On January 15, the World Economic Forum released a new batch of "Lighthouse Factories" list. Huafon Chongqing Spandex plant was awarded as the first "Lighthouse Factory" in the global chemical fiber industry, entering the ranks of global leaders.
As one of the world's largest single-site spandex producers, Huafon Chongqing Spandex has embarked on a leap from high automation to full-scale intelligence in the face of industry challenges such as overcapacity and volatile demand. Technologically, it has simultaneously tackled the development of low-consumption and energy-saving green manufacturing techniques for large-capacity spandex and the creation of key technologies for multi-head, multi-hole, high-speed, and high-density spandex spinning, while also breaking through the key technology of large-capacity and high-stability polyurethane polymerization, all driven by advanced technology for intelligent manufacturing. On the production front, it has deployed 62 cutting-edge technologies including AI process control, machine vision, and digital twins, reshaping the production paradigm with new productive forces. In terms of management, it has established a unified data platform, broken down the barriers between various systems, achieved "one source for one data, full-domain visibility", and utilized big data for precise market prediction and optimized production scheduling.
Compared with 2022, in terms of the effectiveness of the full-process digital intelligence system, Huafon Chongqing Spandex has seen a significant increase of 62% in production capacity, while the number of employees has only slightly increased by 1%. The employee turnover rate has dropped from 17.6% to 4.5%. The net profit margin has increased by 113%, labor productivity has improved by 60%, the product defect rate has decreased by 35%, and the overall equipment efficiency (OEE) has reached 98.4%.
In terms of green manufacturing, Huafon Chongqing Spandex has dynamically optimized energy consumption through algorithms and, with its independently developed recycling technology, achieved a solvent recovery rate of over 99% and wastewater discharge far below the national standard. As a result, Huafon Chongqing Spandex has become one of the few global chemical fiber manufacturing enterprises that feature high efficiency, high flexibility, and low carbon emissions, providing a referenceable "Huafon model" for the industry.
The concept of "Lighthouse Factory" originated from Germany's Industry 4.0 strategy. The selection of "Lighthouse Factories" began in 2018 and they are hailed as "the world's most advanced factories". These are selected by the World Economic Forum to honor leading enterprises that have been the first to apply the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in global manufacturing, achieving dual breakthroughs in production efficiency and sustainability. The selected enterprises must have leading practices in the application of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, the Internet of Things, and digital twins, and possess replicable and scalable transformation models.
Source: Huafon
