ABB sets up new robotics center in Chongqing

ABB's robotic arms work at a plant in Duenas, Spain, March 27, 2017. The company is famous for its industrial robots. [Photo/VCG]

ABB Group of Switzerland said it plans to enhance its business presence in Chongqing and support the development of the robotics industry in China's western regions, by stepping up smart manufacturing and driving an industrial upgrade.

On May 17, a new ABB robotics application center was set up in Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, a national development zone modeled after Shanghai Pudong and Tianjin Binhai.

ABB's Chongqing center, the fourth one after the centers in Shanghai, Zhuhai in Guangdong province and Qingdao in Shandong province, aims to integrate resources in Southwest China by providing robots, application, system integration and related customer service.

The center will develop robots for its clients from various industries, including automobiles, computers, communications, consumer electronics, equipment and consumer goods manufacturing.

"Chongqing plays a critical role in China's economy, especially in manufacturing," said Li Gang, head of the Robotics and Motion Division at ABB China, at the launch ceremony.

"Chongqing and its neighboring regions provide ABB with a large market for robotics application and I hope this center will help strengthen our relationship with local clients."

China has been the world's largest market for robot applications since 2013, according to data from the International Federation of Robotics.

As the only municipality in western China, the city is one of the country's leading economic centers and a major manufacturing base. It has the country's largest auto manufacturing base and one third of the laptops in the world are made in Chongqing.

Facing a shortage of labor and rising labor costs, China unveiled an ambitious plan in 2016 to triple its annual production of domestic industrial robots to 100,000 in five years.

ABB Group, the Zurich-headquartered industry giant, has been a pioneer promoting robotics applications in China since 1994. In 2015, it started robotics research, development and manufacturing in China.

"ABB's relationship with China dates back to 1907 when it delivered a steam boiler to the country. Today, we continue this relationship with our technology innovation, which has promoted the development of many industries," said GuChunyuan, ABB's president for Asia, Middle East and Africa.

"In the past four decades, ABB has experienced, participated in and benefited from China's reform and opening-up. In the future, we will keep leading technology innovation to better serve Chinese people."

Guoyuan Port launches large-scale logistics transportation

Chongqing Guoyuan container terminal is a water, railway and road combined transport hub port.


The Yangtze River and Silk Road economic belts have brought huge opportunities for Liangjiang New Area (LNA) to establish an inland international logistics hub


In order to reduce pressure on Cuntan Port, a major strategic deployment to separate empty containers to Guoyuan Port was launched.

Recently, a ship loaded with empty containers berthed slowly into the Chongqing Guoyuan container terminal, which is a water, railway and road combined transport hub port. The activity marks the launch of Guoyuan Port in container logistics operation on a larger scale after its opening in December 2013.

The Yangtze River and Silk Road economic belts have brought huge opportunities for Liangjiang New Area (LNA) to establish an inland international logistics hub. As a port where the two belts join together, the interactive development between Guoyuan Port and Cuntan Port invites attention. In order to reduce pressure on Cuntan Port, a major strategic deployment to separate empty containers to Guoyuan Port was launched. Guoyuan Port would gradually become an important hub port.

To ensure the smooth operation of the container, Guoyuan Port overcame many difficulties in the early stage, like insufficient staff and unfinished sites. The separation was secured through five aspects. First, each link and step divided work in an orderly fashion in the production organization. Second, the newly-developed container system withstood tests. Third, staff arrangement could meet the needs of production and operation. Fourth, the port made full use of the yard space and promoted efficiency. Last, the port dispatched all things elaborately and made many plans in case of emergencies. According to Port Logistics Group Guoyuan Container Company, the company and customers have all expressed their satisfaction with the container operation.

Guoyuan Port officially opened in 2014. The port has a shoreline of 2,800 meters and was designed with 16 berths to handle 5,000 tons. Currently, those 16 berths have all been established. The port is accelerating the construction of a railway entering the port and warehouse.

Chongqing’s first cloud computing center starts operation in Liangjiang New Area

Pacific Ocean Telecom completed its Pacific Ocean Telecom (Chongqing) Data Center in March, and the initiative is Chongqing's first cloud computing data center project, and is located in the Liangjiang International Cloud Computing Industrial Park, in the Liangjiang New Area of the city.

It is the company's fourth data center in China, after it established centers in Hong Kong, Shenzhen in Guangdong province, and Tianjin.

The construction started in May 2011, and it consists of two parts, with each one covering an area of 20,000 square meters. It was built according to international environmental standards and energy performance standards, uses energy-saving technology, and other advanced technology in refrigerating system and modular design.

Pacific Ocean Telecom is a private enterprise that owns the largest submarine cable network in Asia, and this project means that Chongqing will be part of the company's network.

Chongqing unveiled its development strategy concerning the international off-shore cloud computing industry at the end of 2010, and established a "cloud computing plan" to boost its competitiveness. The construction of the cloud computing data and its supplementary industrial base was a key part of the plan.

Henry Lam, GM of Pacific Ocean Telecom, said that Liangjiang New Area is currently the most popular economic area in China, and it is set to become an important hub of the Chinese mainland in the advanced manufacturing industry, and also in logistics and transportation. He added that the world-class data center will greatly support the industrial and economic growth of China's southwest region.

Trade functional area starts operation in Liangjiang

The new trade functional area began operations in the Chongqing Lianglu Cuntan Bonded Port recently. [Photo/liangjiang.gov.cn]

The Lianglu Cuntan trade functional area passed its national acceptance and commenced operations on April 16, becoming the only functional trade area in China's central and western regions, according to Chongqing Daily.

"The operation of the Lianglu Cuntan trade functional area signifies that Chongqing Bonded Port will take a lead in integrating the foreign and domestic trade markets," said a senior from the Chongqing Lianglu Cuntan Bonded Port.

Taking advantage of policies, the Lianglu Cuntan Bonded Port will develop its trade and finance industries and realize the interaction between trade functional areas and other areas in the bonded port.

According to Xiao Zhongping, vice manager of the Chongqing Bonded Port Development Company, the trade functional area will promote the development of an exhibition commodity trade center and cross-border ecommerce.

The operation of the trade functional area will also benefit enterprises based in the bonded port. "At present, the annual sales volume of our company is around 200 million yuan ($32.30 million) and we will strive to reach 500 million yuan in the future," said a senior staff member from the Chongqing Feiliks Logistics Company. In addition, Feiliks plans to start new business, such as the import and export of machinery and electronic products.

"Liangjiang has to adapt to China's 'new normal' of slower economic growth and promote its functional construction to accelerate the opening-up of Chongqing," said Tang Zongwei, deputy secretary of the Liangjiang administrative committee.

 Edited by Jacob Hooson

Beijing Hyundai gears up manufacturing in Liangjiang

The new plant of Beijing Hyundai Motor Co has been accelerating development of the auto industry in Chongqing's Liangjiang New Area, local media reported on April 25.

Established in July 2017, the company’s Chongqing plant is an advanced smart factory equipped with highly efficient intelligent robots and fully automated production lines.

Beijing Hyundai's plant in Chongqing's Liangjiang New Area has the most advanced intelligent manufacturing equipment in China. [Photo/liangjiang.gov.cn]

"The debut of Beijing Hyundai Encino on April 10 has provoked strong market demands and our production lines are running full speed ahead," said Li Qihe, deputy director of the company's Chongqing plant.

"The Chongqing plant has fit in the local industrial ecosystem and will add dynamism to the region's industrial restructuring," according to Li.

Beijing Hyundai's Encino car with high performance [Photo/liangjiang.gov.cn]

Following the dynamic growth of auto manufacturers like Beijing Hyundai, a "goose queue" effect has come into being — 44 upstream and downstream enterprises have landed on branches in Chongqing.

As the engine of Chongqing's auto industry, Liangjiang New Area will promote the brand of "Made in Liangjiang" and attach more emphasis to all-around development.

Changan Ford gears up for NEV market

Ford Fusion Energi Plug-in hybrid car is displayed, with a charging box on the wall, at an exhibition in Shanghai last year. HAO YAN / CHINA DAILY

Sino-US joint venture Changan Ford is entering the new energy vehicle market as it transforms from a traditional carmaker into an auto mobility solution provider, after gaining a foothold in the Chinese market by offering customers a wide variety of models that meet their new demands.

Ford Motors' new energy vehicle strategy means that 10 to 25 percent of its global sales volume should come from NEVs by 2020, and Changan Ford hopes to match this in China.

The carmaker is developing a new energy platform that can be deployed on hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid and fully battery vehicles. The platform allows the NEV models to be tailored so that they conform to the needs and regulations of different markets.

"We are going to keep investing heavily in NEVs," said Marin Burela, president of Changan Ford Automobile Co.

"With the latest platform, we will tailor the models to touch the hearts and minds of Chinese customers," said Burela.

"We need to be leading in technologies, fuel economy and emission, with the right electric strategy and very broad vision," he said.

The C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid vehicle is set to follow the Mondeo PHEV, which is already in production at the company's Chongqing plant, into the Chinese market.

Against its domestic rivals, Changan Ford has climbed from sixth to fourth in terms of sales volume so far this year. It has achieved a sales volume of 244,000 units in the first quarter, up 23 percent on the same period in 2015.

"We have been continuously focusing on the voice of Chinese customers, and we will never stop doing that," Burela said.

"Just four months after it was launched, the Taurus is already outselling its major rivals. We also have an unparalleled lineup of SUVs. Changan Ford is extremely aggressive when it comes to introducing new cars," he said.

The Chongqing-based carmaker has found from customer feedback that Chinese buyers require connectivity that enables them to work while they commute, and that they also favor a grand-looking exterior.

The carmaker's answer is the Ford Taurus Limited Edition, which makes its Chinese debut at Auto China 2016. The car is designed to be a sophisticated modern mobile office on four wheels. The Sync 3 connectivity function is provided for the first time, and it enables passengers to meet work demands through wireless connectivity.

Work is not the only consideration, though. Passengers may relax in their seat and enjoy a massage and they can also talk to the vehicle. If the driver or passenger says "I need coffee", the car will help them find the nearest cafe, according to the company. In addition to the in-car technologies and ambient configurations, slight changes have been made to the locally produced models to meet the aesthetic requirements of Chinese customers.

Globalfoundries partners with Chinese city Chongqing on chip-making JV

Two men present new wavers in 300 mm format by semiconductor producer Globalfoundries in Dresden, Germany, June 15, 2012. [Photo/IC]

CHONGQING - US semiconductor manufacturer Globalfoundries said this week that it had entered into a chip-making partnership with the government of Chongqing in southwest China.

The joint venture will utilize systems and processes used in Globalfoundries' Singapore plant to produce 300 mm chips. Production will kick off next year.

Chongqing is one of the world's largest manufacturing bases for computers, smartphones and other electronic devices, providing substantial demand for the joint venture.

"China is the fastest-growing semiconductor market in the world, with more than half of the world's semiconductor demand and a growing ecosystem of fabless companies competing on a global scale," Globalfoundries CEO Sanjay Jha said in a press release.

Semiconductors are one of several high-tech industries the government is increasing support for, as part of a wider effort to steer the vast manufacturing sector away from low-end to high-value added, tech-intensive production.

China has been the world's biggest consumer of semiconductors for years and wants to reduce its reliance of imported chips. Domestic chip designers and foundries have been encouraged to enhance their chip making capabilities through acquisitions or joint ventures with overseas firms.