On November 28th, Apple participated in the first China International Supply Chain Promotion Expo (Chain Expo) with three distinctive suppliers: Lansi Technology, Bozhong Precision, and Changying Precision, showcasing Apple's efforts and latest progress in intelligent manufacturing, green manufacturing, and talent cultivation in the supply chain.
China is undoubtedly the most important market for Apple's supply chain layout. At this Chain Expo, Apple revealed for the first time that 151 out of the top 200 suppliers have produced Apple products in China, and these top 200 suppliers account for 98% of Apple's total procurement.
In terms of consumer electronics manufacturing, Apple's supply chain (fruit chain) is at the forefront of the industry. This year marks the 30th year that Apple has entered the Chinese market. Through years of cultivation, a large number of outstanding Chinese domestic manufacturing enterprises have grown in Apple's supply chain.
Apple Vice President and Managing Director of Greater China, Ge Yue, stated that these local supply chain enterprises in China are already leading the world in the field of intelligent manufacturing.
Ge Yue introduced that there is a very close cooperation between Apple's engineers, intelligent device engineers, and supply chain engineers in improving intelligent manufacturing processes and levels. Apple engineers will bring new technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to the production line, and even bring some of the latest materials, processes, etc. to the supply chain, helping it move towards intelligent manufacturing.
"There were many foreign equipment before, and in the past decade or so, our localization rate has been very excellent. Their intelligent manufacturing is actually leading globally." Ge Yue said, "Not only in intelligent manufacturing, but also in green manufacturing and employee training, these local suppliers in China have done very well in cooperation with Apple.".
Cui Yushan, Vice President of Operations and Procurement Management at Apple Asia, stated that based on the approximate purchase amount, domestically produced smart devices account for 75%.
With the growth of domestic supply chain enterprises in China, they have the opportunity to produce the latest products for Apple. For example, Lixun Precision will produce the Apple Head Display Vision Pro.
Automation equipment manufacturer Bozhong Precision (688097) has showcased the multifunctional visual inspection platform of the Monkey Spirit. This device can be used to detect appearance defects and dimensions of screws, glass, and other parts of Apple products. This device can provide 90 degree side imaging and 360 degree all-round detection of slender materials. Replacing the previous method of four sets of cameras, improving efficiency and reducing costs. This device can communicate and collaborate with upstream and downstream devices, transmit data in real-time, and monitor the entire production process.
Dong Hao, Vice President of Bozhong Precision Industry Market and Chairman of Linghou Robotics, stated in an interview that many of the equipment used to be imported when cooperating with Apple. Now, the vast majority of products are domestically produced, and the "Linghou" testing platform is completely independently developed by Bozhong.
Since 2010, Bozhong Precision has become Apple's automation equipment supplier, covering a wider range of products from initial standalone devices to fully automated intelligent flexible lines, from Mac to iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. In recent years, on average, Bozhong Precision delivers over a thousand types of equipment and over ten thousand units to Apple each year, covering more than 180 OEM factories in 13 countries overseas. Through cooperation with Apple's supply chain, the company has also promoted its internationalization process.
Changying Precision (300115) has been a member of Apple's supply chain since 2012, providing intelligent terminal components for Apple, including metal appearance parts, stamped parts, plastic components, and die-casting parts for product lines such as Mac, Apple Watch, iPad, and Pencil. The exhibition showcased the skill of force controlled carving of raw eggs, using the Tianji Industrial Six Axis Robot EVO7. This robot carves text/patterns on the surface of eggs without puncturing the eggshell. This six axis robot independently developed by Ying Precision has been successfully applied to Apple's product super workstation Mac Pro through high-precision path planning algorithms and precise force control.
Apple has always been at the forefront of global green environmental protection, and these local Chinese suppliers are also consistent with Apple in this regard.
LanSi Technology is one of the earliest local suppliers cultivated by Apple. At this Chain Expo, relying on the technological accumulation of producing glass cover plates for Apple, LanSi has entered the photovoltaic field and developed the latest generation of photovoltaic materials, reducing the thickness of photovoltaic glass from 3.2mm to 1.2mm. It has obtained global certification from the National Photovoltaic Quality Inspection Center and CQCTUVUL.
Zhou Qunfei, Chairman of LanSi Technology, told a reporter from Pengpai News, "The thinner the glass of solar photovoltaic, the stronger the transmittance and toughness, and it can be rolled up. We spent two years solving this problem. Lightweight photovoltaics are suitable for floating on the sea. In addition, the weight load of lightweight modules will be reduced, and the cost of photovoltaic modules and power plants will be reduced in the future."
In addition, Changying Precision presented an environmental protection sand table model at the meeting. The wastewater treatment process of Changying Precision follows the requirements of national environmental regulations and the concept of Apple Clean Water Project. Through this process, pollutants in wastewater can be effectively removed, and the treated wastewater can be reused in the production process. In terms of recycled materials, Changying Precision produces aluminum for the bodies of Macs, iPads, and other devices produced by Apple.