The Shenyang Interconnected Refrigerator Factory of Haier (SHA: 600690), China's largest consumer electronics and home appliance producer, has been selected as one of 18 new factories to join the World Economic Forum (WEF)'s Global Lighthouse Network of advanced manufacturing leaders currently integrating the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). The announcement marks the second time Haier has been recognised by the WEF, following the selection of the Qingdao Central-AC (CAC) Interconnected Factory in September 2018.

Called "lighthouses" due to their innovative and world-leading position, these factories are selected by the WEF based on the successful deployment of 4IR technologies to realize intelligent manufacturing, with demonstrated benefits on an operational, financial, and environmental level.

Cutting-edge technologies include artificial intelligence, big data analytics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and 3D printing. Moreover, half of the new lighthouses are end-to-end factories, meaning that they are driving value beyond the manufacturing phase alone to create impact along the entire value chain. Both of Haier's lighthouses are end-to-end factories.

"Haier's Shenyang Interconnected Refrigerator Factory, also the first factory applying with interconnected ecosystem, was chosen for its user-centric, flexible mass customization model, which is empowered by its independently-developed and scalable COSMOPlat platform, the world's largest mass customization solutions platform," said Tingyi Hou, the Principle of Haier Shenyang Interconnected Factory.

Accumulated from intelligent manufacturing experience of 15 interconnected factories national wide, Haier Smart Home comes up with 328 manufacturing standards, 87 steps methodology, and 56 handbooks to substantiating the COSMOPlat with cloudification for further automation and intelligent manufacturing level up among 122 factories.

Compared to traditional manufacturing models, COSMOPlat digitally integrates the entire factory process and supply chain, leveraging big data, cloud computing, and IoT. It connects suppliers and consumers, enabling customers to communicate their preferences directly to the factory. Not only does this make customers participants in the transparent design and production process, but it also allows for product customization according to consumer demands and even different or unique requests.

Customisation results in products manufactured with higher precision according to actual customer requirements, which not only achieves greater efficiency but also opens up more possibilities for users. An automated and intelligent production line and a digital information system seamlessly implement the entire process, improving direct labor productivity by 28%.

As a member of the WEF Global Lighthouse Network, Haier is actively sharing its experiences in industrial transformation, to aid the upgrading of the global manufacturing industry. It has already spearheaded the Hannover Proposal of Global Lighthouses which seeks to set and implement industry norms across standards, technology, security, talent, and more.