Unilever(UK)(US:UL) Sou Hu Cai Jing·2025-10-29 15:36Core Viewpoint - The article highlights the significance of foreign investment in China's manufacturing sector, emphasizing the role of companies like Unilever in driving innovation and efficiency through advanced technologies and management practices [1][14]. Group 1: Foreign Investment and Manufacturing Innovation - The "14th Five-Year Plan" suggests expanding high-level opening-up and creating a win-win cooperation environment, with foreign investment present in all 31 major categories and 548 subcategories of China's manufacturing industry [1]. - Unilever's Hefei factory is recognized as a "lighthouse factory," showcasing how foreign enterprises contribute to the modernization of China's industrial system [1][3]. Group 2: Automation and Production Efficiency - The Hefei factory operates 24/7 with automated production lines, utilizing technologies such as preventive maintenance and 3D printing, which minimizes the need for manual labor [5][12]. - The factory's innovative pull-based automatic replenishment system has reduced the material ordering and delivery process from 12 hours to just 3 hours, achieving 100% pull-based production [9][11]. Group 3: Flexibility and Responsiveness - Emergency orders that previously took 2-3 days to process can now be completed in just 2 hours, with production line switching taking as little as 10 minutes, demonstrating the factory's flexibility in adapting to market changes [11]. - The strong supply chain in China supports the development of flexible production lines, allowing companies like Unilever to respond quickly to consumer demands [11][14]. Group 4: Talent and Digital Transformation - The Hefei region has seen the emergence of numerous national-level excellent factories and digital-leading enterprises within five years, attracting a large pool of talent and serving as a model for the digital transformation of manufacturing [16].