The "Lighthouse Factory" is a title given to the world's most advanced manufacturing facilities, selected by the World Economic Forum (WEF) and McKinsey & Company. These factories represent the pinnacle of smart manufacturing and digitalization in the global industry. Recently, the WEF announced 22 new additions to the global list of Lighthouse Factories, 13 of which are located in China. Notably, Guangdong has earned its first designation as a "Sustainability Lighthouse Factory" and now boasts nine Lighthouse Factories in total, accounting for over one-ninth of China's total. Additionally, China's first overseas Lighthouse Factory has officially been recognized.
The Shenzhen Guanlan Factory of Foxconn Industrial Internet (FII) is the only facility in Guangdong to be newly named a Lighthouse Factory, and it is also the first in the province to achieve the sustainability designation. According to the WEF, FII has implemented artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and other Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to optimize material recycling, monitor real-time carbon footprints, and drive process innovation, all aimed at sustainable development.
As of now, the total number of Lighthouse Factories worldwide has reached 172, with China contributing 78 of them. Guangdong, a manufacturing powerhouse, is home to nine of these factories, located in the cities of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, and Zhongshan. This means that one out of every nine Lighthouse Factories in China is based in Guangdong.
Midea Group's Hefei washing machine plant was also designated a Sustainability Lighthouse Factory, marking Midea's sixth recognition. The plant operates 11 production lines with an annual capacity of 16 million units, making it China's largest washing machine production base that integrates R&D, manufacturing, and sales. According to the WEF, 31% of the energy used at the factory now comes from solar power, 40% of water is reused, and waste has been reduced by 22.1%.
Additionally, Rootcloud, an industrial internet platform headquartered in Guangzhou, empowered Sany Renewable Energy's blade factory to achieve its Lighthouse Factory status. This marks the first-ever recognition of a wind power facility as a Lighthouse Factory globally.
Of particular significance is the selection of China's first overseas Lighthouse Factory—FII's factory in Bắc Giang, Vietnam. By deploying over 40 advanced use cases from the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including AI-driven automation, the factory has boosted labor productivity by 190%, improved on-time delivery rates to 99.5%, and reduced manufacturing costs by 45%. This factory not only represents a breakthrough for Vietnam in this field but also reflects the shift from Chinese products going global to Chinese manufacturing going global.
Source :Lingnan on the Cloud
中国企业首家海外“灯塔工厂”诞生
“灯塔工厂”被称为“世界最先进的工厂”，是由世界经济论坛（WEF）和麦肯锡咨询公司共同遴选，代表了全球制造业智能制造和数字化的最高水平。近日，据世界经济论坛发布，全球有22家制造企业成为新晋“灯塔工厂”，其中有13家“灯塔工厂”位于中国。广东首次有工厂获评“可持续灯塔工厂”，目前已累计拥有9家“灯塔工厂”，占比超过1/9；中国企业首家海外“灯塔工厂”也正式诞生。
工业富联深圳观澜工厂是此次入选的唯一一家位于广东的“灯塔工厂”，也是广东首家“可持续灯塔工厂”。WEF评价称，工业富联采用人工智能、物联网和其他第四次工业革命技术来优化材料回收、追踪实时碳足迹以及推进流程创新，以实现可持续发展。
截至目前，全球“灯塔工厂”已扩增至172家，来自中国的“灯塔工厂”总数已达到78家。以制造业立省的广东坐拥9家“灯塔工厂”，分别位于广州、深圳、佛山、中山这四大城市，相当于中国每9家“灯塔工厂”中，就有1家位于广东。
美的洗衣机合肥工厂此次入选为“可持续灯塔工厂”，也是美的集团第六次获得此荣誉。该工厂拥有11条洗衣机生产线，年综合产能1600万台，是国内最大、集研产销为一体的全品类洗衣机生产基地。此次WEF评价称，目前，该厂使用的31%的能源来自太阳能，对40%的水进行了循环再利用，将产生的废弃物减少了22.1%。
另一家总部位于广州的工业互联网平台树根互联，则为三一重能叶片工厂获评“灯塔工厂”赋能，这也是全球首家风电行业“灯塔工厂”。
值得注意的是，此次评选还诞生了中国企业首家海外“灯塔工厂”——工业富联的越南北江工厂，该工厂通过部署先进规划和人工智能驱动的自动化等40多个第四次工业革命先进用例，劳动生产率提高了190%，准时交货率提升至99.5%，同时降低了45%的制造成本。该工厂帮助越南在该领域实现了零的突破，更成为中国企业从产品出海走向制造出海的新写照。
文 | 羊城晚报记者 黄婷
图 | 受访者提供
译 | 赵凡
英文审校 | 林佳岱