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Industrial automation refers to the application of automation technology in the mechanical industrial manufacturing process to realize automatic processing and continuous production, improve the efficiency and quality of mechanical production, and release productivity.   The industrial automation involves a wide range of technologies, including control engineering, ergonomics, computer software, embedded software, electronics, electric power, mechatronics, network communication and other multidisciplinary knowledge.   With the development of intelligence, industrial automation has integrated new technologies such as image processing, pattern recognition, artificial intelligence and signal processing.   After long-term development, the industrial automation industry has witnessed continuous technological innovation and the continuous expansion of downstream application fields, and has now formed a relatively mature industry competition pattern.   Multinational enterprises such as Yaskawa Electric, Panasonic Electric, Mitsubishi Group and Siemens are in a leading position worldwide. In the domestic market, European, American, Japanese and South Korean enterprises occupy a dominant position. However, local enterprises are gradually seizing the market by virtue of cost performance and rapid service capabilities, and the trend of domestic substitution is obvious. Against the background of the global entry into the Industry 4.0 era and China's vigorous development of "Intelligent Manufacturing in China", the demand for industrial automation equipment in various application fields such as production and manufacturing, transportation, energy and environmental protection has further increased.   According to the forecasts of Frost & Sullivan and the China Commercial Industry Research Institute, the global and China's industrial automation market sizes will reach 509.59 billion US dollars and 353.1 billion yuan respectively in 2024, with year-on-year growth of about 6.0% and 13.4% compared with 2023.   There are various types of industrial automation products, including core components such as Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), Distributed Control Systems (DCS), motion controllers, Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines, frequency converters, servo systems, pneumatic components, and sensors. These products not only cover key links such as control, execution, and monitoring in industrial production, but also realize seamless collaboration between devices through integration and communication technologies, which are important foundations for realizing intelligent manufacturing.   According to the statistics of MIR 睿工业，motion control products and drive system products have declined slightly, but among the segmented products, CNC and high-voltage frequency converters have grown. In 2024, the market size of PLC was about 13.01 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 18.9%; the market size of general servo was about 20.55 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 3.8%; the market size of low-voltage frequency converters was about 28.28 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 7.0%; the market size of medium and high-voltage frequency converters was about 5.89 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.0%.   The downstream customers of the industrial automation industry are divided into OEM type and project type. The OEM market mainly faces customers who mass-produce automated and intelligent manufacturing equipment; the project-based market refers to the design and implementation of the overall engineering automation system.   According to the statistics of MIR 睿工业，in the past 9 quarters, China's automation market achieved a slight positive growth in only one quarter, among which OEM automation has seen negative growth for 11 consecutive quarters, and project automation has shown a downward trend since the second quarter of 2024.   From the perspective of the downstream market of industrial automation, the project-based market performed better than the OEM market, with a year-on-year growth of 0.1%. Among them, industries such as petroleum, refining, chemical industry, mining, thermal power, and water conservancy were relatively booming due to policies such as equipment renewal; industries such as steel performed poorly due to overcapacity and the impact of steel prices, which reduced manufacturers' willingness to invest and transform.   The OEM market fell by 5% year-on-year. Among them, industries such as packaging machinery, plastic machinery, and textile machinery grew, while the demand for industries such as lithium battery equipment, photovoltaic equipment, and lifting machinery was relatively sluggish. In 2024, among the three major types of knitting machinery, the flat knitting machine industry recovered and improved, the circular knitting machine industry operated under pressure, and the warp knitting machine industry maintained a certain growth overall.   In 2024, China's sewing machinery industry showed a trend of recovery and growth. Against the background of policy support and the recovery of market demand, the economic benefits of the industry rebounded significantly. In 2024, the demand in domestic and foreign markets was gradually released, and the intelligent transformation and upgrading of equipment in downstream industries such as clothing, shoes and hats accelerated, driving the production and sales scale of the sewing machinery industry to recover rapidly, and the quality and efficiency of enterprises improved significantly.   With the continuous expansion of the downstream market of industrial automation and the accelerated iteration of core technologies, the industrial field is ushering in an all-round transformation. In key links such as production control and drive execution, automation technology is deeply penetrating into traditional industries such as automobile, electronics, and chemical industry, and rapidly extending to strategic emerging fields such as new energy and biomedicine.   The large-scale application of intelligent equipment such as new sensors, intelligent control systems and industrial robots has promoted the evolution of automation equipment towards more intelligent, precise and reliable directions, and continuously expanded the application boundaries of new scenarios such as intelligent warehousing and unmanned workshops. In the process of China's manufacturing industry leaping to high-end, the level of automated production continues to improve, which is becoming a key variable reshaping the global manufacturing competition pattern.

In recent years, the state has introduced a number of industrialization policies and development guidelines to support industrial automation equipment, which have promoted the rapid development of the industry. With the advancement of the "14th Five-Year Plan", intelligent manufacturing has become a long-term development trend, and the market share has been concentrated in enterprises with strong independent innovation capabilities and rapid product upgrading and iteration. In addition, the rise in labor costs and the aging of the population have intensified enterprises' demand for automation equipment. In the future, the industrial automation industry will continue to benefit from policy support and changes in market demand. With the continuous advancement of technology, industrial automation equipment will become more intelligent and networked, promoting the manufacturing industry to develop in the direction of high-end and intelligent.     I. Industry Status Quo: A Golden Age Driven by Policies, Technologies, and Demand In 2025, China's industrial automation industry is embracing historic development opportunities. According to the 2025-2030 Panoramic Research and Trend Outlook Report on Domestic and Foreign Industrial Automation Industry released by Zhongyan Puhua Industry Research Institute, the industry's market size exceeded 322.5 billion yuan, with a compound annual growth rate of 12%, accounting for 25% of the global market share. Behind this growth lies the superimposed effect of triple drivers: policies, technologies, and demand.   (1) Policy-driven: Strategic Upgrade from "Manufacturing Power" to "Intelligent Manufacturing Power" The "14th Five-Year Plan" for intelligent manufacturing clearly requires that 70% of manufacturing enterprises above a designated size achieve digitalization by 2025, directly driving the industry into a cycle of high-quality development. The National Development and Reform Commission's Action Plan for Innovative Development of Industrial Automation (2025-2027) proposes that the density of industrial robots nationwide will reach 400 units per 10,000 people by 2027, a 60% increase from 2020, with key support for automation upgrades in emerging industries such as new energy vehicles and semiconductors.   (2) Technological Breakthroughs: Paradigm Shift from "Standalone Automation" to "System Intelligence" Technological innovation is reshaping the industry ecology:   Intelligent control technology: Inovance Technology's PLC programming platform is compatible with Siemens' TIA Portal ecosystem, improving programming efficiency by 50% and shortening the single-project development cycle by 30%. SUPCON's DCS system holds a market share of over 50% in the petrochemical sector, and its APC (Advanced Process Control) software has replaced Honeywell and Yokogawa products, reducing energy consumption by 15%. Industrial robot technology: Estun's collaborative robot shipments increased by 40% annually, with load capacity exceeding 30kg, applied in scenarios such as automotive welding and 3C assembly. STEP's "carbon neutral" model IRB 1100 achieves a 30% carbon emission reduction throughout its life cycle and reduces energy consumption by 20% compared to traditional models. Industrial Internet technology: Huawei's 5G + Industrial Internet solution has a latency of less than 10ms. After deployment in enterprises such as Baosteel and Sany Heavy Industry, the equipment failure response time has been shortened from 2 hours to 15 minutes, and production efficiency has increased by 25%.   II. Market Size and Trend Analysis: Transition from a Hundred-Billion-Level to a Trillion-Level Track   (1) Short-Term Outbreak: Market Size Exceeds 322.5 Billion Yuan in 2025 Sub-sectors show differentiated growth:   Industrial robot sector: The scale reached 85 billion yuan, with an annual growth rate of 18%, becoming the fastest-growing track. Siasun Robotics, through "AI + robot" technology, achieved a welding accuracy of ±0.02mm, 50% higher than traditional equipment. In 2024, its orders in the automotive industry exceeded 5,000 units, a threefold increase compared to pre-pandemic levels. Intelligent control system sector: The scale reached 70 billion yuan, with an annual growth rate of 15%. HollySys' DCS system holds a 35% market share in the power industry. Through AI predictive maintenance, it reduced equipment failure rates by 40% and operation and maintenance costs by 30%. Industrial software sector: The scale reached 50 billion yuan, with an annual growth rate of 20%. Dassault Systèmes' PLM tools have a penetration rate of over 40% in electric vehicle R&D, shortening product development cycles by 30% and reducing R&D costs by 25%.   (2) Long-Term Leap: Market Size to Approach 400 Billion Yuan by 2030 In the next five years, the industry will present three core trends:   Technology integration: AI, 5G, and metaverse are reshaping production processes, making "software-defined manufacturing" a reality. Siemens' industrial metaverse content development tools reduce enterprises' 3D modeling costs by more than 30%, and Microsoft's HoloLens augmented reality technology improves HMI and PLC programming efficiency by 50%. Regional rebalancing: Chinese manufacturers have made breakthroughs in the hardware layer (PLC, servo systems), but the software ecosystem still requires ten years of accumulation. SUPCON's industrial operating system "SupOS" connects over 100,000 industrial devices, benchmarking Siemens' MindSphere, but the localization rate of PLM remains below 10%.   III. Future Market Outlook: Transition from "Scale Expansion" to "Value Deepening"   (1) Core Challenges: Industry Breakthroughs in the VUCA Era   Geopolitical risks: The rise of global trade protectionism and the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) have increased the import costs of industrial automation equipment by 8%-12%, requiring enterprises to build regional production networks. Technological iteration: Metaverse technology is applied to industrial training, simulating complex production scenarios and increasing the pass rate of practical assessments by 30%, but technical stability needs to be improved. Green transformation: With the phasing out of subsidies for new energy industrial equipment, enterprises need to self-raise funds for equipment upgrades, requiring a 30% reduction in energy consumption per robot.   (2) Strategic Opportunities: Integrated Innovation in New Infrastructure and New Tracks   Digital new infrastructure: The national special investment in the innovative development of the industrial Internet exceeds 100 billion yuan, covering 20 hub cities and promoting a 40% improvement in the efficiency of 5G + industrial Internet integrated applications. Green new tracks: Carbon-labeled industrial products enjoy a premium of over 20%, demand for environmentally friendly packaging increases by 35% annually, and enterprises' ESG ratings are linked to financing costs. Cross-border new blue oceans: Trade volume among RCEP countries accounts for 30% of the total. Southeast Asia's logistics platform Ninja Van handles over 500 million industrial equipment packages annually, and Africa's logistics company Kobo360 optimizes truck empty-loading rates to below 15% through algorithms.   Zhongyan Puhua Industry Research Institute predicts that the industry will maintain a compound annual growth rate of over 10% in the next five years, with the market size exceeding 400 billion yuan by 2030. Driven by the dual engines of the digital economy and green development, the industrial automation industry is not only a key infrastructure for manufacturing transformation but also a strategic highland nurturing trillion-level investment opportunities.

  Lithium extraction from salt lakes, as an important part of the new energy industry, is experiencing rapid development. Faced with complex processes such as adsorption, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis, how to simplify wiring, realize electrical drive communication control, and fully integrate the continuous ion exchange host control system into DCS has become the focus of customers in a certain lithium extraction project. The realization of integrated DCS control will greatly reduce the user's maintenance difficulty and cost. Relying on the advanced PCS 7 V10 process automation control system and flexible on-site solutions, Siemens has helped the salt lake basic lithium salt integration project to build an efficient, intelligent, and easy-to-maintain modern factory.   Keywords: Chemical industry, lithium salt integration, SIMATIC CFU, CN 4100, ET 200PA SMART +, ET 200SP HA     Project Scale and Architecture   Project Information: A basic lithium salt integration project in a salt lake   CS architecture based on PCS 7 V10.0 4 pairs of redundant OS servers, 33 OS clients, 13 pairs of AS410-5H, 15 units of AS-410S Over 14,000 physical IOs Over 1,000 SINAMICS/SIMCODE drives Over 400 ModbusTCP/OPC communications, over 2,000 HART instruments AMS asset management station, PH history server, AVR anti-virus server, OPC UA server   Project Highlights:   DCS Direct Control of Core Equipment—Continuous Ion Exchange Host   In the salt lake basic lithium salt integration project, the continuous ion exchange host, as core equipment, is traditionally controlled by a PLC provided by the equipment manufacturer. This approach fails to achieve true integration, and post-maintenance relies on the manufacturer, resulting in complexity and high costs. Siemens broke with convention by adopting the PCS 7 V10.0 control system. Through the Profinet bus, the host turntable position encoder is directly connected to the DCS redundant network, successfully enabling the entire process of the continuous ion exchange host to be uniformly controlled by DCS.   To meet process requirements, the Siemens control system precisely controls key equipment such as hydraulic pump stations, servo drives, and valve islands with an execution cycle of 50ms. It also implements the "rapid approximation + precise positioning" control strategy for the host servo motor, ensuring that the continuous ion exchange host turntable accurately docks at the specified valve position, achieving a system response time of no more than 100ms.   Meanwhile, the Siemens project team developed customized CMT control templates and graphical Faceplate operation interfaces for hosts from three different manufacturers, significantly improving configuration efficiency and the convenience of later equipment expansion.   Through this technical solution, Siemens not only helped the customer achieve true integrated control of core equipment but also brought comprehensive optimization in system response speed, operational convenience, and post-operation and maintenance costs.     Quick configuration of device logic and screens based on CMT and Faceplate   Application of CFU Compact Field Units   To address the challenges of a large number of ion exchange hosts, wide distribution, and complex wiring in the salt lake lithium extraction plant, Siemens customized the SIMATIC CFU compact field unit solution for this project. It has been successfully applied to over 3,000 on-site signal points with more than 300 CFU units deployed. Compared with traditional centralized IO wiring, the number of on-site construction terminals has been reduced by nearly 70%, and wiring workload has decreased by over 30%, significantly saving construction time and costs.   Siemens SIMATIC CFU supports on-site free definition of IO types. Each device integrates 16 channels, compatible with signal types such as digital input/output, analog input/output, and HART protocol, enabling quick adaptation to complex process requirements. Meanwhile, CFU supports plug-and-play functionality, with hardware names automatically matching the DCS system at the touch of a button. Device replacement and debugging are extremely efficient, greatly simplifying the customer's daily operation and maintenance.   Compared with traditional wiring, CFU features flexible layout, more economical wiring, and easier maintenance. The collection and configuration speed of on-site IO signals has been significantly improved, bringing customers a truly "fewer wires, faster debugging, and easier expansion" application experience. It is an important part of the intelligent upgrade of salt lake lithium extraction plants.     Application of CFU Compact Field IO Units   Simplifying the Communication System   In the salt lake basic lithium salt integration project, Siemens designed a complete set of efficient and concise communication integration solutions for the customer, achieving comprehensive communication integration of drive equipment, third-party systems, and on-site instruments.   For drive products, the project fully adopts Siemens SINAMICS and SIMOCODE series, which are deeply integrated into the PCS 7 control system through the PROFINET network, simplifying traditional control wiring. Combined with the Siemens PCS 7 APL standardized library, the access of drive equipment is faster, more flexible, and easier to maintain.   For device communication with third-party systems, the project extensively uses Siemens SIMATIC CN4100 communication processors, which support multiple communication protocols such as OPC UA and S7 Put/Get. They easily interface with complex on-site equipment such as motor protectors, centrifuges, high-voltage line protectors, and boiler systems, greatly improving data collection efficiency and system compatibility. At the same time, CN4100 realizes open data interaction with upper-level systems through OPC UA, meeting the high requirements for data flow in enterprise digital transformation.   The project also adopts Siemens' integrated factory network solution, building a plant-wide industrial network from the field to the control layer, and fully applying SCALANCE industrial switches to ensure the real-time performance and high reliability of data transmission.     Siemens CN4100 Communication Solution     The use of CN4100 in the lithium extraction process of this project   Project Summary   The cost advantage of lithium extraction from salt lakes has become evident, and it has now become the mainstream technical route. In this integrated lithium extraction project, Siemens' products such as the PCS 7 process control system, SINAMICS drives, and SCALANCE network have provided customers with efficient and stable control systems and solutions, contributing to the development of the industry.

Since the concept of "Modular Digital Controller" was put forward in 1968, the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) has gradually evolved from an initial tool to replace complex relay control systems in automobile production lines into the core hub of the industrial control field. From the fourth-generation products that integrated PID algorithms and supported standardized programming languages, to the modern form incorporating the Internet of Things, edge computing, and security enhancement technologies, the technological iteration of PLC has always been in sync with the development of industrial automation. With its in-depth penetration in fields such as intelligent manufacturing, new energy, and smart cities, as well as the practical innovations of enterprises like Hebei Xinda Group, PLC is reshaping the efficiency and boundaries of industrial production in a composite form of "hardware + software + ecology".     From Relay Replacement to Intelligent Hub   In 1968, Dick Morley proposed the concept of "Modular Digital Controller" with the original intention of replacing the complex relay control systems in automobile production lines. Its core innovation lies in realizing logical control through software programming rather than hardware wiring.   The fourth-generation PLCs (after the 1980s) have integrated PID algorithms and motion control functions, and support IEC 61131-3 standard programming languages (such as ladder diagrams and structured text), achieving a leap from single logical control to complex motion control.   Trends in Technological Integration   IoT Integration: Modern PLCs achieve interconnection with MES/ERP systems through OPC UA and MQTT protocols, forming basic nodes of the industrial Internet.   Edge Computing Capability: Some high-end PLCs (such as Siemens S7-1500) have built-in real-time operating systems, which can execute machine learning inference and realize predictive maintenance.   Security Enhancement: PLCs compliant with the IEC 62443 standard are equipped with network isolation and encrypted communication functions to resist industrial network attacks.   Intelligent Manufacturing Scenarios   Flexible Production Lines: The combination of PLC and servo systems enables mixed-model production of multiple varieties, reducing the changeover time from several hours to minutes.   Digital Twin: Real-time data from PLCs drives virtual production lines, and a holographic mapping of the production process can be achieved on Siemens' MindSphere platform.   Expansion into Emerging Fields   New Energy Industry: In the defect detection system for photovoltaic panels, PLCs control high-speed visual inspection modules with an identification accuracy of 0.01mm.   Smart Cities: PLCs are applied to intelligent traffic signal control, dynamically adjusting traffic light cycles based on vehicle flow data, which improves the traffic efficiency at intersections by more than 30%.   Analysis of Typical Projects   Smart Fog Post/Fog Cannon System: PLC integrates PM2.5 sensor data and automatically adjusts the spray volume through PID algorithms, saving 45% more energy compared to traditional timed spray systems.   Regenerative Combustion Heating Furnace: PLC controls the pulse ignition sequence of the burner and cooperates with an oxygen content analyzer to achieve precise control of the air-fuel ratio, reducing gas consumption by 20%.   Technical and Economic Analysis   Investment Payback Period: Taking the intelligent slag adding system for slab continuous casting as an example, the PLC transformation investment is about 1.2 million yuan. By reducing manual intervention and the scrap rate, the cost can be recovered within 18 months.   Industrial Chain Synergy Effect: Xinda Group encapsulates the PLC control logic into API interfaces and connects with the MES system of upstream steel mills, realizing the full-process visualization from orders to production.   AI Empowerment: Edge AI chips based on PLC can realize self-diagnosis of equipment faults. For example, the ABB Ability™ platform predicts motor faults through vibration data analysis with an accuracy rate of 92%.   5G Integration: The combination of PLC and 5G industrial gateways enables wireless deployment of distributed control systems, reducing cable costs by more than 30%.   Open Automation: PLC manufacturers are gradually adopting open-source frameworks such as Eclipse 4diac, breaking traditional closed systems and promoting interoperability of cross-brand equipment.   The practice of Hebei Xinda Group shows that PLC has evolved from a single control device to the neural hub of intelligent manufacturing. With the advancement of Industry 4.0, PLC will be deeply integrated with cutting-edge technologies such as digital twins and artificial intelligence, continuously promoting the transformation of the manufacturing industry towards flexibility and intelligence.

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