Recently, the documentary film American Factory has aroused heated discussions, pushing Cao Dewang, chairman of the glass giant Fuyao Group, to the forefront of public opinions again. This representative, once winning the title of "new manufacturing pioneer" and leading future manufacturing in automobile and component and part industries, took a lead to propose of "settlement of Industry 4.0 in Fuyao" and strode forward in terms of factory intelligence and greening in 2015.
Intelligence: build smart energy platform
Since the launch of smart energy platform, several types of energy from distributed photovoltaic power generation, waste heat power generation, triple gas supply units, energy storage and so on have been integrated, realizing the gradient utilization of power, heat, cold and renewable energy.
How much do you know about automotive glass? At the exhibition hall of Fuyao Group Research Institute of Fuqing, Fujian, all kinds of automotive glass made people dazzling: the HUD (head up display) glass displaying instrument panel, the UV-CUT glass isolating 99% of ultraviolet radiation, the privacy glass randomly switching between transparency and opacity, and the front glass of coated antenna able to receive radio wave and so on included lots of cutting-edge technologies.
At the central position of the exhibition hall, the smart energy management platform built by Fuyao Group together with CR Power drew the attention of journalists. On the platform, the present clean energy percentage, clean energy power and the emission reduction of carbon dioxide of the Fuqing factory were dynamically indicated in real time.
"Seventy percent of domestic automobile enterprises and thirty percent of foreign automobile enterprises use the automotive glass produced by Fuyao Group. Enterprises under Fuyao Group, as a world-leading automotive glass manufacturer, feature large electricity consumption and complicated energy-using equipment, and most of factory buildings meet conditions for distributed photovoltaic development, and have the potential for achieving 'comprehensive energy service' demonstration effects." Pan Chao, assistant general manager of Fuzhou Branch of the great area of Southeast China of CR Power in charge of building of the platform, stated to journalists.
At the factory area, journalists saw that dense photovoltaic panels were distributed on the roofs of factory buildings and constantly transmitted green power to the enterprise. At float process production line workshops, the flue gas generated from furnaces entered into waste heat boilers, and generated steam to promote turbine generators to generate power, with residual heat supplied for air conditioning refrigeration and heat water supplied for the use of living area.
"Since the launch of the smart energy platform, Fuyao Group has integrated several types of energy from distributed photovoltaic power generation, waste heat power generation, triple gas supply units, energy storage and so on, intelligently controlled the storage and release of electronic energy, realized gradient utilization of power, heat, cold and renewable energy, and largely enhanced the comprehensive energy efficiency of the enterprise and reduced energy utilization costs, while optimizing customer-side resource allocation and continuously enhancing the percentage of clean energy." Relevant principal of Fuyao Group calculated: Through smart control, the platform can annually provide green and clean energy of about 58 million KWH for the Fuqing project of Fuyao, accounting for 15% of total energy consumption, save standard coal of about 22,000 tons/year, reduce the emission of sulfur dioxide of around 2,000 tons/year and carbon dioxide of around 54,000 tons/year, and reduce enterprise costs of about RMB10 million/year. He disclosed that next, the platform would be gradually promoted at 4 float process factories and 11 automotive glass factories under Fuyao Group.
Greening: manage the float process which is an "energy-using tiger".
Chongqing Wansheng Float Glass Co., Ltd. ("Chongqing Wansheng"), one of 4 float process factories under the Fuyao Group, recycles high-temperature flue gas to generate power, which has successfully saved the emission of carbon dioxide of 46,000 tons and the use of standard coal of about 17,700 tons.
The float glass is the raw material for production of automotive glass. The manufacturing industry of float glass is a high energy-consuming and resource industry. In recent years, the aforesaid industry has been listed by the State as an industry with overcapacity, and has gone through several rounds of production capacity elimination. However, Chongqing Wansheng, one of 4 float process factories under the Fuyao Group, has become one of the first batch of green factories and enterprises recognized by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
it is learnt that the furnace of the float process production line needs to consume a lot of natural gas. The 2017 financial statements of the listed company under the Fuyao Group indicate that as for the composition of automotive glass costs, the raw material cost of natural gas of float glass accounts for a large percentage of about 32.7%. Therefore, energy utilization control is crucial.
Relevant principal of Chongqing Wansheng introduced that the production of glass needed the melting of ingredients such as dolomite and limestone, so the flue gas temperature of smelting furnace would reach 530 ℃, and the direct emission of flue gas might result in thermal pollution. In that light, the company has invested over RMB45 million in the construction of the waste heat power generation project of flue gas of glass melting furnaces, in order to recycle high-temperature flue gas for power generation, which has successively reduced the emission of carbon dioxide of 46,000 tons and saved the standard coal of 17,700 tons. Meanwhile, the company has used the power generated by recycling as production power, which equals to about 1/4 of the total of production power used by it.
"Besides, we have realized melted down substandard products and leftover materials in the process of production by adjustments to product process and formula to make them become qualified raw materials, realizing recycling and eradicating the generation of industrial wastes such as waste residue." He stated: By actively exploring the low-carbon green development mode, the Chongqing Wansheng has been focusing on process, technologies, equipment transformation, products and so on, and has achieved both social benefits and economic ones.
Green + intelligence lead the innovative upgrade of the manufacturing industry
The R&D and application of green smart products with high added value have been actively boosted, and front windshield has successfully eliminated interior high temperature disturbance, with UV radiation rejection rate up to over 99% and solar radiation blocking rate exceeding 65%.
According to the 2019 semi-annual report of Fuyao Glass disclosed recently, Fuyao Glass achieved operating revenue of RMB10,287 million in the first half of the year, up by 2% as compared with the same period of last year, against the background of slowing growth in global economy, domestic heavier economic downward pressure and continuous negative growth of automobile industry.
Along with the development of the automobile industry to intelligence, energy conservation and environmental protection directions, Fuyao Group has not only focused on the innovation in the intelligent and green transformation of production source, and has more actively boosted the R&D and application of green smart products with high added value.
"In addition to the most basic safety performance, a piece of seemingly simple automotive glass also hides many green technologies." At the exhibition hall of Fuyao Group research institute, relevant principal pointed to a piece of seemingly common automotive front windshield, and said: how to reduce in-car temperature in summer is a common problem of all the owners, and except the forced cooling by air-conditioning, there seems to be no better method. However, the sun-protective and energy-saving automotive glass with Low-e coating process adopted delicately combines the high transmission of light of glass and the control over transmittance of solar thermal radiation, successfully eliminating the interior high temperature disturbance. The tests indicate that the UV radiation rejection rate of the products reaches over 99%, and solar radiation blocking rate exceeds 65%. After the two-hour exposure of vehicles under the hot sun, the inside temperature of vehicles with the aforesaid product is 5 ℃ lower than that of vehicles with common glass on average. Meanwhile, this kind of glass can reduce the use of air-conditioner. It is a kind of green, eco-friendly, energy-saving and emission-reducing revolutionary product.
Link: http://epaper.cenews.com.cn/html/2019-09/27/content_87946.htm