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From June 3 to 7, the Equipment Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology published a list of projects proposed for inclusion in the 2016 Intelligent Manufacturing Comprehensive Standardization and New Model Application program. A total of 144 projects were selected this time, divided into standard projects and new model projects. Among them, 12 projects from petroleum and chemical industry companies such as Sinopec and Lanshi Group made it into the list. According to interviews with journalists, during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, many petrochemical companies, including those that made it onto the list, adopted intelligent manufacturing as an important tool to advance supply-side reforms and drive the transformation and upgrading of the industry, in order to achieve intelligent management in terms of production, equipment, as well as safety and environmental protection. The image shows the four-in-one continuous reforming reactor produced by Lanshi Group being shipped out of the factory. (Photographed by Ma Jian) Deepening the application of refining technologies + establishing standards. On June 2, Qin Weizhong, general manager of Sinopec Jiujiang Branch, said that intelligent manufacturing is highly beneficial for reducing costs and addressing weaknesses, as advocated by the supply-side reform initiative; however, intelligent manufacturing is still in its initial stages within the petrochemical industry. Intelligentization and informatization are mainly focused on aspects such as corporate financial operations, OA, and office automation; the level of intelligence in production and operation areas is still relatively low. Moreover, the standards for key industrial software are mostly in the hands of foreign companies. “It can be said that to date, there is no unified and clear definition or standard for smart petrochemical factories worldwide. Affected by various factors such as institutional mechanisms, the application of advanced software and hardware tools in China’s petrochemical industry has not yielded ideal results, and the problem of information silos remains quite severe. Companies like ours, which are not very large in scale, still have over 60 various information systems. ”Qin Weizhong said. Qin Weizhong said that Jiujiang Petrochemical’s goal for the 13th Five-Year Plan is to become a first-class, green, and intelligent refining enterprise with an annual production capacity of tens of millions of tons. By following a three-step roadmap that involves deepening applications, establishing standards, and creating upgraded versions, we aim to build **-level model enterprises for intelligent manufacturing in the process industry, thereby pushing China’s petrochemical sector toward higher levels of intelligence, innovation, and leadership. Strive to reach an intelligent management level by the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period, achieve planned scheduling and optimization of the production process by integrating knowledge and models, adopt proactive response and preventive strategies, optimize production decisions and the manufacturing process, and facilitate the upgrading of traditional petrochemical enterprises. “Now, the construction of the intelligent factory at Shanghai Petrochemical is showing initial results. In May this year, as one of Sinopec’s 10 subsidiaries, we applied to ** for a special fund for intelligent manufacturing. ‘During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, we will build on the information technology platform established under Sinopec’s unified planning, and in line with the company’s business needs, establish standards for information interoperability. We will also lay a solid foundation for intelligent projects, so that the information systems can serve as an important platform to support the company’s core competitiveness. ”Yang Jingjie, director of the Information Department at Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical, said. Yang Jingjie told reporters that during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the main tasks for enterprises were to develop efficient and streamlined integrated refining and production capabilities, agile and high-quality product supply services, as well as accurate and excellent decision-making skills in business and investment. By building smart factories, improving production and operation analysis systems, enhancing mobile office systems, upgrading and refining the company’s alarm management system, and improving equipment management systems ； Integrates data source systems such as enterprise portals, PMIS, RSIM, comprehensive production statistics, MES, laboratory management systems, ERP, and market trend analysis ； Leverage mobile Internet technology to improve work efficiency, use cloud computing technology to enhance information infrastructure, and apply intelligent technologies to advance the development of regional pipeline management systems. 3D digitalization of equipment + mobile factories The intelligentization of equipment is an important foundation for intelligent manufacturing in the petrochemical industry. Cai Longzhan, head of the Petrochemical Equipment Department at Sinopec Shanghai Gaokiao Petrochemical, said that currently Gaokiao Petrochemical utilizes 3D digital technology to create a digital platform for its facilities. This platform combines information on equipment (such as records of 161 pieces of equipment and their components, technical parameters, and maintenance history), processes (with 751 real-time data points, 75 sampling points, and integrated display of 378 quality analysis results), HSE-related data (environmental monitoring data from 194 detectors and 8 wastewater discharge points), as well as video footage (real-time images from 32 surveillance cameras) in a 3D visual format, thereby improving management efficiency. “During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, enterprises will take the creation of smart factories as an opportunity to achieve digital and integrated equipment management. This year, companies will focus on the disassembly of equipment and the construction of underground pipeline networks, continuing to improve the three-dimensional digital model of the entire facility; they will complete the three-dimensional disassembly of key equipment and carry out work on the three-dimensional digitization of underground pipeline networks. It is understood that starting from the second half of 2013, Lanshi Group collaborated with Digital Dafang Company to develop a comprehensive and forward-looking plan for informatization, taking into account its own development strategies, management models, and current business models. A unified CAD/PDM/CAPP/MES/ERP information system as well as R&D and management platforms were established, enabling full business integration across Lanshi Group’s subsidiaries, facilities across the country, and research institutes. This setup facilitated distributed collaborative manufacturing capabilities as well as the foundation for intelligent product R&D, manufacturing, and management, thereby helping to integrate Lanshi Group’s R&D, process, production management, and corporate management into the \"Internet+\" framework and gradually establishing normal operations in the area of Internet-based industry and intelligent manufacturing. “‘During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, Lansi Group’s informatization efforts must keep pace with the relevant plans for this period. By taking into account the actual conditions of the company as well as the development strategy outlined in \"Made in China 2025,\" the group should make significant investments to find ways to combine \"intelligence\" with \"capacity.\" The goal is to turn Lansi into a model enterprise for intelligent manufacturing at the highest level, achieving breakthroughs in management styles and production methods, thereby enhancing its overall competitiveness. ”Yang Jianzhong, chairman of Lanshi Group, said. It is understood that at present, Lanshi Group is actively working to enhance the capabilities of its production base in Qingdao, as well as to improve various construction projects and those related to super-large container mobile factories. By leveraging digital technologies such as big data collection and online analysis, the group is improving after-sales services including equipment upgrades, process optimization, and equipment management. Its products are evolving from large-scale, heavy-duty high-end energy equipment to more intelligent, engineered, and integrated systems. Lanshi Group aims to gradually become a comprehensive solution provider for EPC project management. Safe LDAR + emergency coordination: Wu Haijun, General Manager of Shanghai Sinopec Petrochemical Co., Ltd., said that during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the industry should pursue green development through intelligent manufacturing. “In 2007, SAIKO was the first in the country to introduce the LDAR management method, with the aim of reducing and preventing leakage emissions. There are around 230,000 sealing points in Saiko, which is a very large number; in dealing with this issue, LDAR can play a significant role. Saike has invested a total of 15 million yuan in LDAR technology, as its implementation helps reduce losses caused by leaks. To date, it has generated 9 million yuan in revenue, and this return continues to increase – this is the benefit that intelligence brings us. ”Wu Haijun said. “Next, we also need to focus on improving labor efficiency. For example, using robots or manipulators for loading and unloading materials. At present, Sike Company handles over 1 million tons of solid goods per year in loading operations. By replacing human labor with machines, it is possible to improve efficiency, as well as safeguard the health of employees and enhance storage efficiency. ”Wu Haijun said. “Intelligent manufacturing will play an increasingly important role in improving the level of safety and environmental protection management; on one hand, it can further enhance the ability to prevent risks in HSE processes ； On the other hand, it can significantly enhance functions such as emergency coordination and accident simulation, enabling comprehensive emergency command during an accident in a company, thereby effectively improving the company’s emergency response capabilities. ”Liang Bing, head of the Safety Supervision Section in the Safety and Environmental Protection Department of Maoming Petrochemical, said. Currently, the intelligent development of HSE in petrochemical enterprises is in full swing. In May this year, Yangzi Petrochemical’s No. 2 polypropylene plant completed the upgrade of its combustible gas alarm system; all 32 alarms were replaced with new audio-visual combustible gas alarms, with the alarm signals being fed directly into the DCS. Once the level of combustible gases at the site exceeds the limit, the alarm device will emit an alarm sound and flashes; the DCS control station in the control room will automatically display a screen showing the combustible gas alarm, allowing operators to locate the issue promptly and take immediate action to eliminate the risk.