At present, it has become a global consensus to address climate change and promote green, low-carbon and sustainable development. China's machinery and electronic foreign economic and trade industry has made excellent achievements in green, low-carbon and sustainable development. In order to summarize the experience of the industry, CCCME collected green development cases from its member enterprises, and together with Deloitte China, prepared the Report on Sustainable Development of China's Machinery and Electronic Foreign Economic and Trade and Collection of Cases on Green Development of CCCME Members.

 

The report analyzes the significance of the sustainable development of the machinery and electronic foreign economic and trade industry, and summarizes the excellent enterprise cases in five aspects: Contribution to International Cooperation for Sustainable Development, Innovation in Green Products and Services, Green and Low-carbon Transition of Enterprises, Building Responsible Supply Chains, and Fulfillment of Social Responsibilities. In this article, we will share the cases of member enterprises' green and low-carbon transition.

 

 

The machinery and electronic industry accelerates green transformation and upgrading. With the continuous deepening and increasing of China's economy and technology, the machinery and electronic industry is also facing increasing pressure for green transformation. At the national policy level, China is committed to improving equipment energy efficiency and promoting industrial upgrading. Since the 12th Five Year Plan, the number of policies towards green and efficient development has gradually increased, promoting relevant industries to achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. In the long run, low-carbon and green will be the main development direction of China's machinery and electronic industry in the future, and also an important focus on improving product market competitiveness. On May 19, 2015, the State Council issued Made in China 2025, which clearly stated that "green manufacturing project" is one of the five major manufacturing projects in China; On September 14, 2016, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology officially released the Green Manufacturing Engineering Implementation Guide (2016-2020), which for the first time proposed the green manufacturing pilot demonstration requirements of "building green factories, building green industrial parks, creating the green supply chain and developing green products". According to the document's goal, by 2025, the green development of the manufacturing sector and the unit consumption of major products will reach the world's advanced level, and a green manufacturing system will be basically established.

 

Against the backdrop of promoting a low-carbon and green economy globally, with the launch of different policies and guidance documents at home and abroad, the development prospects of the machinery and electronic industry have also undergone significant changes, prioritizing economic indicators such as product performance in the past, and now a core trend has gradually emerged that balances intelligent automation, energy conservation and emission reduction, environmental friendliness, recycling, and innovative development. The main development trends for the low-carbon and green transformation of the machinery and electronic industry include the following points:

 

Automation and intelligence: Automation and intelligence are one of the inevitable trends in the development of the machinery and electronic industry. Introducing advanced automation equipment and intelligent technology can achieve benefits including improving production efficiency, reducing energy consumption, and lowering costs.

 

Low carbon and green manufacturing: In the context of low-carbon economic development, saving resources and energy, reducing pollutant emissions, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the production process are the core contents of the transformation of green manufacturing in the machinery and electronic industry. Traditional machinery and electronic product manufacturing enterprises need to improve and update equipment, apply new low-carbon green technologies, and optimize production processes to meet the requirements of green manufacturing. On this basis, enterprises should also explore incorporating the concept of low-carbon and green from the product design stage, in order to reduce the resource and environmental impact of the whole life-cycle of products, and significantly improve the level of product greening.

 

Technological innovation application: In the green and low-carbon transformation process of the machinery and electronic industry, technological innovation is an essential means. Innovative technologies including new energy, materials, and production processes can also bring more business opportunities and development space to enterprises, and improve their core competitiveness.

 

Coordinated development of the industrial chain: While enterprises carry out low-carbon and green development, they should also pay attention to the coordinated green development of upstream and downstream enterprises in the industrial chain. For industry leading enterprises or enterprises with strong influence on suppliers, they can leverage their own advantages to propose low-carbon and green requirements for suppliers, and drive their low-carbon and green transformation.

 

In recent years, leading enterprises in China's electromechanical foreign trade industry have deeply implemented President Xi Jinping's Thought on Ecological Civilization and the spirit of "The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China", and have achieved excellent results in green, low-carbon, sustainable development, and international cooperation. These enterprises have made China's contributions to promoting the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the climate action goals of the Paris Agreement. CCCME enterprises have made many efforts in low-carbon and green development, and have yielded good results.

 

 

YOFC: Establishing Green Plants to Comprehensively Boost Green and Low-carbon Development

As environmental problems including climate change become increasingly serious, green development has become a consensus among countries across the world. Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Company (YOFC) has learned that green development is consistent with its own short- and long-term interests. While insisting on providing customers with high-quality products and services, YOFC deeply integrates the concept of green, low-carbon, and sustainable development into routine production, operation, and engineering construction, takes green and low-carbon actions in an all-round way, and works with the upstream and downstream enterprises to promote the green and low-carbon transformation of the industry.

 

In 2022, to fulfill the targets of carbon emission reduction and carbon neutrality, YOFC formulated the "Green Development Action Plan" that concentrated on carbon management. In the action plan, three action routes involving "green operation", "green plant", and "green product" were planned, and corresponding "management program", "technical program", and "market program" were formulated. The companies and business modules at the executive level took charge of the elaboration and implementation of these programs.

 

YOFC has integrated the response to climate change, energy management, water resource management, emission control, green procurement, and green office into its routine green operation, and promoted green development through multiple measures. In terms of energy mix optimization, YOFC purchased 303,740 MWh of green power through green power trade in 2022, which was equivalent to a reduction of 21,991 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. In terms of energy efficiency improvement, YOFC has conducted the frequency conversion transformation of the refrigeration station, installed energy-saving regulating devices, and built an intelligent machine room group control system, saving more than 20% of power of the refrigeration station. In addition, YOFC has also set up an information management system with energy and carbon emission control as its core. Relying on advanced technological means such as the Internet of Things and big data, YOFC has achieved comprehensive monitoring of energy consumption and carbon emission processes and formed a whole-process energy consumption and carbon emission management system, which effectively improves the energy utilization efficiency and lowers the carbon emission level.

 

Energy-saving transformation of the refrigeration station

 

In addition to green and low-carbon measures, YOFC has also intensified efforts in product greening. Taking the UV-LED Project as an example, the replacement of traditional mercury lamps in the curing process upon optical fiber coating based on the blue LED technology significantly reduces energy consumption by about 60%. By the end of 2022, YOFC has improved 30 tower lines from traditional mercury lamp curing to UV-LED curing, remarkably reducing the carbon footprints of products during production. YOFC has also optimized the helium recovery system by adjusting the helium recovery mode from regional centralization to single-tower decentralization. Moreover, YOFC has improved the helium recovery efficiency by 15% via lowering the lower limit of helium extraction and automatically adjusting the amount of gas to be extracted under different helium recovery concentrations, effectively reducing helium consumption of optical fiber in the technological process and saving resources.

 

Single-tower decentralized helium recovery system

 

Thanks to its efforts in green and low-carbon development, YOFC was rated as a green plant in 2022 National Green Manufacturing List. During the same period, Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Shenyang Co., Ltd. was recognized as a green plant in 2022 Liaoning Green Manufacturing List. In recent years, subsidiaries of YOFC, including Yangtze Optical Fibre Qianjiang Co., Ltd. and Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Lanzhou Co., Ltd., have taken the lead in being included in the list of national green plants in 2021, fully demonstrating YOFC's strength in green manufacturing.

 

 

Guangdong Atlan: Optimizing the Energy Mix for Green Manufacturing

Against the backdrop of low-carbon economy and green transformation of industrial enterprises, and starting from the use of green energy and energy saving and efficiency improvement, Guangdong Atlan Electronic Appliance Manufacture Co., Ltd. (Atlan) has gained favorable economic benefits in energy saving, carbon reduction, and green development, and achieved the purpose of energy conservation and emission reduction, as well as positively responded to the requirements of green development.

 

Atlan actively promotes the use of renewable energy. In 2022, it signed a contract with Guangdong Raising Synthesis Energy Service Co., Ltd. for the construction of Atlan distributed PV power generation project. According to the contract, intelligent PV power stations would be built in Atlan's four plants; idle roofing and internal power grid in a building would be used to achieve solar grid-connected power generation, without occupying additional available space and additional land resources in buildings, thus enhancing the aesthetic feeling of buildings, and intensifying the energy-saving effect of buildings. The availability of green power was added to the combined effect of energy conservation and emission reduction. With considerable economic returns, the project was completed and connected to the grid in March 2023.

 

The total installed capacity of the four plants has reached 2,929 kWp, with an average annual power generation of 2.81 million kWh, which is equivalent to a reduction of 2,992 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. At the same time, they generate annual economic benefits of about 2.5 million yuan for the company itself.

 

Rooftop PV project on company site

 

In addition to the energy mix optimization, Atlan has taken measures of energy-conservation and consumption reduction to reduce carbon emissions. For example, in Jiangyi No. 4 Plant, there were three air compressors in the workshop originally, with high power consumption and low efficiency. By adopting the permanent magnet variable frequency air compressor unit with the first-class energy efficiency, only one 90 KW permanent magnet variable frequency two-stage compression screw air compressor can meet the operating requirements, which will save 270,000 kWh of electricity per year. Upon qualified trial, all existing plants of Atlan have replaced the air compressor system, achieving better energy conservation and emission reduction effect and certain economic returns.

 

Guangdong Atlan Electronic Appliance Manufacture Co., Ltd. is a "National Green Plant" approved by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The company will further integrate the concept of green, low-carbon, and sustainable development into its subsequent new site projects. Through its own actions, the company will drive the surrounding enterprises to get involved in green, low-carbon, and sustainable development.

 

 

CCFG: Focusing on Green and Low-carbon Development, Promoting Green Construction of Overseas Projects

Boosting the green development of the Belt and Road is not only the inherent requirement for pursuing the vision of green development and promoting the construction of ecological civilization, but also a significant action for actively responding to climate change and safeguarding global ecological security. China Construction First Group Corporation Limited (CCFG) actively responds to the government's call and carries out green and low-carbon work in a number of projects developed by BRI countries, gaining desirable benefits.

 

CCFG has formulated special green constructionschemes for overseas projects in multiple BRI countries, clarified the requirements for green construction and green building, and implemented the concepts of resource conservation and environmental livability in design. The ALABANG OFFICE/BPO BUILDING in the Philippines has achieved office building energy conservation with energy-saving refrigeration, lighting fixtures, and optimization of office equipment power consumption, and other measures.

 

Road dustfall for ALABANG OFFICE/BPO BUILDING in the Philippines

 

CCFG took a number of green environmental protection measures in the BUT PERMANET CAMP in Iraq. In the canteen, the company applied the kitchen low-altitude emission and purification of soot, managed relevant vehicles, and posted environmental protection identifications. In addition, on the construction site, CCFG applied material-saving design for temporary housing and warehouses. Measures, such as water-saving appliances, water purifiers, concrete coating and curing, and domestic water recycling, were also adopted on site. In the management of power consumption, in addition to the use of energy-saving appliances, CCFG also took full advantage of renewable energy and used solar water heaters.

 

On-site solar water heaters for BUT PERMANET CAMP in Iraq

 

The ALAMEIN DOWNTOWN TOWERS in Egypt participated in construction, CCFG adopted more green construction measures. For the rebar raw material storage yard, concrete slabs were used to facilitate the construction on site. For wooden forms with less turnovers, CCFG realized material and energy conservation through design optimization and turnover increase. Furthermore, CCFG also optimized the floor slabs and rebars of buildings to reduce material consumption and costs.

 

For the construction of overseas projects, due to the limited local resources, many construction materials need to be purchased from other countries. Material consumption and costs of the project construction can be effectively reduced through proper adjustment in accordance with local conditions and reasonable planning. Meanwhile, the construction of projects can also gain considerable green benefits based on strict green construction management.

 

 

SUMEC Energy: Combining Technological Innovation and Energy Conservation and Consumption Reduction, Integrating Green Design with Energy Optimization

SUMEC Energy Holdings Co., Ltd. is affiliated to SUMEC Group Corporation (SUMEC), a subsidiary of China National Machinery Industry Corporation (SINOMACH). It is committed to providing clean energy products and services such as photovoltaics and wind power to society and customers, promoting green development, and continuously creating economic, social, and ecological value. Under the background of low-carbon economy and green transformation of industrial enterprises, SUMEC Energy adopts a series of measures such as intelligent reform, energy conservation and consumption reduction, green design, and renewable energy utilization to achieve green development.

 

Committed to continuous self-innovation and improvement in manufacturing, the company has focused on establishing intelligent manufacturing plants and optimizing production through the implementation of MES system and ERP integration. These initiatives have significantly increased production efficiency, leading to a product qualification rate of 99.5% as compared to the previous 99%. Furthermore, efforts have been made to gradually achieve 100% automation in key processes, resulting in a reduction in human resources by approximately 50%. These advancements have also enabled an increase in annual production capacity from 220MW to 500MW.

 

Plant Intelligent Production Line Schematic

 

In terms of energy saving and consumption reduction, SUMEC Energy conducts comprehensive energy optimization from the perspective of whole-plant energy supply, including various forms of energy integration optimization and comprehensive energy-saving transformations in equipment energy efficiency, covering multiple dimensions and levels. When upgrading and transforming the production line automation, the company has carried out energy-saving upgrades and transformations of refrigeration equipment, lighting equipment, compressed air equipment, welding machines, laminating machines, etc., without affecting production capacity, resulting in significant energy-saving benefits.

 

In order to optimize the process flow, the company has innovatively applied insulated strips to all-black modules. This not only reduces material costs, but also ensures consistency in the appearance of all-black modules. It has also passed the TUV certification and testing by the authoritative third party, saving 300,000 yuan per month in material costs and reducing resource consumption.

 

In addition to reducing energy consumption, the company also pursues the optimization of energy structure. SUMEC Energy has built a new "Generation, Grid, Load, and Storage" comprehensive smart energy application demonstration park, which consists of wind power generation, distributed photovoltaics on rooftops, ground-mounted photovoltaic power stations, BIPV photovoltaic carports, BIPV steel structure rooftop distributed photovoltaic power stations, diesel generators, intelligent AC/DC charging piles, wind-solar complementary smart street lights, and energy storage power stations. It is managed and controlled by a smart cloud platform for digital energy management.

 

"Generation, Grid, Load, and Storage" Comprehensive Smart Energy Demonstration Park

 

The demonstration park project generates approximately 300,000 kWh of self-generated green electricity annually, reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 282 tons, equivalent to planting 11.5 acres of trees. It saves more than 200,000 yuan in electricity costs each year. The energy storage power station is designed for two-way charging and discharging, saving approximately 500,000 yuan in electricity costs annually and increasing the proportion of renewable energy usage by 4% to 6%.

 

In March 2023, SUMEC Phono Solar Technology Co., Ltd. officially received the first domestic certificate for 100% green energy consumption from the China Quality Certification Center (CQC). In June of the same year, it received the Carbon Neutrality Certification from TUV SUD (Technical Inspection Association.