Guotai Haitong: AI lights up the lighthouse factory, leading the new paradigm of intelligent manufacturing.

Guotai Haitong releases research report stating that under the dual guidance of AI and the "15th Five-Year Plan", the lighthouse factory has evolved into a key carrier of new quality productivity and new industrialization. Local industrial software and automation manufacturers are becoming the core DRIVE of this system. The bank believes that with the increasing influence of AI on lighthouse factories and the impact of the 15th Five-Year Plan, AI+ manufacturing has become the top-level guidance for the development of lighthouse factories, and is optimistic about industrial software and automation manufacturers that empower the manufacturing industry through AI technology for digital transformation. Guotai Haitong's main points are as follows: The lighthouse factory has evolved from a technical model to a global hub of intelligent manufacturing The lighthouse factory originated from the Industry 4.0 strategy, is the best practice factory for the application of the Fourth Industrial Revolution technology, representing the highest level of global intelligent manufacturing. With the support of new technologies such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and Siasun Robot&Automation, it achieves comprehensive automation, precision, and cleanliness in the production process. In recent years, its focus has continuously evolved from single-point 4IR applications to comprehensive upgrades in sustainable development, supply chain resilience, talent systems, and customer-oriented operations, with three types of segmentation evolving from single/end-to-end/sustainable to customer-centric, production efficiency, supply chain resilience, sustainability, and talent. In terms of technology empowerment, the proportion of AI applications continues to increase, and generative AI, big data analysis, and predictive maintenance technologies significantly reduce defect rates, energy consumption, and cycles; the latest batch of lighthouses has achieved significant improvements in core indicators such as labor productivity and delivery cycles. As of September 2025, the global network members have exceeded 200 factories, covering dozens of industries and countries, providing a multi-dimensional benchmark and ecological platform for the manufacturing industry. Policy and AI drive in tandem, China's lighthouse factories achieve simultaneous improvement in quantity and quality The country has incorporated digitalization, networking, intelligence, and greenization into the main line of manufacturing industry development, and regards intelligent factories and lighthouse factories as important carriers of new quality productivity and advanced manufacturing industry clusters, and has set quantifiable goals for the number of intelligent manufacturing demonstration factories, and enterprise digital levels; at the local level, through funding subsidies, pilot demonstrations, industry funds, etc., intelligent factories and lighthouse factories are incrementally nurtured, forming a complete policy chain from diagnosis, technical transformation to demonstration factories. In terms of industry layout, China's lighthouse factory industry layout is extending towards high-tech fields, with core operating indicators significantly ahead of the global average. In terms of spatial layout, China's lighthouse factories show a trend of "coastal aggregation and inland catching up". Under the joint guidance of the "AI+" action and the "15th Five-Year Plan", AI+ manufacturing has been elevated to a national-level systemic engineering, and lighthouse factories are upgrading towards digitalization, greenization, and integration, moving from leading in quantity to a new stage of regional clusters and global replication. Local industrial software and hardware manufacturers resonate, building a digital foundation for lighthouse factories Local companies are focusing on industrial software, automation control, industrial Internet, and AI big models as core tools, coordinating efforts in perception, control, platform, and application layers to provide lighthouse factories with stack capabilities from "factory operating systems" to scenario-based solutions. Risk warning: Policy and selection criteria are lower than expected, technical evolution and implementation effectiveness are lower than expected, customer concentration and industry cycle volatility risks.