Beijing Printing Group, Henan Xinhua, Shengtong Co., Ltd. And Five Other Printing Companies Are Discussing The Construction Of Digital Factories On The Same Stage. What Do They Say?

Recently, the 3rd Printing Industry Digital Factory Construction Promotion Conference of 2025 was held in Tianjin. The conference specially set up a "roundtable dialogue" session, and the guests discussed the difficulties and obstacles in the process of building digital factories for Indian enterprises, as well as how to effectively tap into the value of data, with the theme of "The construction of digital factories is imperative, and accurate implementation strategies for Indian enterprises". Now, we will share the highlights with everyone.
Beijing Printing Group plays different roles in different stages of development, and has been cooperating with various industries and sectors through branch offices in the past. Until 2020, with institutional adjustments, it officially participated in market operations as a group company. In the same year, the superior company leased the original Beijing Paper Factory located in the Beijing Lingkong Development Zone to Beijing Printing Group for operation, and the production sector officially moved to the national industrial development zone.
Around 2021, the National Press and Publication Administration released a series of intelligent manufacturing standards. Beijing Printing Group took advantage of the situation and integrated the basic requirements of intelligent manufacturing and network construction into the new factory area during the production planning. In the initial stage of digital transformation, the equipment upgrade of Beijing Printing Group presents a distinct characteristic of "natural evolution". On the basis of lean production, the introduction of automated equipment such as stacking robots, folding machines, glue assembly lines, and AGV vehicles for material transportation in the factory area is a natural choice for enterprises based on their own cost assessment, business needs, and market trends. At the same time as upgrading hardware equipment, Beijing Printing Group is focusing on promoting the construction of digital factories in terms of software. By introducing MES, ERP, WMS, etc., digital control of production factors such as labor time and material loss has been achieved, and visual production management has been promoted based on kanban.
The company encountered some difficulties and challenges during the construction of the digital factory. Firstly, the printing industry has complex processes that involve the integration of technologies from multiple fields such as machinery, electronics, and chemistry. If it is a long-term production, it is relatively easy to control; If it is a short version production, due to the many changing factors, it is difficult to unify material and process requirements, resulting in difficulty in significantly improving standardization and automation, and making it difficult to carry out work. Secondly, in the context of rapid technological development and continuous updates and iterations, enterprises are facing the pressure of whether to invest a considerable amount of money to prepare for future profits.Regarding the concept of data mining, I believe the key is not to mine new data, but how to apply existing data well. ERP systems have been widely used in various industries since the early 1990s, and the vast majority of printing companies have also been equipped with related systems. However, many companies have not truly obtained effective data collection. This requires device manufacturers to start with collecting and organizing basic data, and conducting effective statistical analysis, so that users can truly apply this data to practical business. As enterprises gradually move towards standardization and lean development, and face the requirements of industry greening, digitization, and even the need to integrate AI into digital intelligence, we believe that data applications will become more and more perfect, helping enterprises to better develop.
In the future, Beijing Printing Group's digital factory construction will continue to focus on low cost, high efficiency, and high quality, making the operation of digital factories more solid.
Henan Xinhua Printing Group is steadily promoting the development of digital factories based on the construction of Zhongyuan Digital Printing Industry Park. At present, the main project of the industrial park has been completed and accepted, and the construction of supporting special projects such as fire protection and air conditioning is progressing in an orderly manner. The comprehensive acceptance work is expected to be fully completed by the end of October this year.
In the process of intelligent construction, Henan Xinhua adheres to the principle of "top-level design and step-by-step implementation", aiming to build a digital factory with the goal of "solving pain points, process reengineering, data-driven, and rapid response". During the construction process, focus on the pain points of production and operation, and build an efficient, high-quality, and low-cost intelligent system through process optimization and reengineering.

The construction of Henan Xinhua Digital Factory will be promoted in three phases: the first phase has been successfully launched. Carry out offline detection and automation exploration in the early stage, synchronously improve the ERP system, and focus on optimizing the basic data specifications and cost quotation module; The first phase of the MES system has been implemented, covering feedback terminal upgrades, mobile quality inspection, equipment maintenance, piece rate wage accounting, and printing resource library management; In terms of data collection, exploratory work has been carried out on some printing machines. Due to the delay in the construction of the industrial park, intelligent logistics testing was launched in advance in the old factory area, and partial single sheet and roll paper AGV distribution was achieved. The second phase focuses on preparing for the relocation of industrial parks. The main tasks include the overall construction, debugging and operation of the three-dimensional library, system integration and full process testing, planning the layout of the production line edge library, improving the visual inspection system, and promoting the preparation work for the first level management of the production system. The third phase aims to achieve automation upgrade and data connectivity. Plan to implement an automation transformation project, comprehensively collect data to connect the data chain; Realize full coverage of intelligent logistics, achieve on-demand and unmanned intelligent distribution scenarios in the production process, and focus on promoting the coordinated operation of intelligent distribution of printing paper and the second phase three-dimensional warehouse. After the project is implemented, data-driven production will provide support for semi-finished products, finished products, and material handling, while laying the foundation for subsequent APS advanced planning and scheduling, as well as the establishment of a unified data platform.
In the process of digital transformation, Henan Xinhua believes that informatization, dataization, automation, and intelligence are essential stages for the development of enterprises. Among them, automation is most effective in production processes with high labor intensity, and can significantly improve work efficiency after promotion. Taking the first phase of intelligent construction as an example, information technology measures such as real-time data feedback, online quality control, online recording of equipment maintenance, and piece rate wage accounting in the printing and assembly process have provided strong support for production control, quality process control, equipment preventive maintenance, and employee motivation, effectively assisting the use and management departments in their work. In the process of promotion, we adhere to the principle of "promoting one thing and implementing one thing" to ensure that every task is effective.

At the level of enterprise data application, there are still problems such as insufficient utilization of some data and the need to strengthen awareness of data application. With the deepening of digital transformation, production needs to be driven by data, so the timeliness and accuracy of data sources are crucial. The production process can be monitored in real-time through data collection, including planning and scheduling, utilization of working hours, and equipment operation status, accurately identifying and improving production bottlenecks; The equipment management process is crucial for preventive maintenance through complete repair and maintenance records, which can also help improve the skills of maintenance and operation personnel; The material management process can provide effective support for refined management through accurate outbound warehouse data. In the future, Henan Xinhua will continue to strengthen its data application capabilities and solidify the foundation of digital transformation.
The digital construction of Shengtong Co., Ltd. began in 1993, and its development path follows the pattern of point, line, and surface, steadily promoting the construction process of digitization, automation, and intelligence. This process has gone through multiple stages, from lead printing technology in 1993, to later film technology, to CTP direct plate making technology, and finally to the current digital transformation. During this period, the management system of Shengtong Co., Ltd. also underwent an evolution from the earliest partial order management system to the current publishing service cloud platform covering different factories in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and Shanghai.
Specifically, Shengtong Corporation carries out digitalization around four dimensions: quality, service, efficiency, and innovation. In terms of quality, we are equipped with multiple offline and online quality inspection equipment, as well as a series of digital systems such as GMI, QTI real-time online color management system and registration management system, to ensure that product quality meets the increasingly stringent requirements of the times. In terms of service, we have introduced a CRM system to gain a deeper understanding of our customers, while also allowing them to know us better. Our core goal is to provide more thoughtful and caring services, thereby improving customer satisfaction. In terms of efficiency, we are upgrading the APS system and attempting to integrate AI algorithms to improve efficiency and meet the current market demand for multiple order batches, short cycles, and high quality requirements. Finally, in terms of innovation, we are committed to providing books with more ways to play and making book packaging more popular, thereby driving market and industry development. These four dimensions are actually aimed at management and providing better support for decision-makers to make decisions.

For data applications, I think it can be roughly divided into three stages. The first stage is the ERP phase, which mainly relies on system construction, including manual data entry; The second stage is the "ERP+MES" phase, which introduces equipment related systems, including data acquisition and the introduction of various sensors; The third stage is the feedback phase of "ERP+MES+data", forming a data loop.
In these three stages, the value of data varies. In the first stage, although the system is just a tool, it brings us many conveniences, such as financial statements, quality records, maintenance records, etc. These pieces of information can guide subsequent production, avoid similar problems from happening again, facilitate the flow of information at different stages, and enable relevant personnel to see this information in a timely manner, which has great value for daily work. In the second stage, there are more dimensions of data and more refined management. For example, with data collection, if the machine suddenly shuts down at 2 o'clock in the morning, the manager can promptly understand the specific situation, which is the significance of real-time data collection. In addition, during the annual performance evaluation, data can be used to speak for itself, allowing employees with good machine operation, fast order processing, and high production rates to stand out, thus forming a positive and upward growth culture within the enterprise and inspiring everyone's work motivation. The third stage is the data closed-loop stage, where APS intelligent scheduling systems and AI systems, as we often refer to, require data as a foundation to assist AI decision-making through equipment stability data, work order data, and part lifecycle data, providing support for the system.
Huaxia Vision participated in the drafting of the "Three Year Action Plan for Digitalization of the Printing Industry (2025-2027)". This document specifies three key tasks, among which I believe the implementation of the Digital Capability Assessment Project for the printing industry is particularly crucial. I suggest that all printing companies conduct a self-assessment based on the "Digital Capability Self Assessment Public Welfare Model for the Printing Industry" to clarify their actual level of digitalization. Of course, this self-assessment model may need further optimization and adjustment, but it is currently quite comprehensive, covering 4 primary items, 15 secondary items, 38 tertiary items, and many qualitative evaluations. This model aims to provide reference for the subsequent digital construction of printing enterprises. For example, if a company is assessed to be at level two and wants to improve to level three or four in the future, it can clarify the work and direction of efforts that need to be carried out in the future. In addition, I believe that data reports are also extremely valuable. We not only need to understand the situation of our own enterprise, but also need to grasp the dynamics of the entire industry.

In recent years, we have conducted some practices in digitalization and have also contacted many business owners, finding that many people still feel confused about digitalization. Therefore, the value that the construction of digital factories can bring to printing enterprises is a crucial issue. How to achieve maximum results with minimal investment for enterprises is an urgent problem that the entire industry needs to solve. For enterprises, investing more does not necessarily mean good results. Therefore, I believe that every enterprise should think about how to promote digital implementation based on its own capabilities. The most important thing for enterprises is to do a good job in basic work and enhance their own strength, which is the key. From pre press to post press, quality data is now receiving attention from publishers, quality inspection centers, and upstream printing companies, all of whom are considering promoting quality digitization. Therefore, we need to build an agile intelligent factory with quality as the core, not necessarily pursuing a large scale, but focusing on how to better solve practical problems for enterprises.
Based on this construction approach, we have made many attempts. At present, we have integrated all online and offline testing equipment into an AI quality inspection workstation mode, achieving interconnectivity between devices and conducting strict quality management and control through AI quality inspection workstations. For example, after a work order is issued, the system will require a mandatory first sample inspection, otherwise the work order cannot be approved by the system. In addition, all quality inspection data will be uniformly connected to the server of the AI quality inspection workstation for analysis.
There are also many "pitfalls" in the practice of quality digitization construction. The first 'pitfall' is the blindness of data collection. Some companies want to collect all kinds of data, but some data is unnecessary to collect. Data collection requires timely feedback to ensure accuracy and timeliness. Currently, one of the important aspects of data collection is for automatic job reporting and salary calculation. The second "pitfall" is to do AGV without solving the storage location problem. Whether it's peak hours or regular production, if the issue of storage space cannot be resolved, there's no need to consider using AGVs. The third 'pitfall' is blindly following the trend in digital construction. In the process of digital or intelligent construction, it is important to carefully consider how to proceed before taking action. Otherwise, you may have invested time and money, but in the end, it doesn't make much sense.

Dahong Packaging mainly engages in pharmaceutical packaging business. Last year, we seized the opportunity to acquire a new piece of land. When constructing the new factory, we planned the basement as a whole and laid out the AGV comprehensively. At present, the relevant facilities have basically entered the trial operation stage.
The biggest challenge we are currently facing, and also the difficulty faced by small and medium-sized enterprises today, is that although we hope to promote digital construction, there are still difficulties in practical operation. We can summarize the construction of digital factories as "watching, learning, working, and adjusting at the same time", and most of the work is personally undertaken by me. During this period, I also visited many smart factories to learn related knowledge. I think most small and medium-sized enterprise leaders are like me, personally taking care of things.
After visiting and learning from many cases, we began to implement them on the ground. During the landing process, we encountered various problems. For enterprises of our scale, digitization is an inevitable development direction, but the lack of long-term planning is a common problem for many small and medium-sized enterprises. At present, many small and medium-sized enterprises have not even completed digital infrastructure construction, and even complete ERP systems have not been effectively utilized, let alone allowing data to truly realize its value. For us, how to implement digital projects, whether the projects are practical, and how much value they can create are currently the most critical issues.
Regarding data collection, I believe that once a company decides to try, it should push forward without hesitation, because this is a path without turning back. Digital construction will force enterprises to improve various details and ensure accurate data. For example, when using MES system for data collection, we have been struggling with the issue of printing quantity statistics, especially the statistics of the last few printed products and waste products. If we rely on manual labor, it is almost impossible to achieve accurate statistics. But with the digital process, these problems are easily solved. Therefore, I believe that any enterprise with ideas should firmly promote digital construction.