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A brief discussion on the relationship between lean production and intelligent manufacturing as well as digital manufacturing: concepts ranging from lean to JIT and TOC (Bottleneck Management, or Theory of Constraints) are all closely related to intelligent manufacturing. With the development of digital technologies, many principles of lean management can be implemented through digital means; in particular, TOC enables the rapid identification of the constraint points. The analysis aspects involved in lean management and TOC represent the intelligent components of digital manufacturing. It is impossible to talk about intelligent manufacturing without considering lean principles. From lean management, automation to intelligent manufacturing, lean management enabled Toyota to evolve in a natural and logical manner. Over the next decade, China’s manufacturing sector will take the deep integration of industrialization and informatization as its guiding principle, with intelligent manufacturing as its main focus. In this process, various resources must be developed in a balanced manner from all directions, adopting a parallel advancement strategy of \"catching up with Industry 2.0, popularizing Industry 3.0, and demonstrating Industry 4.0\". Whether it is transformation and upgrading, the deep integration of industry and information technology, or intelligent manufacturing, lean management is an important aspect that cannot be ignored. What is the purpose of achieving intelligent manufacturing? To produce products! Intelligent manufacturing enables an enterprise to objectively and reasonably assess its production capabilities, production characteristics, and strengths. This allows it to avoid weaknesses in production and make full use of its strengths when designing products, thereby enhancing the enterprise’s competitiveness. Where can we obtain this information and analyze the data? The answer is: by means of digitalized, lean production, to transmit the correct data. By streamlining production and analyzing a range of standardized data and reference frameworks such as picking cycles, mold changes, logistics, procurement, design, production costs, and defect rates, intelligent manufacturing enables an objective and rational assessment of a company’s production capabilities, production characteristics, and strengths. This allows for the avoidance of weaknesses in production processes, as well as the optimization of those aspects where products can be manufactured while competitors cannot, thereby making full use of the company’s strengths and enhancing its competitiveness while creating barriers for its competitors. Lean management is the cornerstone of intelligent manufacturing. Germany has included lean as one of the four key components that make up future smart factories; it also serves as the foundation and guarantee for China’s efforts to achieve its 2025 goals by accelerating transformation and upgrading. From the perspective of intelligent manufacturing, it is an integrated human-machine intelligent system composed of intelligent machines and human experts, capable of performing intelligent tasks during the manufacturing process, such as analysis, reasoning, judgment, idea generation, and decision-making. It updates the concept of manufacturing automation, expanding it to flexibility, intelligence, and high integration. It is easy to see that it features functions such as customization, personalization, intelligent analysis, prediction, and management. The foundation for achieving intelligent manufacturing is lean manufacturing, which fundamentally addresses the need for rapid response in terms of quality, cost, and efficiency, thereby enabling customized and personalized production. Lean management is customer-centric, and it drives the realization of intelligent manufacturing through management in areas such as research and development, manufacturing, quality, and the supply chain. Industrial data show that the growth rate of profits in industrial enterprises is declining. There are three main reasons for this: slow growth in product sales, rising costs faster than sales growth, and falling prices that reduce profit margins. Lean management, on the other hand, focuses on rapid response to improve production efficiency, reduce costs, and maximize the value of the enterprise. Intelligent manufacturing enhances lean management. Intelligent manufacturing can provide sufficient support for lean management, turning what was once considered impossible in the production process into possible realities, simplifying tasks that were previously difficult, and making things that were unattainable before achievable! Therefore, it is important to understand the positive impact that intelligence has on lean production; at the same time, it is also essential to recognize that lean management is the source of efficiency and quality in production. From lean production to intelligent manufacturing, a new type of intelligent industrial production model characterized by high levels of digitalization, networking, and machine self-organization will be established, leading to the realization of Made in China 2025.