On the Gobi Desert in Shihezi, Xinjiang, a modern coal chemical digital factory operates with remarkable efficiency, where intelligent robots conduct autonomous patrols along preset tracks, a cloud-based smart control system optimizes tens of thousands of production parameters in real-time, and 5G technology transmits equipment data to the central control room in milliseconds. Behind this vision of industrial intelligence lies over 20 years of dedication and innovation from Cao Zhiye, an industrial worker at Xinjiang Tianye Group Co., Ltd. and a Labor Model of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. When Cao Zhiye first entered the factory, he was merely an ordinary electrician. Confronted with intricate circuitry and equipment demanding stringent control precision, he immersed himself in studying cutting-edge instrumentation control technologies while systematically learning process theory, successfully achieving a cross-disciplinary transition within four years and rapidly advancing from a frontline electrician to a fully capable engineer. In 2017, Tianye Group launched its 600,000-ton coal-to-ethylene glycol project, the largest single-train facility of its kind in China. For over 1,000 days, Cao Zhiye remained stationed on the front lines, leading the effort to verify more than 50,000 DCS control points and calibrate over 20,000 SIS safety interlocks, transforming designs on blueprints into tangible operational installations. During the gasifier commissioning phase, Cao Zhiye demonstrated bold innovation by proposing the installation of a visual monitoring device at the top of the gasifier, effectively giving the furnace chamber "eyes." He spent five consecutive days and nights completing a technical feasibility analysis report and supervising the construction modifications, ultimately resolving abnormal ignition issues. This project set the record for the fastest startup of a similar type of coal chemical plant in China and overcame more than a hundred instrumentation and automation challenges. In 2023, the "Cao Zhiye Model Worker Innovation Studio" was officially established, becoming a primary base for tackling technical challenges and nurturing talent. Cao Zhiye has played a pivotal role in mentoring and guiding frontline workers to enhance their skills; the studio has since accumulated 10 innovation patents, 3 invention patents, and achieved technological innovations across six different focus areas. By 2025, the "Coal-based New Materials Intelligent Manufacturing Demonstration Factory" project, spearheaded by Cao Zhiye, passed national-level acceptance, with its Advanced Process Control (APC) system reducing operator intervention frequency by over 95%, thereby solidifying the company's technical barriers for safe production. On the path of pursuing technological frontiers, Cao Zhiye has never ceased his efforts. In 2025, he obtained the TÜV Rheinland Certified Functional Safety Engineer qualification in instrumentation, earning international authoritative recognition for his professional capabilities in the field of industrial safety. He was also selected for the Corps SME Digital Transformation Expert Database and participated in the compilation of professional publications, achieving a transition from practitioner to knowledge sharer. Remaining true to his original aspirations for over two decades, Cao Zhiye has empowered industrial upgrading with master craftsmanship, writing a chapter of struggle for the new-era industrial worker on the Gobi Desert.