In recent years, with the disappearance of the demographic dividend and the increasing cost of living, China's world factory advantage is also missing. Developed countries have been targeting Southeast Asian countries and transferring factories. The concept of Industry 4.0 is booming in Germany, and China has also proposed Made in China 2025.
"Made in China 2025" faces a two-way squeeze. Developed countries have adopted the strategy of "re-industrialization" to seize the middle and high-end manufacturing industries. At the same time, some developing countries have seized the low-end manufacturing industry with lower labor costs. "Made in Vietnam", "Made in India" and "Made in Indonesia" have a tendency to surpass "Made in China".
"Made in Asia" leader: developing China's version of Industry 4.0 standards first
Domestically, the transformation needs of "Made in China 2025" are more urgent. The data shows that the R&D investment intensity of large and medium-sized enterprises in my country is less than 1%, the level of small and medium-sized enterprises is lower, and the conversion rate of achievements is only about 10%; the proportion of general processing industries and resource-intensive industries is too large, and the proportion of technology-intensive industries is low. ; The regional industrial structure is converging, and some industries have repeated construction and overcapacity. The supply capacity of high-end equipment manufacturing and producer services is obviously insufficient, and high-end equipment in the fields of electronics, automobiles, and aviation is basically monopolized by foreign countries.
Although the starting point of the Chinese version of Industry 4.0 is high, if the standard is missing, there is a risk of being marginalized in the early stage of development.
In 2014, the added value of China's manufacturing industry exceeded 3.2 trillion US dollars, ranking first in the world. Among more than 500 major industrial products, the output of more than 220 products ranked first in the world. Even so, China's manufacturing industry is still "big but not strong", and shortcomings such as lack of core technology, weak quality foundation, lack of multinational companies and well-known brands, and low resource utilization efficiency still exist.
These shortcomings also put China's manufacturing industry in a less favorable position in the face of the new situation. Internationally, "Made in China 2025" faces a two-way squeeze. Developed countries have adopted the strategy of "re-industrialization" to seize the middle and high-end manufacturing industries. At the same time, some developing countries have seized the low-end manufacturing industry with lower labor costs. "Made in Vietnam", "Made in India" and "Made in Indonesia" have a tendency to surpass "Made in China".
Domestically, the transformation needs of "Made in China 2025" are more urgent. The data shows that the R&D investment intensity of large and medium-sized enterprises in my country is less than 1%, the level of small and medium-sized enterprises is lower, and the conversion rate of achievements is only about 10%; the proportion of general processing industries and resource-intensive industries is too large, and the proportion of technology-intensive industries is low. ; The regional industrial structure is converging, and some industries have repeated construction and overcapacity. The supply capacity of high-end equipment manufacturing and producer services is obviously insufficient, and high-end equipment in the fields of electronics, automobiles, and aviation is basically monopolized by foreign countries.
The severe situation forces "Made in China 2025" to transform into "Made in China". However, in the process of transformation, a reality that cannot be ignored is that in the past, "Made in China" was basically at the middle and low end of the global value chain due to lack of voice in terms of standards. By international standards, China dominates less than 0.5%. Even for products with a certain level of market share in the international market, due to lack of standards, they are still in the process of assembly and manufacturing, and product design and key components still rely on imports.
In the transformation of the manufacturing industry, that is, the development of China's version of Industry 4.0, the standard first cannot be ignored. Standards are the foundation of quality and have a fundamental and strategic position in market and industrial development. For China to move from a manufacturing power to a manufacturing power, it is inseparable from the escort of standards. Only by formulating common international standards that can be adopted by all parties and can be transformed into practical solutions can the confidence of enterprises and users be enhanced. In addition, the author believes that standards must be taken as an important part of improving the innovation capability of the country's manufacturing industry. Only in this way can the Chinese version of Industry 4.0 truly take root.
