1. Theoretical Evolution and Policy Logic: From Market Segmentation to System Integration
1. Historical context
The foundation of classical economics : Adam Smith ‘s theory of division of labor and the ” invisible hand ” provided the theoretical prototype for a unified market, emphasizing the efficiency of market self-regulation.
Breakthrough in the neoclassical paradigm : Marginal utility theory reveals that optimal resource allocation requires breaking down regional barriers, providing a micro-foundation for the construction of a modern unified market.
China’s practical innovation : from ” the market plays a fundamental role in resource allocation ” to ” a decisive role ” , and the policy goal has shifted from scale expansion to institutional opening.
Theoretical Evolution : From the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which called for ” building a unified, open, and orderly market system , ” to the 20th National Congress, which explicitly mandated ” building a unified national market , ” the policy framework has remained consistent . The Sixth Meeting of the Central Financial and Economic Commission in 2025 further proposed the ” Five Unifications and One Opening ” requirement, marking the beginning of a phase of in-depth policy advancement.
2. Real needs
Resolve the triple contradictions : ” factor mismatch ” caused by local protectionism , ” efficiency loss ” caused by the regionalization of the industrial chain , and ” transaction costs ” caused by inconsistent standards .
Responding to International Changes : Against the backdrop of global industrial chain restructuring, the ultra-large-scale market has become a strategic fulcrum for resisting external risks. Faced with increasing uncertainty in the international economic and trade environment, the ultra-large-scale market has become China’s core advantage in responding to risks. A unified large market can effectively smooth domestic circulation and reduce resource mismatches caused by local protectionism .
II. Core Policy Framework: A Three-Dimensional Breakthrough in Institutions , Facilities , and Supervision
1. System Unification Layer
Property rights protection : Establish a cross-regional intellectual property rights rapid protection mechanism to reduce corporate rights protection costs.
Fair competition : Clean up discriminatory subsidy policies, such as the case of local subsidies for new energy vehicles in a certain province being stopped.
Facility connectivity: an important prerequisite for breaking geographical barriers and promoting the flow of commodity factors
Digital infrastructure : The national ” one-stop ” government affairs platform enables cross-provincial business registration, reducing the time by 70% .
Logistics network : The layout of national logistics hub cities has been optimized. For example, the Wuhan – Zhengzhou ” dual-core linkage ” has reduced logistics costs in the central region by 15% .
Regulatory coordination layer: Innovate regulatory methods and promote cross-departmental and cross-regional coordinated law enforcement.
Law enforcement standards : Form a unified regulatory framework and enhance the consistency, stability and predictability of market supervision.
3. Enterprise Response Strategies: From Compliance to Value Reconstruction
1. Short-term action ( within 1 year)
Compliance audit : Sort out local protection clauses in existing businesses (such as procurement priority policies in a certain place) and adjust the supply chain layout in advance.
Data migration : Connect to the national electronic invoice platform to achieve cross-provincial interoperability of purchase and sales data.
2. Mid-term layout ( 1-3 years)
Standard seizure : Participate in the formulation of national industry standards (such as green building materials certification) and elevate corporate standards to industry benchmarks.
Regional collaboration : Establish joint R&D centers in cross-provincial demonstration zones such as Chengdu-Chongqing, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, and share the benefits of talent policies.
3. Long-term strategy ( 3-5 years)
Ecosystem construction : Develop innovative supply chain finance products based on unified big market data (such as the national credit information sharing platform).
Global benchmarking : Convert domestic compliance experience into market expansion advantages for the Belt and Road Initiative , such as exporting a unified certification system.
IV. Risk Early Warning and Opportunity Capture
1. Risk prevention
Policy fluctuations : Pay attention to the revision of the Anti-Monopoly Law to avoid cross-regional mergers and acquisitions that trigger reviews.
Technical barriers : Incompatible data interfaces between regions may lead to a surge in system transformation costs.
2. Window of Opportunity
Sub-segment : Third-party inspection and testing agencies can undertake cross-regional quality certification business, and the market size is expected to exceed 500 billion yuan.
Service innovation : Provide small and medium-sized enterprises with a ” cross-provincial business compliance package ” , including value-added services such as legal consulting and financial and tax planning.
5. Implementation Toolkit
1. Self-checklist
Does the company have branches in more than three provinces?
Is the proportion of cross-provincial cooperation among existing suppliers less than 30% ?
2. Resource Links
State Administration for Market Regulation ” Unified Market Service Zone ” (official website entrance)
Local policy query tool: WeChat mini-program ” Business Pass “
3. Case reference
A home appliance company shortened cross-provincial service response time from 48 hours to 12 hours by unifying after-sales standards, and customer satisfaction increased by 22% .
In order to accelerate the digital transformation and intelligent upgrading of the manufacturing industry and create an “upgraded version” of intelligent manufacturing, six departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, the State Administration for Market Regulation, and the National Data Administration have deployed a gradient cultivation action for smart factories.
According to the “Elements and Conditions for Gradient Cultivation of Smart Factories (2025 Edition)” (hereinafter referred to as the “Elements and Conditions”), smart factories will be cultivated at four levels: basic, advanced, excellent and leading.
Basic-level smart factories focus on digital transformation and network connection construction to promote the popularization of digitalization.
Advanced smart factories, based on their self-assessment as basic smart factories, will focus on digital transformation and networked collaboration to establish themselves as leading regional and industry-leading development benchmarks. Both basic and advanced smart factories must meet the requirements of the “Elements and Conditions.”
In accordance with the requirements of the “Elements and Conditions”, the construction of excellence-level smart factories focuses on digital transformation, networked collaboration and intelligent upgrading to create a national leading development benchmark.
In accordance with the requirements of the “Elements and Conditions”, the pilot-level smart factory focuses on digital transformation, networked collaboration and intelligent transformation to carry out construction, explore future manufacturing models, and create a global leading development benchmark.
Recently, the Excellence Smart Factory has been announced. I will review the layout, application points and plan of this project with you. If you are interested, please add WeChat to communicate: laifushe20160425
1. Corporate Profile
( 1 ) Basic conditions
1. Enterprise qualifications
Registered in China, with independent legal personality and good financial status.
It has been rated as an advanced smart factory.
There have been no major safety, environmental protection, or quality accidents in the past three years, and the credit record is good.
2. Factory construction
The intelligent transformation has been completed and has been in stable operation for ≥1 year, and the investment amount meets local requirements (such as some provinces require ≥100 million yuan).
Carry out smart factory construction around five aspects : factory construction, R&D design, production operations, production management, and operation management
The proportion of scenarios applying artificial intelligence technology shall not be less than 20% .
The factory must pass the National Intelligent Manufacturing Capability Maturity Assessment (Level 3 and above, i.e. integration level or above) .
( 2 ) Technical capability requirements
1. Digital infrastructure
Networking : Full coverage of the industrial Internet, and application of new technologies such as 5G and TSN.
Data platform : Establish an enterprise-level industrial big data platform to achieve unified data governance and analysis.
Information Security : Passed ISO 27001 or Information Security Protection Level 2.0 certification.
2. Intelligent equipment and production lines
The CNC rate of key equipment is ≥90%, and the automation rate is ≥80%.
The production line has flexible capabilities (supporting multi-variety, small-batch customized production).
Apply robots, AGV, intelligent detection equipment, etc. to achieve less-manpowered/unmanned operation.
3. System Integration (IT/OT Convergence )
Horizontal integration : ERP, MES, PLM, SCM and other systems are fully integrated.
Vertical integration : Real-time data interaction between the equipment layer (PLC/DCS) – control layer – management layer.
End-to-end integration : covering the entire value chain from R&D design, production, logistics, and services.
4.Application of
AI and big data : used for predictive maintenance, process optimization, quality defect detection, etc.
Digital Twin : Establish a factory-level virtual simulation model to achieve virtual-reality linkage.
Green and low-carbon : By applying the energy management system (EMS), energy consumption per unit of output value is lower than the industry average.
( 3 ) Management capability requirements
1. Organizational structure
Establish a dedicated smart manufacturing department and equip it with digital talents (such as Chief Information Officer ( CIO)).
2. Standard system
Formulate enterprise standards for intelligent manufacturing and participate in the formulation of national/industry standards (bonus points).
3. InnovationMechanism
Annual R&D investment ≥ 3% of operating income, and possession of patents or software related to intelligent manufacturing.
( IV ) Performance indicators
1. Economic benefits
Production efficiency increased by ≥20%, operating costs decreased by ≥15%, and product defect rate decreased by ≥30%.
2. Social benefits
Form replicable industry solutions and drive coordinated upgrades of upstream and downstream industrial chains.
3. Demonstration
Be rated as a provincial-level smart factory /benchmark factory, or be selected as a national-level pilot demonstration project (such as the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s smart manufacturing demonstration factory).
II . Application Process
III . Application Plan Steps and Strategies
1. Download the application template
To apply for specific templates and filling requirements, you need to log in to the Intelligent Manufacturing Data Resources Public Service Platform ( https://www.miit-imps.com ) to view , preview and download blank templates .
2. Breakdown of the list of supporting materials
According to the specific application template and filling requirements, a complete list of required materials is broken down and prepared in various departments of the organization.
3. Preparation and layout of core third-party materials
Excellence-level smart factories need to undergo a third-party smart manufacturing capability maturity assessment of level 3 or above.
The recommended level for enterprise self-assessment is four.
4. Preparation of application materials
( 1 ) Before July 1 , prepare the attachment materials according to the breakdown materials list ;
( 2 ) Before July 10 , the application materials must be completed. If there is a supplier of intelligent transformation, the integrator’s solution can be provided as a reference .
Application Materials for Excellence-Level Smart Factory Project ( Official Website Notice )
Serial number
Required Materials
Specific content
1
Basic information of the applicant
Including company name, address, nature, industry, contact information, etc.
2
Basic Information about Smart Factories
Including information such as the start and end time of smart factory construction, total investment, integrator, project introduction, construction results, authenticity commitment, etc.
3
Smart factory scenario construction status
Including information such as the overall project situation, key link construction situation, specific scenario construction situation, system integration situation, etc.
4
Achievements in smart factory construction
Including information such as the project’s advancement and characteristics, implementation results, and subsequent implementation plans
( 3 ) Before July 15 , finalize the application materials and submit them online or offline.