovisense Company. A well-known expert in innovative methods and integration of industrialization/informatization, Executive Dean of the Institute of Intelligent Research, core expert, and senior engineer. For 34 years, he has been dedicated to researching and practicing how enterprises achieve innovation and transformation, with in-depth research and unique insights into TRIZ inventive methodology, CAX, PLM, KE/KM, lean R&D, intelligent manufacturing, Industry 4.0, CPS, and other subjects related to enterprise technological innovation, management innovation, and enterprise informatization, publishing over a hundred articles and papers in domestic and international media and academic conferences, solving numerous technical challenges for enterprises. He has authored and co-authored several works including “Methods of Innovation”, “Introduction and Practice of TRIZ”, “Knowledge Engineering and Innovation”, “Advanced TRIZ and Practical Applications”, and “The Intelligent Revolution of Three-Body”.
【Copyright Statement】
This article is an original work by Mr. Zhao Min of Innovisense Company, who holds all copyright. Sharing this article is welcome, but if reprinting, please indicate the author’s name “Zhao Min” and the original WeChat public account “Innovisense Company”.
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