XCMG expands SaaS IoT capabilities in Digital Globalization Strategy
XCMG construction machinery has shared news of its IoT application efforts right after the launch of their hoisting equipment operation management platform.
XCMG Hanyun was recently evaluated on the maturity level of its industrial Internet identity resolution and service capabilities by the China Software Industry Association. They were certified for a Level 4 capability.
The evaluation was assessed and verified by the Software Engineering Center of Chinese Academy of Sciences. XCMG Hanyun is the first equipment manufacturer in China to earn a Level 4 capability certification, showcasing the latest advancements in XCMG Hanyun’s digital service capabilities.
Since its launch in 2016, the platform has connected more than 40,000 devices in 80 countries and regions targeted by the Chinese government’s Belt and Road initiative, providing fast and useful data service support for the management and maintenance of equipment used in construction-, mining-, and energy-related projects.
In May 2022, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China announced the list of the dynamic adjustments to cross-industry and cross-domain industrial Internet platforms in 2022. XCMG Hanyun’s industrial Internet platform placed third, continuing an unbroken 4-year rise in its ranking on the list. The improvement in the ranking has further consolidated the platform’s leading position among platforms on the industrial Internet.
Since the official launch of the Hanyun integrated identity resolution platform (version 3.0) in 2021, some 10 billion pieces of equipment have been registered, while the number of pieces of equipment in active deployment has exceeded 120,000, cementing the platform’s leadership position.
As the first company in China to create a pilot 5G+industrial Internet platform for the construction machinery industry, XCMG Hanyun, by joining hands with Jiangsu Unicom, has built China’s first 5GSA networking architecture+MEC end-to-end private network at XCMG’s facilities, creating a 5G-based fully-connected smart factory including functionalities for R&D management, production management, industrial safety and big data collection. The factory reduces the general maintenance time devoted to a piece of construction equipment from 7 days to 0.5 days per year as well as the time needed for remote commissioning and functional upgrades from 7 days to 1 day.
“Taking advantage of 5G+industrial Internet, equipment produced by different manufacturers and brands, even different generations of equipment, can be connected through the integrated platform, achieving the maximum connection of devices,” said Li Zhongfu, director of information management for XCMG’s heavy equipment manufacturing. “It not only tracks and sends back product parameters to provide customers with remote diagnostic services, but also monitors the operational data of production equipment in real time, making capacity scheduling more manageable and accurate while significantly improving production efficiency.”
In addition to real-time equipment monitoring and online product diagnosis, the integrated application of 5G+industrial Internet on XCMG’s heavy equipment production lines is providing more intelligent solutions. Through use of the application, the commissioning and sampling data of new products and commissioning images are sent in real time through the dedicated 5G network and immediately analysed online, effectively boosting product R&D and design. New technologies such as artificial intelligence and AR/VR also enable intelligent analysis and decision-making, allowing for more scientific and precise management. “The convergence of 5G and the industrial Internet has created a new industrial manufacturing and service system.”
To explain the benefits of 5G technology, Mr. Li provided specific figures: “Compared with traditional commissioning methods, using 5G technology to track the debugging of new products as well as to send back commissioning parameters and 4K high-definition images in real time to enable online commissioning can reduce the repair rate of equipment due to failure in the ultra-early stage in the adjustment category by 35%, significantly improving product consistency. Remote diagnosis by service experts, online communication with service professionals throughout the country using augmented reality (AR) technology, and online diagnosis have allowed us to truly speed up service, increasing the 24-hour completion rate by 2 percentage points.
“In terms of online product quality control, we apply 5G+machine vision+artificial intelligence technology to our smart factories to monitor assembly defects online and to be able to intervene quickly once they have been identified. Under the guideline of ‘every process is stable and every part is qualified’, we have realized online product quality control and increased the First Pass Yield by 5%.
“During chassis driving performance test and verification, data is collected remotely in the background and transmitted virtually instantly thanks to the low-latency of 5G technology. The technology enables real-time data interaction with the digital twin model and automated analysis, so that we can quickly evaluate and predict key indicators such as crane driving safety and ease of use.
During the on-board lifting performance test and verification, we also use 5G technology with a wide connection range to share design, simulation and assembly data, enabling the optimization and calibration of key indicators associated with lifting control such as safety, precision and stability, so as to comprehensively evaluate product on-board lifting performance. A scientific and rigorous three-stage test verification system covering parts, systems and complete vehicles ensures the reliability and quality of the line-up of cranes we have developed.”
XCMG has developed a proprietary 5G-based remote commissioning technology for cranes. With the 5G network, commissioning technicians can remotely control the vehicle undergoing testing in the central control centre, and implement commissioning tasks for on-board lifting operations.
At the same time, the operational data of the tested vehicle is transmitted back to the central control centre in real time, and the digital twin model is driven for simulation analysis. Such a commissioning method, compared with traditional ones, greatly improves the operating environment and operational safety for commissioning personnel.
Integration of digital and 5G information technologies accelerates the systematic upgrade of intelligent manufacturing
The integration of 5G technology and big data allows XCMG to upgrade its intelligent manufacturing capability significantly. “In terms of improvement in the quality control process, XCMG has realized online quality control based on ‘5G+machine vision’ technology, which can detect defective and/or missing assemblies in the assembly process with the help of machine vision,” said Zhou Hualong, R&D engineer for XCMG’s heavy equipment manufacturing, when commenting on the application of machine vision.
In its world’s largest crane manufacturing base, XCMG has independently developed and created a new product testing and verification platform based on 5G technology, allowing the company to apply the most stringent conditions in its testing and verification of the performance and reliability of its cranes and to ensure product quality.
Through the platform, they can remotely view the 4K HD screen of the cranes, systems and parts undergoing testing at XCMG’s comprehensive test facility 20 kilometres away from its headquarters. This allows XCMG to manage the entire testing process, monitor data, tasks, progress and problems in real time as well as implement tests and verification in an orderly, efficient and collaborative manner, significantly enhancing the effectiveness of intelligent manufacturing.
