The outline of the "Eleventh Five-Year" plan for national economic and social development clearly requires: accelerating the construction of a resource-conserving and environment-friendly society, and setting the reduction of energy consumption per unit of GDP by 20% and the total amount of major pollutant emissions by 10% as binding indicators for economic and social development during the "Eleventh Five-Year" period. Under the national energy conservation and emission reduction policies and support for renewable energy, energy conservation and environmental protection are not only global trends and national strategies but also the direction for the development and upgrading of manufacturing. The industry, which is highly energy-consuming and severely polluting, will inevitably be the first to be affected. The state's macro-control and competitive pressures will force many enterprises and manufacturers to undergo a "green industrial revolution" and take a new path of industrialization.
Therefore, a series of automated energy-saving products including transmission products, level transmitters, transformers, low-voltage electrical appliances, frequency converters, servo motors, automation instruments, industrial automation and drive technologies, building technologies, power transmission and distribution, and lighting fields have enormous market demands and potential. Automation companies need to integrate their own resources and develop more energy-efficient products that conform to green environmental protection. Famous companies such as ABB, Phoenix Contact, and Delta have successively launched their own environmentally friendly products.
In the context where the industry generally looks favorably on the development potential of China's manufacturing and industrial automation, automation companies should actively respond, proactively seek opportunities, deepen their advantageous fields or leading industries, find entry points, and promote the integration of informatization and industrialization. First, innovate in R&D design technology to shorten the development cycle and promote product updates. Second, improve production methods to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and promote the automation of the production process. Third, apply ERP and other information systems to strengthen management at all stages of production and operation, optimize enterprise resources, and rationalize the industrial chain. Fourth, promote supply chain management and increase market share, strengthen the informatization of product marketing, establish and improve modern industrial circulation systems, and promote the informatization of product circulation and markets. For example, leaders in special-purpose computers like Yanxiang collaborating with "Loongson," and Shanghai Ziyi DCS Company closely cooperating with the technical center to reach new heights in control system technology.
So-called "hibernation" means preserving strength and taking advantage of opportunities. When a storm comes, is it a good opportunity for mergers and acquisitions? There is a saying: "dig deep holes, stockpile plenty of grain, do well and strong instead of big." Contract the front line, adjust capital, preserve strength, and wait quietly for spring warmth and flowers. In 2009, large-scale industrial consolidation will create waves in the capital market. In this wave of industrial consolidation, entrepreneurs must foresee opportunities, see both risks and opportunities. In previous winters, every time some companies fell, others remained standing, and even more sprouted and grew after winter. Companies that can embrace change with an optimistic and positive attitude in difficult economic times, adjust, learn, and grow in difficulties, will undoubtedly become great companies.
People are at the core of the automation system, developing and realizing life's value. Competition between companies is essentially competition for talent; companies develop through talent. As a vendor of all kinds of automation products, not only providing internationalized and localized products but also achieving cultural recognition at the software and hardware levels, one must also satisfy the learning needs and thirst for knowledge of engineers. Therefore, automation companies must be "people-oriented," establish core values, and actively carry out training work in the engineering technology field and improve the level of human-machine integration through the combination of industry, academia, research, and application. For example, Siemens Industry Automation and Drive Group has established eight training centers nationwide, completing tens of thousands of training tasks cumulatively.
There are many ways for companies to promote themselves, and exhibitions are one of the more important ones. According to statistics, at exhibitions, customer participants account for only one-third of the attendees, while industry insiders account for about two-thirds of the attendees. Among these two-thirds of industry insiders, a significant portion are technical personnel, meaning that most of the products displayed at exhibitions focus on showcasing technology. Additionally, there is the form of a "new product launch" to introduce new products. If companies only focus on how many products they can sell or how many orders they can get at the exhibition, the return on investment would almost be zero.
However, the reason why companies still participate in exhibitions is mainly to enhance their influence and reputation within the industry. If a company does not participate in an exhibition, more people might speculate whether there is something wrong with the company. In essence, the main purpose of participating in exhibitions is to showcase the company's own strength. Another purpose of participating in exhibitions is to use media coverage of certain events involving the company. Automation companies should be good at leveraging their advantages to interact with exhibitions, such as participating in the China International Industry Fair, China International Equipment Manufacturing Exhibition, and Multi-Country Instrument and Meter Exhibition, to expand their influence.