Robots weld parts to automobile bodies at the BMW Brilliance Tiexi Plant in Shenyang, Liaoning province. Photos Provided to China Daily

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's current visit to China is focused on deepening cooperation between the two countries to help boost the flagging global economy.

Trade and investments are top of Merkel's agenda and bilateral discussions will include linking the Made-in-China 2025 strategy with Germany's Industry 4.0 strategy, and smart manufacturing.

The Sino-German joint venture - the Tiexi Plant of BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd in Shenyang, capital city of northeastern Liaoning province - is seen as a successful example of the application of Industry 4.0.

Germany's Industry 4.0, or the fourth industrial revolution, refers to the trend of automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies.

The process of Industry 4.0, which encourages the application of intelligent equipment and information technologies is also helping sustainable development. One of its core concepts is to make equipment more intelligent in order to assist human workers.

"BMW Brilliance is leveraging the opportunities arising from Industry 4.0 or digitalization," said Anton Heiss, president & CEO, BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd.

He continued: "Our top priorities are reliable processes and high quality in production, and digital technologies can help us with that. In the long term, these developments will modernize our work environment at the plants even further."

BMW is promoting and also applying Industry 4.0 in the manufacturing process, using more intelligent robots and information technologies.

One of the features of Industry 4.0 is robots working alongside humans in an efficient way, and this is set to become a reality at both BMW Brilliance's expanded Dadong plant, and its new engine plant, where, for safety reasons, an intelligent robot immediately stops operating if someone runs in front of it.

In the future, people involved in production will create their work environment to an even greater extent than they do today, and will not need to perform as many physically strenuous tasks, according to Heiss' vision.

To this end, BMW has invested more than 22 billion yuan ($3.34 billion) in its production base in Shenyang over the past seven years.

Digitalization

As part of Industry 4.0, integrated digitalized solutions are applied to strengthen manufacturing competence through on-site analysis and problem solving, which also helps reduce time requirements.

Heiss noted: "Digitalization opens up new perspectives with regard to the advancement of innovative and people-oriented production systems.

"In turn, the freed potential in the production systems allows our plants to respond even more individually to customers' wishes and to step up the flexibility of the production chain."

A tablet PC featuring photo scanning capabilities will create portable "virtual reality" devices to connect real geometrical parts data with computer aided design data, meaning that experts will be instantly connected for "on-site" problem-solving analysis.

Cyber Gloves, featuring integral scanning functions will also be introduced in the near future, which will both simplify handling and support "pick and place" tasks on assembly lines.

Sustainability

BMW Brilliance's innovations in technologies and techniques are being deployed to tackle existing challenges and drive sustainable development.

Heiss stressed: "Digitalization gives us new leeway and greater efficiency in some processes, and this provides a sustainable benefit to our workforce."

The Tiexi plant was designed to be a green plant that fully utilizes resources and minimizes waste and emissions.

The "smart factory" spots and works on possible issues immediately, instead of repeatedly going over the process after the product is finished.

BMW is committed to further developing new energy vehicle technology and is a pioneer and global leader in electric mobility. The BMW X1 plug-in-hybrid that is due to roll of the production line on Tuesday is a prime example of this.

As part of its efforts to beef up the research and development of NEVs, BMW Brilliance now has about 500 engineers working in Shenyang focusing on NEV development.

"BMW has been a trailblazer in China's premium NEV development. We have been very active in formulating charging standards, constructing charging facilities and promoting the development of the NEV market in China," said Heiss.

Created by BMW Brilliance in 2013, the Zinoro brand is a domestic sub-brand that is the result of the concentrated research and development of NEV technology and products.

Now, Zinoro offers a fully-electric compact sport utility vehicle, the Zinoro 1E, and later this year an all-new plug-in-hybrid model, the Zinoro 60H, is set to hit the Chinese market.

"In the near future, we believe that plug-in hybrid technology will, as a result of its practicality, prevail among BMW's lineup," Heiss added.

The carmaker will have about 200 PHEV-enabled dealers and 50 BMWi dealers by the end of this year.