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Recently, ABB Robotics collaborated with the well-known automotive journal “Automotive Manufacturing Solutions” to conduct the third survey on the prospects of the automotive manufacturing industry, showcasing key insights from industry leaders and major suppliers on the production goals of electric vehicles.

01. The flexible and interconnected “smart factory” is the key to the transformation of the automotive manufacturing industry towards hybrid production of internal combustion engines, hybrid power, and electric vehicles

The survey results show that global car manufacturers and major suppliers will consider the transition to “smart factories” as the key next step.

Joerg Reger, Head of ABB Robotics Automotive Business Unit, stated that car manufacturers are deeply aware that advanced robotics technology, artificial intelligence, and digital twin technology are positive drivers of change. These technologies together form the cornerstone of the ‘smart factory’, which will help car manufacturers launch new models faster and more economically, while significantly reducing energy consumption and costs, and achieving sustainable development goals.

The latest survey highlights the benefits of introducing advanced manufacturing technologies, such as AI driven autonomous mobile robots transporting parts to production lines, digital twin technology, and more.

The survey once again emphasizes the importance of robotics technology and advanced automation. 64% of respondents believe that the application of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in the automotive manufacturing industry will increase, while 57% of respondents believe that more collaborative robots will be introduced to perform repetitive assembly tasks with workers.

Respondents stated that the industry has made significant leaps forward driven by generative artificial intelligence and software. 82% of respondents believe that adopting this technology has the potential to reduce car manufacturing costs, improve quality, and accelerate the launch of new vehicle models. The usage rate of another key technology – digital twin and simulation technology – is expected to increase significantly, with 73% of respondents predicting an increase in their applications.

The survey also emphasized how flexible manufacturing is seen as a key way for many well-known manufacturers to cope with complexity, including unpredictable dynamic demands for certain vehicle models (including electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and internal combustion engine vehicles), where manufacturers need to assemble different power systems in the same location while maintaining a faster product lifecycle. 84% of respondents believe that flexible manufacturing will play an important role in the automotive manufacturing industry in the next five years.

Reger added that flexible manufacturing is crucial in addressing the complex issues and financial commitments currently faced by many car manufacturers, and this is precisely how ABB robots empower customers to explore innovation. When there is a sudden increase in customer demand for specific vehicle models or when new power systems are available, it is still crucial to be able to quickly add additional and different assembly capabilities in a modular manner without interrupting production or requiring significant capital expenditures.

Although the respondents support the introduction of new technologies and hold a positive attitude towards future smart factories, they also recognize that achieving this goal faces many challenges. 54% of respondents believe that high initial investment is the biggest limiting factor, while technical challenges (35%), cybersecurity and data protection (32%), as well as workforce adaptation (32%) and a lack of skilled employees (28%) are also prominent issues.

The automotive industry holds a positive attitude towards change and has a clear understanding of the technologies that provide the best solutions, especially autonomous mobile robots, collaborative robots, and artificial intelligence technologies. But as we move towards intelligent automotive factories, human factors cannot be ignored. Respondents once again emphasized concerns about labor adaptation and the lack of skilled IT employees. Industry technology partners need to play an important role in training and education, finding non-invasive and accessible ways to introduce key technologies such as artificial intelligence.

Daniel Harrison, Chief Analyst of Automotive Manufacturing Solutions, stated that ABB robots are accelerating the integration of artificial intelligence and robotics technology, particularly in natural language programming development. In 2024, ABB Robotics named T-Robotics and Mbodi as winners in the AI Entrepreneurship Challenge. T-Robotics achieves natural language dialogue while maintaining accuracy; Mbodi’s platform allows robots to learn and adapt to new tasks through verbal natural language communication.

02. The production of electric vehicles will continue to grow, although there are doubts about the deadline for achieving “full electrification”

Joerg Reger, head of ABB’s Robotics Automotive business unit, stated that this year’s survey found that overall, automotive manufacturing professionals are optimistic about the growth of electric vehicle production by 2025. However, due to various factors outside the factory environment, they are unsure if they can achieve the 100% electric vehicle production target on time. There is ample evidence to suggest that the manufacturing capacity of electric vehicles has significantly improved, with significant changes occurring in the introduction of new production technologies and the enhancement of labor skills. ABB Robotics has made significant adjustments to its robot and automation product portfolio to fully support customers in accelerating their transformation.

Manufacturing industry leaders hold a positive attitude towards the growth of electric vehicle production in 2025, with 31% of respondents predicting that electric vehicle production will increase by more than 10%, and 44% of respondents believing that this year’s production growth can reach 10%. Meanwhile, only 21% of respondents believe that electric vehicle production will remain unchanged (8%) or decrease (13%) by 2025.

Although manufacturing experts are optimistic about the prospects of electric vehicles, confidence in achieving established production targets for electric vehicles has declined. When asked if it is possible to achieve 100% electric vehicle production between 2030 and 2040, 31% of respondents believe it is an impossible goal, compared to 27% the previous year and only 18% in 2022. Overall, 65% of the participants are skeptical about achieving full electric vehicle production between 2030 and 2040.

Further investigation into the decline in confidence has found that the main obstacles currently lie outside of factories, with insufficient consumer demand and lack of confidence in charging infrastructure being prominent pain points. The ABB Automotive Manufacturing Industry Outlook Survey also shows that manufacturing experts predict strong growth in hybrid systems by 2025, with 67% of respondents believing that plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) production will increase and 20% predicting a production increase of over 10%. The data for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) is equally optimistic, with 62% of respondents expecting production to increase this year.

Daniel Harrison, Chief Analyst of Automotive Manufacturing Solutions, stated that hybrid passenger car production remains active, and the global manufacturing industry expects to produce more cars by 2025. This confirms the main finding of the investigation, which is that the current popularity of electric vehicles is not fast enough to support certain legislative deadlines for full electrification. In a manufacturing environment, parallel production across multiple vehicle models and power systems may bring considerable complexity and additional costs, as demonstrated in our previous research conducted in collaboration with ABB Robotics.

Distribution equipment evaluation: Through live assessment and in-depth assessment, form a complete and objective evaluation result and recommended measures
Distribution System Analysis: Ensuring the efficient, safe, and sustainable operation of customers’ electrical assets throughout their entire lifecycle
Sustainable Development Consulting: Achieving Cost Savings, Environmental Efficiency Improvement, and Sustainable Development Goals
In today’s rapidly developing industrial environment, the safety, reliability, and sustainability of electrical equipment are crucial. Any power safety accident may cause production stoppage or interruption, leading to a decline in product quality and unpredictable losses to the enterprise. Therefore, it is particularly crucial to regularly provide professional electrical consulting services. Through professional electrical consulting services, enterprises can not only timely discover potential risks of equipment, comprehensively identify hidden dangers, but also optimize equipment operation status, effectively reduce equipment failure rates, and more reasonably plan the full life cycle management of electrical equipment to ensure the safe and stable operation of power supply.

At the same time, with the promotion of the national “dual carbon” target, the demand for energy conservation, emission reduction, and efficient electricity use by enterprises is becoming increasingly urgent. Professional electrical consulting services can help enterprises significantly reduce energy consumption, improve operational efficiency, promote the transformation of enterprises towards low carbonization and intelligence, and achieve a win-win situation of economic and social benefits while ensuring safety production.

ABB Navigate Electrical Consulting Services provides professional evaluation and consulting services for electrical equipment, including distribution equipment evaluation, distribution system analysis, and sustainable development consulting, through on-site research, data collection, and evaluation reports, by dispatching senior electrical service consultants and utilizing the dedicated ezReport series of proprietary evaluation and diagnostic tools. This provides customers with a higher level of full lifecycle protection and maximizes the role and value of their electrical assets.

Distribution equipment evaluation

The evaluation of distribution equipment includes live assessment and in-depth assessment. Based on the customer’s distribution room environment, operation management, operational safety, actual equipment condition, and aging situation, it can be inspected and evaluated from six dimensions: structure, heating, insulation, protection, electromechanical accessories, and safety. Combined with ABB Electrical Services’ professional evaluation algorithm, comprehensive and multi-dimensional evaluation can be conducted. At the same time, based on long-term accumulated equipment technology, service experience, industry standards, and successful cases, professional consulting reports and recommended measures can be provided to customers.

Distribution System Analysis

Distribution system analysis involves dispatching senior electrical service consultants to the customer’s site for investigation, using professional analysis software to provide distribution system safety assessments including arc flash energy analysis, short-circuit current calculation, protection coordination verification, and power quality analysis based on power system standards and rich industry experience. Tailored solutions and operation and maintenance strategies are formed to ensure the rationality, feasibility, and efficiency of the assessment and consultation, ultimately ensuring the efficient, safe, and sustainable operation of the customer’s electrical assets throughout their entire lifecycle, greatly enhancing the value of the customer’s assets.

Sustainability and Consultancy

Sustainable Development Consulting, with advanced digital technology and a series of products produced by ABB’s “National Green Factory” that have obtained carbon footprint certification and China Environmental Labeling Product Certification, evaluates and analyzes the energy consumption and carbon emissions of power distribution systems, and provides optimization measures. We provide consulting services such as recycling and disposal, old renovation, and zero landfill to help customers achieve cost savings, environmental benefits improvement, and sustainable development goals.

ABB Electrical Services will consistently provide customers with high-quality solutions, ensuring the rationality, feasibility, and efficiency of consulting services, helping customers’ electrical assets operate efficiently, safely, and sustainably throughout their entire lifecycle, significantly enhancing asset value, and working together with you to write a safe, intelligent, and sustainable future of electrification.

On September 27, 2024, the 2024 ABB Cup Intelligent Technology Innovation Competition, jointly organized by ABB and the Chinese Society of Automation, came to a successful conclusion. The award ceremony was held at the ABB booth of the China International Industry Expo. Since its launch in early April, the competition has attracted a total of 472 teams to participate, with a total of over 1200 people. After intense competition in the preliminary and final rounds, a total of 23 outstanding teams stood out and swept the top three in four competitions.

The theme of this innovation competition is “Intelligent Technology Leads the Future”, with four tracks focusing on key technology fields related to intelligent manufacturing such as artificial intelligence, digital twins, data modeling, and human-computer interaction. The aim is to guide young scientific and technological talents to apply what they have learned, solve specific industrial problems, and cultivate outstanding new forces of engineers with both innovative spirit and practical ability.

Dr. Gu Chunyuan, Chairman of ABB China, delivered a speech at the award ceremony, congratulating the participating students on their courage to innovate and challenge themselves, demonstrating the outstanding talents and enormous potential of contemporary students. He said, “In the fields of automation and electrical engineering, China is one of the countries with the most active development of emerging technologies and the most diverse application scenarios in the world. I am pleased to see that the ‘ABB Cup’ Innovation Competition has undergone nearly 20 years of development, constantly iterating and upgrading, closely following the forefront trends of the industry, integrating into real application scenarios, opening up new tracks, polishing new topics, and inspiring more and more young talents to actively engage in innovative practices and explore the future of technology with enthusiasm. ”

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Dr. Zhang Nan, Secretary General of the Chinese Society of Automation, was invited to attend the ceremony. In her speech, she said, “As China accelerates the implementation of its innovation driven development strategy and promotes the process of new industrialization, we urgently need a large number of top-notch innovative and application-oriented high skilled talents who possess solid professional knowledge and comprehensive practical abilities. As an important social force in the fields of automation, information and intelligent technology, the Chinese Society of Automation and ABB work closely together, relying on the advantages of industry university research collaboration, continuously expanding the competition platform, stimulating the innovation vitality of scientific and technological talents, guiding young students to acquire knowledge, promoting interdisciplinary integration and application, and building a foundation for innovation and creation. ”

The ABB Cup Innovation Competition also received strong support from the Swiss Embassy and Consulate in China. Swiss Consul General in Shanghai, Kevin Shao, stated that the ABB Cup Innovation Competition embodies Switzerland’s innovative philosophy and creates a vibrant ecosystem to inspire and showcase the vibrant creativity of young people.

As a leading enterprise in emerging technology fields, ABB has been driving the transformation and development of numerous industries in China and around the world. Wishing ABB continued success on the path of innovation and congratulating all participants! Through cross-cultural and interdisciplinary collaboration, we can harness the power of technology to create a better and more sustainable future for everyone. ”

Competition Question 1: Cyber Building Blocks – AI Control Application Based on the “Amphibious” Operating System of B&R

This set of competition questions focuses on cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, digital twins, and IoT integration, carefully designed to simulate complex challenges in actual industrial applications, effectively stimulating the innovation enthusiasm of young students. The participating students, with their in-depth understanding of IT software, closely integrated with the industrial control software Automation Studio of B&R, demonstrating innovative thinking and brilliant creativity. The contestants delved deeply into the competition topic, keenly capturing new trends in industrial development, laying a solid foundation for entering society and promoting technological innovation in the future.

In the end, after intense defense and strict evaluation in the finals, the project proposal of Zhang Deping, Yan Tao, and Zhan Yueling’s team (guided by Luo Min) from Southwest Petroleum University performed excellently in image processing, motion control, communication debugging, and human-computer interface design, demonstrating a profound interpretation of the competition topic and clear and comprehensive thinking and presentation, winning the first prize. Another three teams won second and third prizes, and three teams won the Excellence Award.

Question 2: Defending the Vanguard – Intelligent Fault Monitoring of Electric Motors Based on Deep Learning

This competition aims to improve the reliability and efficiency of motors. Participants are required to provide motor application data based on ABB, solve problems such as signal processing, feature extraction, and image recognition, and establish a motor rotor fracture monitoring model based on fault mechanisms, machine learning, and deep learning techniques. The results will be provided based on the validation set data. The participating teams have shown outstanding performance in feature engineering, deep learning algorithm applications, and practical scenario verification. By exploring different technical paths and algorithms, the contestants contribute to the development of industrial fault diagnosis technology.

The team led by Teng Chao, Lian Yake, and Zhu Qixiang from Xi’an Jiaotong University (supervised by Yan Ruqiang) stood out with their innovation and effective application in three-phase current fusion method, demonstrating their significant advantages in improving fault diagnosis accuracy and anti-interference ability. They received high praise from the judges and won the first prize; Another 5 teams won second and third prizes, and 24 teams won the Excellence Award.

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Topic 3: Exploration of Interconnection – Innovation of Digital Interconnection Applications between Robots and PLCs

This competition focuses on efficient communication between robots and PLCs. Participants use ABB robot simulation software RobotStudio, various PLC simulation software, and advanced digital tools to design simulation application cases that are both realistic and highly realistic, achieving OPC UA communication interaction between robots and PLCs. The overall technical content of the entries is high and innovative, reflecting the contestants’ precise control of details and pursuit of efficiency in every aspect from intelligent warehousing, automated assembly to precision machining.

The team led by Zeng Rongbin and Lin Jun from Shenzhen Information Vocational and Technical College (under the guidance of Xie Peng) vividly constructed a high fidelity robot simulation reality on the ABB RobotStudio platform. They ingeniously built a communication bridge between Berkeley and third-party PLCs to RobotStudio, allowing data and instructions to freely shuttle between virtual and reality. With the help of self-developed upper computer software, they achieved all-round control of the robot workstation, standing out in fierce competition and winning the first prize of the competition; Another 8 teams won second and third prizes, and 12 teams won the Excellence Award.

Question 4: Smart Fusion – When Robots Encounter Mobile Devices

The integration of mobile devices and robots greatly enhances the perception and adaptability of robots, and provides strong support for their mobile interconnection and intelligent interaction. The participants of this competition showcased excellent ideas in integrating robots with mobile devices, creatively solving the challenges in the evolution of robots. Their research directions cover key technological fields such as robot control, mobile communication, intelligent manufacturing, ecological energy, and environmental detection. By combining the voice input, camera, touch screen, and communication capabilities of robots and mobile devices, they have solved a series of important technical issues including robot teaching, trajectory planning, AI and big language models, fault diagnosis, and predictive maintenance. This demonstrates a serious and responsible quality and a high level of completion, which to some extent promotes the further development of robot technology.

In the end, after fierce competition and strict evaluation, Gao Hongbin (advisor: Jia Zixi) from Northeastern University won the first prize. The work uses voice from mobile devices as input to receive instructions, and fully explores innovative technologies such as cloud technology and big language models, exploring the perfect integration of artificial intelligence and robotic arm control technology, promoting the next generation of robot perception and interaction technology, demonstrating a very high degree of work completion and excellent commercial potential. Another three teams won second and third prizes, and three teams won the Excellence Award.

The innovation competition not only provides an open platform for participating students to showcase their creativity and improve themselves, but also offers multi-faceted support for students to hone their thinking and apply what they have learned. In addition to providing software tools and training materials related to the competition, the organizing committee also held multiple online live broadcasts and offline campus exchanges, inviting experts and teachers from universities and enterprises to conduct competition topic analysis, technical training, and interactive Q&A. The award-winning student representatives were also invited to visit ABB’s factory in Shanghai and the ABB booth at the China International Industry Fair, to get up close and understand the latest technological trends, accumulate innovative practical experience, and lay a solid foundation for future participation in technological transformation and industrial development.

The ABB Cup Intelligent Technology Innovation Competition is jointly organized by ABB and the Chinese Society of Automation, and has received strong support from industry associations, industry experts, and the Swiss Embassy in China. Over the past 19 years, more than 20000 participants have participated. The competition is committed to cultivating compound innovative talents and applied talents in new engineering fields, communicating with industry, academia, research and application, and working together with all sectors to promote the digital and intelligent transformation and high-quality development of the industry.
Click to view the complete list of awards.

ABB is a technology leader in the field of electrical and automation, committed to empowering a more sustainable and efficient future. ABB integrates engineering experience and software technology into solutions to optimize manufacturing, transportation, energy, and operations. Adhering to over 130 years of outstanding history, ABB’s approximately 105000 employees worldwide are dedicated to driving innovation and accelerating industrial transformation. ABB has comprehensive business activities in China, including research and development, manufacturing, sales, and engineering services. It has 27 local enterprises and 15000 employees in nearly 130 cities, with online and offline channels covering approximately 700 cities across the country.

Recently, the high-quality development policy for the robot parts cluster area and embodied intelligence industry in Pudong New Area was released. The two levels of urban and rural areas have jointly issued 16 policies on embodied intelligence industry, providing strong support for the development of embodied intelligence industry from multiple levels and helping Pudong build a world-class industrial cluster of artificial intelligence.

In the Shanghai ABB Robot Super Factory located in Pudong, robots were already “on the job” last year to tighten screws on the production line. This year, with the empowerment of AI, the robots have achieved a 100% success rate in becoming “permanent employees”. Last year, we introduced a robot screw tightening workstation, and the accuracy of screw tightening was improved from 20% to 80% through deep learning. After further training of the model over the past year, the success rate of robot screw tightening on this production line can basically reach 100%, “said Han Chen, the head of ABB’s robotics business in China.

Recently, ABB Accelerator China Week was held simultaneously at the ABB Robot Super Factory and online platform in Shanghai. During the event, ABB showcased over 40 AI application solutions, showcasing the transformative power of AI from multiple dimensions. Currently, ABB has over 250 ongoing AI projects worldwide, covering both analytical AI and generative AI, which is more than double the number from a year ago. Among them, the ‘super factory’ already covers multiple aspects such as production, welding, and order forecasting.

As the first city in China to include robot density in its statistics, Shanghai’s key industrial robot density will reach 426 units per 10000 people in 2024, ranking at the world’s leading level. Currently, Shanghai is promoting the use of 10000 industrial robots in smart factories, aiming to achieve a density of 500 industrial robots per 10000 people in key manufacturing industries by 2025. As one of ABB’s largest robot factories in the world, the ABB Shanghai Gigafactory has become not only a production site but also a testing ground for AI innovation. Over the past year, with the emergence of cutting-edge technologies such as Deepseek, there has been a deeper exploration of new paradigms and applications generated by the use of artificial intelligence within the ‘super factory’. ”Han Chen stated.

When will humanoid robots truly “take up their posts”? An Shiming, President of ABB Group’s Robotics and Discrete Automation Division and member of ABB Group’s Executive Committee, believes that the continuous efforts of AI have enabled humanoid robots to evolve at a high speed. “For example, installing eyes on humanoid robots allows them to grasp more accurately, and refining joints makes robots more powerful and controllable. China occupies an important share of the global robotics market and has a fertile soil for innovation. The development of humanoid robots is very promising

During the ABB Accelerator China Week, the AI Hackathon competition attracted numerous participating teams from ABB China and around the world, receiving a total of about 350 AI proposals and application cases. The technologies involved include machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, computer vision, and reinforcement learning.