Hebei Province has leveraged large-scale model applications as a key driver to advance the digital, networked, and intelligent transformation of its manufacturing sector through a coordinated approach at four levels: point, line, surface, and system.
According to the provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, the province's integration of informatization and industrialization has reached a maturity level of 66.2, ranking 9th nationwide. The numerical control rate of key processes stands at 72.9%, maintaining a top-four position nationally for six consecutive years. The cloud adoption rate for industrial equipment is 37.5%, continuing to lead the country. Regionally, Tangshan, Shijiazhuang, and Handan are the top three performers in integration, with Tangshan surpassing the national average by 3.6%. Shijiazhuang leads in digitalization across management, service-oriented manufacturing, and supply chain management.
By industry, advanced steel, new materials, and next-generation information technology rank in the top three for integration, all above the provincial average. Advanced steel leads in key process numerical control rates, digital production equipment connectivity, and smart manufacturing readiness. The new materials sector excels in digitalization of production control, customization, and service-oriented manufacturing. The next-generation IT sector demonstrates advantages in product digitalization, supply chain management, and industrial software adoption.
Liang Li Jian, Director of the Software Industry Division at the provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, explained that Hebei is using large model applications in manufacturing as a catalyst. At the "point" level, the province has implemented 10,377 digital transformation projects, focusing on six new application models such as personalized customization and intelligent manufacturing. This has resulted in 43 national-level 5G factories, 864 advanced smart factories, and 14 premium smart factories. Cloud adoption has surged, with 117,000 enterprises now using cloud services.
At the "line" level, Hebei was designated by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology as the only pilot province in China for digital transformation of the steel industry, developing a "one-map, four-list" framework for steel sector digitalization. It was also recognized as a pilot province for digital supply chain certification, completing certification for 15 chain-leading enterprises across 8 industries. In 2023, Hebei was selected as a pilot province for the dairy industry's digital and intelligent transformation, initiating work on transformation scenario maps and element lists.
At the "surface" level, the province guides industrial clusters in digital and intelligent upgrades, promoting shared factories to become smart factories. It has cultivated several "industry brains" and applied a "digitalization + finance" innovation model for clusters. The province conducted 53 matchmaking activities for industrial parks, serving over 20,000 enterprises. These efforts have upgraded digital infrastructure in parks, accelerated the transformation of leading enterprises, and fostered 10 provincial-level digital parks.
At the "system" level, Hebei is building a transformation service ecosystem. It has created a resource pool of 306 digital transformation service providers for manufacturing, cultivating 23 provincial-level digital transformation promotion centers, three of which are national-level centers. The province has strengthened network and data security in the industrial sector, establishing a city-province emergency management and risk notification system for industrial data security incidents. Hebei was recognized as a region with outstanding cybersecurity effectiveness, with seven enterprises selected for national industrial cybersecurity cases, ranking first in the country. Five projects were chosen for the second batch of national cybersecurity insurance service pilots, ranking third nationally.