On the afternoon of February 26, 2016, HITE president Xu Hong attended the "7th CEO Pioneer Forum of Automation 'Intelligent Manufacturing'" of CAMRS 2016.

CEOs of ABB (China), HITE Control, Phoenix (China), Danfoss, Kyland Technology among total 8 enterprises gathered for the forum, which was hosted by Pan Yingzhang, CEO of gongkong^®. The editor would like to share some views from President Xu Hong since viewpoint collision jazzed up the conference site.

Q1:Automation market growth rate fell to a record low in 2015. Did your enterprise outperform the market? Whether you think the current overall market is at the V-shaped inflection point or it is at the L-shaped inflection point?

Xu Hong: Market downturn is still going on. The industry differentiates obviously what consumer demands. But there are also some cheerful prospects for certain industries, such as new energy automobile. Of course, the bright industries are getting less and less, and more industries are facing over capacity. How to get through the market depression depends on the enterprise’s policy. If your products are still traditional, undistinguished and alternative, then your future orders will continue to decline.

What is certain is that intelligent manufacturing we are discussing today offers a lot of opportunities. HITE possesses both traditional business and new strategic business. From the preliminary earnings estimation we have just released, net profit has increased by 45.88% over last year. The average growth of independent technology business is 50%. Growth of traditional business and distribution business is flat by and large while the project business has a double-digit decline.

Q2:In the short term, the supply-side reformation in 2016 and "the Belt and Road" policy have been implemented, and what risk and opportunity will it bring to automation market? In the long term, the 13th Five-Year Plan and "Made in China 2025" strategy is depicting blueprint for intelligent manufacturing. How will automation help to make the manufacturing industry stronger?

Xu Hong: The world is spinning fast, and HITE Control has made a development plan of three to five years. In the transition period, we will focus on industrial intelligence and new energy, and pay attention to efficiency and emission reduction.

Energy saving is a long-term sustainable industry. In the new energy sector, HITE Control will set foot in wind power and photovoltaic power. We will not flock to the emerging industries without destination, but look for applications worth of investment in the industry. For example, in photovoltaic field, HITE Control is carrying out a light-retaining project.

Efficiency is our topic today. Industry 4.0 (Intelligent Manufacturing) labeled with labor-saving or unmanned manufacturing is the general trend of the future, no matter if you want or not. HITE has significant investment in softwares for data acquisition, data analysis and MES. The software is the core and serves as a platform, onto which hardware products are embedded for overall solutions. This road is not easy to take because successful solutions are found rare in China. However, HITE Control will make efforts to move in that direction so as to meet the demand of enterprises for intelligent manufacturing. To accomplish Industry 4.0, it is necessary to reserve disciplinary talents of engineering control, computing, software, manufacturing process and production management, whom HITE Control has begun to cultivate.

Q3:"Capital" and “Internet Plus" are two common sensitive points to everyone in 2015. What innovation should automation enterprises make to acquire capital and give rise to leapfrog development? What response should automation industry make to the "Internet Plus" for innovation in business model?

Xu Hong: What "Internet Plus" to the industrial market is what voyage to sea. It’s an era for public entrepreneurship and innovation, which means there will be no more sailing alone. HITE Control is looking forward to cooperating with complementary partners. As part of the industrial market, we are not necessitated to carry all on our shoulders Enterprise should follow the pace of the times to improve production efficiency and reduce inefficient cost. If we are designed to do something, we shall do it well. We expect a trinity of market, product and application, and hope that gongkong would provide a positive ecological environment for “Internet Plus". As for investment, the company will not be engaged in diversification, but in precision investment under complementary or overlapping strategy.