On July 28 in Shenzhen, at the opening ceremony of the 2021 (4th) Gao Gong Robot Integrator Conference, themed “New Turning Point—New Business Models,” Wu Yuhui, Director and General Manager of STEP, delivered a keynote speech titled “Digital Twin-Driven Robot System Integration.” In his speech, he further elaborated on digital twins and expressed STEP commitment to continuing its open and collaborative approach, working closely with outstanding system integrators to ensure the practical implementation of smart manufacturing projects.

General Manager Wu Yuhui introduced the latest developments at STEP. Currently, STEP’ business revolves around intelligent manufacturing and robotics. Its welding robots, palletizing robots, and SCARA robots have already reached a level on par with international brands. Benefiting from an explosive market demand and its own technological advancements, STEP’ robotics business achieved substantial growth in the first half of this year. These remarkable achievements are closely tied to STEP’ 26-year-long technological foundation; to the company’s long-term, large-scale R&D investments since it entered the robotics industry in 2010; and even more so, to STEP’ focused strategic approach. He called upon domestic robot manufacturers to zero in on niche markets, concentrate their technological strengths, and achieve technological and market leadership within those specialized segments. Through steady, incremental progress over time, we can ultimately realize the overall rise of China’s robotics industry.

General Manager Wu Yuhui pointed out that the core elements driving the transformation and upgrading of China’s manufacturing sector are jointly composed of three key pillars— an excellent manufacturing system, customer value across all scenarios, and innovative business models—as well as two fundamental components: digital capabilities and organizational capabilities. The excellent manufacturing system encompasses refined management and decision-making, dynamic demand and supply planning and management, flexible production, and full-chain traceability. Customer value across all scenarios primarily focuses on placing customers at the center, creating new value through personalized user experiences, digital product traceability, and new sales channels. Innovative business models refer to upstream-downstream collaboration, service-oriented manufacturing, C2B approaches, and industrial chain platforms. Digital capabilities include a unified data governance system, a multi-level collaborative industrial internet architecture, cloud-based service-oriented system platforms, and intelligent manufacturing technology platforms. Organizational capabilities encompass specialized digital project implementation teams, leadership and agile organizational structures, and digital talent development programs.

In the conference’s product showcase area, STEP Automation is demonstrating SCARA applications.

General Manager Wu Yuhui outlined the implementation roadmap for STEP digital strategy: developing industrial simulation software, establishing a product model library covering STEP robots, controllers, servos, and other products, and leveraging efficient product design, supply chain collaboration, virtual assembly and commissioning, equipment health management, a digital process manufacturing platform, and full-lifecycle technical support for factories. By integrating various systems through MES, we will build a digital ecosystem for the company, achieve digital integration with customer systems, and deepen the application of digital twin technology in manufacturing plants.
STEP is actively leveraging digital twin technology to advance the implementation of intelligent manufacturing. By adopting advanced technologies such as 3D laser scanning, establishing a CAVE laboratory, and utilizing digital cloud platforms, STEP has moved from virtually verifying product manufacturability through 3D simulations, thereby improving first-pass assembly yield, saving R&D time, optimizing production plans, promoting lean manufacturing, and ultimately boosting factory capacity while alleviating logistics bottlenecks. From offline programming and virtual commissioning, which enable collaborative operation of robotic equipment and significantly shorten production line commissioning cycles while reducing downtime, to real-time virtual-real integration of on-site equipment—through digital twin technology, STEP uses digital simulations to address challenges in physical spaces, enhancing efficiency and reducing resource consumption.

General Manager Wu Yuhui attended the roundtable dialogue session.

General Manager Wu Yuhui also attended the roundtable discussion organized by Dr. Zhang Xiaofei, Chairman of Gao Gong Robotics, during which he exchanged views with the other participants on the topic of “The Challenges and Opportunities for China’s Intelligent Manufacturing in the Face of Major Global Shifts.” All participants unanimously agreed that, influenced by macroeconomic factors such as the accelerated upgrading of industries and the rapid development of emerging sectors, the robotics industry entered a “golden period of development” in 2021, and system integrators have become direct beneficiaries of the surge in downstream demand. Looking ahead, with the support of multiple factors—including capital, talent, and technology—the pace of integration within the robotics industry is expected to accelerate. Meanwhile, system integrators will undergo a transformation—from fragmentation to reshaping—and domestically produced alternatives will dominate this process.

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