科技推动社会发展。随着智能制造时代的到来，数字技术变成了一颗耀眼的明星。各国竞相发展、应用相关技术。中国的发展情况和趋势是什么样的呢？3月18日——今天，ABB集团首席执行官史毕福博士（Ulrich Spiesshofer）出席在北京举行的“中国发展高层论坛”并发表主题演讲。同时，他还通过题为《数字化与产业升级》的署名文章，探讨如何通过数字化技术让企业大幅提升效率和生产力，实现《中国制造2025》提出的制造强国目标。小编在此献上史毕福博士的署名文章《数字化与产业升级》，答案你们自己找哦。

先放一张博士的照片，让大家认识一下作者。

随着中国政府通过实施《中国制造2025》稳步提升全球竞争力，数字技术将得到更广泛的应用，从而提高能源效率和生产力，推动中国从制造大国向制造强国转型。

中国对先进技术的投资规模已经非常庞大。例如，它已经是世界最大、增长速度最快的机器人市场。然而，就自动化和生产力水平而言，中国和发达经济体之间仍有较大差距。 

国际机器人协会最新数据显示，中国工业机器人使用密度为每万名产业工人49台，而美国已达176台，日本和德国分别约为300台，韩国则高达531台。另有数据显示，中国生产效率水平还不足欧洲、日本和美国的十分之一（数据来源：国际劳工组织和中国国家统计局）。这些数字既代表了差距，也意味着巨大的发展潜力。

In its quest to become a stronger manufacturer, China is on track to boost its global competitiveness through Made in China 2025, an initiative to accelerate energy efficiency and productivity, and to support investment in advanced technologies. 

Today, China has 49 robots per 10,000 workers in industry, compared with 176 in the United States, around 300 in Japan and Germany, and 531 in South Korea, according to the International Federation of Robotics. The country’s productivity is less than a tenth of the levels in Europe, Japan and the US, respectively, according to the International Labor Organization and the National Bureau of Statistics of China.

中国工业和信息化部副部长辛国斌在刚刚结束的两会期间表示，中国 2016 年工业机器人产量已经达到7.24万台，同比增长了34.3%，同时，工业机器人已经从传统的汽车制造向机械、电子、化工、轻工、船舶、矿山开采等领域迅速拓展。

换言之，就迎接数字化革命而言，中国今天所处的位置比大部分国家都占优势。中国网民数量占全球网民数量近四分之一，比排名紧随其后的三个国家（美国、印度和日本）加起来的总数还要多；中国是世界上最大的数字化零售业市场；拥有移动互联机器的数量居世界首位。中国所面临的挑战是，如何将机器人、设备、工厂与工业互联网相连，从而使企业投身数字经济。

That said, few countries are better positioned than China to embrace the digital revolution. The country already has almost a quarter of the world’s internet users, more than the next three largest countries combined: the US, India and Japan. It is the world’s largest digital retail market and it has by far the most machine-to-machine mobile connections. 

The challenge is to integrate Chinese enterprises into the digital economy by connecting their robots, machines and plants to the industrial internet.

对企业而言，数字化的一大优势是可以迅速带来效益，且无需斥巨资投资新工厂和设备。ABB去年推出的一款低成本智能传感器就是很好的例证。该传感器将低压电机与工业互联网相连，可对电机进行连续监测。传感器将振动、温度、负载和功率消耗等数据传输到智能云，一旦任何参数偏离标准值，就可生成警报。 这样一来，用户就能在电机发生故障前采取预防措施。由于传感器和电机之间不通过电气连接，未经授权者无法通过传感器获取对电机的控制权，因此网络安全得到充分保障。该传感器使用行业标准加密协议将数据传输到服务器，并以加密形式存储于云端。

One advantage of digitalization is that enterprises can reap benefits quickly without needing to make substantial investments in new plant and equipment. 

For instance, an easily affordable smart sensor device ABB Group launched last year connects low-voltage electric motors to the industrial internet, allowing them to be continuously monitored. 

The sensor transmits data on vibration, temperature, loads and power consumption to the intelligent cloud and alerts are generated as soon as any of the parameters deviate from the norm. That way the owner can take preventive action before a motor malfunctions. 

Cybersecurity is assured because there is no electrical connection between the sensor and motor, so no unauthorized party can gain control of the motor through the unit. Data is transferred to servers using industry standard encryption protocols and is stored in an encrypted form in the cloud.

现有数据表明，该智能传感器解决方案可将电机故障停工时间降低近70%，并延长30%的使用期限。同时，基于数据分析采取措施优化电机性能，还能减少近10%的能耗。节约的能耗可满足约3.5亿人口一年的用电需求。

Early indications show that this smart sensor solution leads to a reduction in motors’ downtime by up to 70 percent and an extension of their lifespan by up to 30 percent. Acting on the data in order to optimize the motor’s performance can reduce energy consumption by as much as 10 percent. 

随着传感器、云计算和处理能力等数字技术的出现，对各种设备进行远程监控已成为现实，技术人员由此可以采取预防措施防范故障，并对每一件产品进行从生产到交付的全程追踪。数字技术一旦全面应用于工厂，将会为交货时间、生产效率和产品质量带来指数级的提升。

Digital technologies, such as sensors, cloud computing and processing power, have made it possible to remotely monitor all manner of equipment, allowing technicians to pre-empt malfunctions and to track every product throughout any production and delivery processes. Applied across industrial plants, the improvements in lead time, productivity and quality can be exponential. 

然而，对众多企业而言，真正的挑战在于知道如何处理这些来自设备和系统的数据。在一些案例中，“数据洪流”已经让许多公司不知所措，迫使他们缩减甚至中止数字化运营计划。对这些企业而言，他们需要的不仅是数据，更是可转化为行动、直接应用于运营中的信息。工业企业应选择与能够提供此类服务的伙伴合作，以应对“数据洪流”。

However, for many enterprises, the challenge is knowing what to do with all the data generated by their equipment and systems. In some cases, the data deluge - as it is known - has overwhelmed many companies, leading them to scale back or even put on hold plans to digitalize their operations. 

Industrial companies can avoid this pitfall by working with partners that not only provide data, but also actionable information that the company can apply directly to their operations.

ABB是为数不多的可以提供此类服务的企业之一。我们具备数字化专业知识，同时在电网、工业机器人和工业控制系统领域的全球装机量位居前茅。 我们对来自客户设备、机器人和设施的数据进行分析，将其与我们基于全球装机规模的各种信息进行比较，生成可转化为行动的建议，帮助客户优化运营。在互联互通日益普及的背景下，任何单一解决方案都无法确保系统安全，因此，ABB通过与客户紧密合作，使用多个安全层级来发现并防止隐患。

ABB is one of a small number of companies that is able to provide such information because, as well as having digital know-how, we have one of the largest installed bases - including power grids, industrial robotics and control systems - in the industry. 

We analyze data from our customers’ machines, robots and facilities, compare this with everything we have learned from our global installed base and then provide our customers with actionable information with which they can optimize their operations. 

在中国，数字技术在能源、工业、交通和基础设施领域具有巨大的应用潜力。为实现能源转型，中国需要基于智能电网的高压输电基础设施来管理间歇性可再生能源发电，并将电力输送到需要的地方；在工业领域，中国需要提高正常运行时间、速度和产量，并通过自动化实现产业升级；最后，为了解决城市空气污染和更好地管理不断扩张的特大城市，中国亟需发展电动交通，同时提高楼宇和基础设施的能源绩效。

In China, digital technologies have enormous potential in the areas of energy, industry, and transport and infrastructure. To achieve its energy transition, the country needs high-voltage transmission infrastructure supported by intelligent grids to manage power flows from intermittent renewable energy sources and to route power to where it is needed. 

China needs to improve its industries’ uptime, speed and yield as well as to upgrade its industrial base through automation. 

To tackle urban air pollution and manage its expanding mega-cities, China should look to transition rapidly to electric mobility and improve the energy efficiency and performance of its buildings and infrastructure.

数字技术提供了一种快速有效的方法来应对这些挑战，同时实现工业价值链的提升。此外，强有力的证据表明，数字技术可以激发企业创新。这从阿里巴巴、滴滴出行和微信等平台所取得的巨大成功中便可见一斑。对中国而言，在工业领域更广泛地应用数字技术势必带来更多的开创性技术解决方案。

Digital technologies offer a fast and effective way to address these challenges, as well as to lead the upward shift of the industrial value chain.

There is strong evidence to suggest that digital technologies spur innovation by placing advanced technologies within reach of entrepreneurs. This is evident with the staggering success of online retailer Alibaba Group, taxi-hailing app Didi Chuxing, and Tencent Holdings’ messaging and electronic payments platform, WeChat. 

The more China can embrace digital technologies in industry, the more it can expect to see pioneering technology solutions emerging in the industrial space.