“Our smart factory has dozens of fully flexible automated production lines that can achieve 24/7 production without any manual intervention,” said Wang Sheng, Vice President of Moldbao. He attributed this achievement to the deep research and application of digital technologies by Dongguan Moldbao Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Dongguan Moldbao”).
Amid the wave of the digital age, Dongguan Moldbao has significantly improved production efficiency through the comprehensive implementation of digital and intelligent transformation, setting a new benchmark for the industry. Recently, a reporter visited Dongguan Moldbao’s smart factory in Songshan Lake to explore its path of digital transformation.
Clarifying digital transformation goals and meticulous planning
Molds are hailed as the “mother of industry” and “profit amplifiers,” playing a crucial role in sectors such as electronics, automotive, home appliances, and communications. However, the high value and trial-and-error costs in the mold manufacturing process make digital transformation particularly significant.
Since its establishment in 2016, Dongguan Moldbao has consistently focused on industry trends, keeping pace with the wave of digital transformation. During this journey, Moldbao has addressed the industry’s pain points, including low levels of digitalization, low equipment utilization, and low processing efficiency. In response, Moldbao has actively formulated and implemented a series of innovative measures. Through the application of “Industrial Internet + Smart Manufacturing” technologies, Moldbao has developed fully flexible automated production lines for CNC, EDM, and CMM, and has also built intelligent three-dimensional warehouses and fully automated AGV transport systems throughout the factory, achieving an automation rate of 90% in the manufacturing process.
The results of the digital transformation have been remarkable, but these achievements are no accident. According to Wang Sheng, the company’s management placed great emphasis on digital transformation, actively participating in the planning and blueprint design to ensure the strategic direction was both correct and feasible. To this end, Dongguan Moldbao mapped out the entire process from lean production to digitalization and intelligent development. Each step of the process was carefully planned with detailed steps and timelines. While each department worked to achieve its specific goals, they also ensured alignment with the company’s overall strategic goal of digital and intelligent manufacturing.
In addition, the company has a highly skilled technical team with over ten years of experience in the mold industry, providing strong talent support for the transformation. The company has also partnered with top domestic laboratories and universities for R&D, actively exploring the potential for disruptive breakthroughs in areas such as mold design and programming.
Currently, after undergoing digital transformation, Dongguan Moldbao has achieved remarkable results! Production lead times have been shortened by 30%-50%, labor costs reduced by 30%, machining accuracy has reached 0.002mm, and inspection accuracy has achieved 0.001mm. By reducing lead times, improving efficiency and quality, and decreasing workforce needs, the company has effectively resolved long-standing challenges in traditional mold manufacturing, bringing significant economic and social benefits.
Significant improvement in efficiency through digital transformation
Dongguan Moldbao’s digital transformation journey has already yielded remarkable results. The company has been successively recognized as a pilot demonstration base for digital transformation of the mold industry cluster in Guangdong Province, an intelligent manufacturing training base for mold and precision machinery processing, and one of the first batch of industry-education integrated enterprises in Guangdong Province. It has also been awarded the title of “Digital Talent Training Alliance Unit in Mechanical Manufacturing.” These honors not only affirm Moldbao’s achievements in digital transformation but also set an example for the entire industry.
Wang Sheng emphasized that digitalization is not just about operating equipment but managing the entire data system. He admitted that the success of Dongguan Moldbao today is the result of 20 years of continuous exploration and accumulation. Through the self-developed Mold Cloud Platform, the factory has achieved paperless, visualized, and transparent management; with the deployment of flexible automated production lines, the company has realized fully automated production processes from raw materials to finished products.
It is worth mentioning that Dongguan Moldbao, in collaboration with Huawei Cloud at the Songshan Lake Developer Village, has jointly developed the “First Case Project”—a precision plastic mold flow simulation cloud platform. This platform, through online simulation services, has improved the success rate of mold design, shortened the product development cycle, and reduced production costs.
According to Wang Sheng, through this simulation platform, companies can integrate design, simulation, and manufacturing data streams, achieving a first-pass mold testing success rate of over 80%, and overall equipment utilization has improved by 35%. From an economic perspective, this data signifies a shift in the mold manufacturing industry from loss to profitability.
Looking ahead, Dongguan Moldbao will continue to adhere to the path of digitalization and intelligent development, continuously driving technological innovation and industrial upgrades. Additionally, the company will actively explore new business areas and market opportunities, injecting new momentum into the development of the mold and precision manufacturing industry.
