A smart production line in Jiaojiang district, Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/taizhou.com.cn]

Jiaojiang district in Taizhou, Zhejiang province has made significant strides in smart manufacturing, with two local companies, Xinzhi Group Co Ltd and Zhejiang Hisun Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, being chosen for the provincial "future factory" pilot program.

The inclusion of the two companies is a testament to the success achieved by Jiaojiang through its proactive approach, encouraging companies to adopt smart manufacturing practices.

To incentivize this transformation, the district has promised to grant a company up to 20 million yuan ($2.79 million) in subsidies for pursuing smart transformation, according to Zheng Renjiao, chief engineer of the Jiaojiang Bureau of Economy and Information Technology.

Currently, Jiaojiang boasts six intelligent factories, with more than 150 industrial robots being introduced to the district each year.

A notable example is seen in Hisun, where its Waisha factory has achieved automated injection production. From ingredient weighing and formulation filling to plastic sealing and packaging, all operations are executed by mechanical arms and automated assembly lines.

"The implementation of this production line has significantly minimized the need for manual calculations and confirmations during the production process. The line is 2.5 times faster than our company's other lines of the same type, resulting in a remarkable 33 percent increase in productivity," said Ling Ronghua, general manager of the factory.