On June 13, HFI organized a field trip to Huangpu to have a view of some enterprises which represent some of the highest levels of production and manufacturing.

The first business we visited was GSK, a company dedicated to producing CNC equipment. CNC equipment controls the operations of robots, setting sequences for their work and component handling in tasks like assembly within a pipeline. When we first stepped into the factory, two robots performed a lion dance, traditional Chinese cultural dancing, for us, which was also programmed by the CNC equipment GSK produced. After we walked into the exhibition room, lines of robots and industrial facilities were perfectly displayed and placed. They were all from different manufacturers, but they have one thing in common, is that they were controlled by machines and CNC equipment developed by GSK. A guide was there to lead us into the factory and instruct us about the fundamental values and focuses of GSK: to produce the best-automated pipeline systems in the whole world.

As we moved deeper into the factory, we were shown a variety of the small components and the precision GSK’s pipelines were able to produce. It was amazing to see all these cutting-edge technologies out for display. We then walked into the core production area and it was full of different machines operating under strict supervision. Despite the high temperatures and the lack of air conditioning in the main production area, the narrator’s enthusiasm made the heat bearable.

After leaving GSK, we headed for Mingluo Enterprise. If GSK was the firm dedicated to developing and designing an appropriate pipeline for work, then Mingluo could be perceived as the firm which focused on combining new technology with industrial production and solving problems which exist in automated pipelines, such problems may be producing items which don’t fit the standard or not functioning as set. For instance, Mingluo had, for years, focused on providing digital solutions for smart machine manufacturing. We were given a pad and were able to drag different parts of a virtual pipeline on the pad to form a whole manufacturing process, which was a great way for our fellow students to get to know smart machines manufacturing better. In addition, we were also shown a digital lab built by Mingluo to test their new-bought non-standard.

Mingluo not only does this theoretical research but also devotes their powers to building new infrastructure. Below is a picture of the infrastructure engineering Mingluo participated in, and the ones shown were only a fraction of the projects of construction Mingluo took part in. A movie to show us how to build a pipeline was also demonstrated to us.

After the tour at Mingluo, we went out and enjoyed lunch provided by local Huangpu enterprises and the government. What is worth mentioning is that they also sent several teachers to accompany our tour all along the way, and all the students and teachers who took part in the tour were very thankful to them.

For the last part of our tour, we visited the institution of automation in southern China. Compared to the first two enterprises we visited, which both covered areas of production in real life, the institution was undoubtedly more “academic”, with the narrator explaining how automation can combine with forefront studies and research: quantum mechanics, artificial intelligence, radio detection, and so on. It’s actually a surprise that all these most innovative subjects in human lives require the cooperation of automation. Also, robot chips and the administration and management of a city also strongly rely on automation. For the last part of the tour at the automation institution, our fellow teachers and the narrator told us a precious piece of advice: studying in a classroom may provide you access to knowledge, but without a chance to carry out on-the-spot investigations like this, we can never make full use of what we learn.

All in all, the trip to Huangpu was a valuable chance for us to learn and broaden our horizons. All three enterprises were kind and showed hospitality, and indeed, our fellow students and the teachers who came along all gained some kind of knowledge and experience. As Duncan Deng from Class Feifei says, although he had a long experience programming and designing robots, it’s new for him to learn that robots have physical feelings like touches. Frank Zhang from Class Feifei also exclaims that it’s lucky for him to be able to tour these enterprises and get a closer glimpse of the knowledge that seems to be far away from us in our daily studies.

Acknowledgements:
Writer: Kasper Wu

Editor: Morgan Lin