At this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos, Lenovo’s Hefei factory, LCFC, has been recognized as one of 18 additional sites added to the Forum’s Global Lighthouse Network of 132 leading manufacturers, each chosen for their leadership and integration of fourth Industrial revolution technologies (4IR).
The Global Lighthouse Network is a community of production sites and value chains that are world leaders in the adoption and integration of the cutting-edge technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Lighthouses apply 4IR technologies such as artificial intelligence, 3D-printing, and big data analytics to maximize efficiency and competitiveness at scale, transform business models and drive economic growth, while augmenting the workforce, protecting the environment, and contributing to a learning journey for all-sized manufacturers across all geographies and industries, the statement said.
Established in 2011, LCFC is one of the most advanced smart manufacturing factories in the world and the largest for intelligent computing devices (PCs, servers, edge computing, smart Internet of Things). It is the flagship in Lenovo’s network of 35+ manufacturing sites across nine markets and ships products to 126 markets around the world. This is done while managing 300K individual pieces of materials and parts every day, 300 discreet new products every year, and more than 200,000 different product configurations.
LCFC was recognized for its integration of 4IR technologies, and the transformation the factory has undergone in the last few years to meet and overcome the broad industry changes, increased competition, and significant fluctuation in demand through the global pandemic, as well as a growing requirement for customization of products, the statement said.
Digital intelligence technology has played a significant role too, with a focus on production scheduling/planning and dynamic operation of the factory’s 36 intelligent production lines. This has resulted in significant efficiency gains for scheduling and inventory management, meaning a completed PC is delivered off the production line every 0.5 seconds, according to the statement.
The Global Lighthouse Network is a World Economic Forum project in collaboration with McKinsey & Co. Factories and value chains that join the Network are designated by an independent panel of experts.
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