Standards are regarded as the universal language of the world and are the key to the success or failure of the equipment manufacturing industry.

​ This meeting mentioned that efforts should be made to increase the conversion rate of international standards in key areas from the current over 70% to over 90% by 2020.

In this regard, Jia Peifa, a professor at Tsinghua University and an expert in the field of robotics, told the reporter of the "Everyday Economic News" : "Standards are a symbol of industrial strength and also the direction leading the progress of the industry." Take industrial robots as an example. At present, China mainly still adopts foreign standards.

Improve the international standard conversion rate

At present, China's manufacturing industry is facing a "two-way squeeze". Leading the industrial direction through industry standards and even enhancing the international say of China's manufacturing industry through standard competition have become a key link for China's manufacturing industry to transform from large to strong.

The executive meeting of The State Council on April 6th officially approved the "Plan for Standardization and Quality Improvement of Equipment Manufacturing Industry". The meeting held that adhering to standard guidance and building a manufacturing power is an important part of structural reform, especially supply-side structural reform. It is conducive to improving supply, expanding demand, and promoting the product industry to move towards the medium and high end.

In terms of manufacturing standards, Jia Peifa told the "Everyday Economic News" reporter that generally speaking, the standard strategy for the equipment manufacturing industry has three steps. The first is to break through or master core technologies; The second is patenting technology, that is, protecting core technologies with intellectual property rights. The third is patent standardization, that is, elevating core technologies to industry standards or international standards.

Journalists have noticed that the competition among manufacturing industries of various countries is essentially also a competition of standards. Among the eight optimization action areas proposed for the implementation of "Industry 4.0" in Germany, standardization ranks first.

In the eyes of industry experts, standardization is the driving force of innovation and also a means to achieve a leading strategy in the market and suppliers.

This executive meeting requires that in line with "Made in China 2025", we should aim at the international advanced level, promote new breakthroughs in standardization in key areas such as robots, advanced rail transit equipment, agricultural machinery, and high-performance medical devices, and update standards in a timely manner in response to innovation progress and market demands. Strive to increase the conversion rate of international standards in key areas from the current over 70% to over 90% by 2020.

Last year, in order to strengthen the implementation of standards in the high-end equipment manufacturing industry, accelerate the development of technical standards, improve the technical standard system, and promote the transformation of the equipment manufacturing industry from large to strong, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology launched a pilot program for standardization in the high-end equipment manufacturing industry.

The key to establishing standards lies in one's own ability to meet them; otherwise, the significance of the standards is lost. While promoting the construction of standards, China should also pay more attention to the breakthrough of technological strength. Jia Peifa told the reporter of the "Everyday Economic News".

Support the improvement of quality and efficiency in the manufacturing industry

On April 6th, Deloitte's Global Consumer and Industrial Products Industry and the US Competitiveness Council jointly released the "2016 Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index" report, which pointed out that China ranked first in the 2016 national Manufacturing Competitiveness index ranking.

The report holds that China still leads the world in manufacturing competitiveness at present, but it also faces challenges such as an aging population, economic slowdown and rising labor costs. Meanwhile, countries such as Germany, the United States, Japan and the United Kingdom, where high-end technology-intensive products account for the vast majority of their overall manufacturing exports, have seen their manufacturing competitiveness rankings rise since 2010.

Dong Weilong, the head of Deloitte China's industrial products and services, told the "Everyday Economic News" that the Chinese government has noticed the various challenges faced by China's manufacturing industry and is vigorously promoting the "Made in China 2025" and "Internet Plus" plans, while implementing relevant measures. All these actions will enhance China's position in the value chain. He believes that the focus of China's current policies lies in providing capital for enterprises to carry out technological development, sustainable development and infrastructure development, all of which offer crucial support for Chinese enterprises to develop their own competitiveness.

China's total manufacturing output value has ranked first in the world, making it a genuine manufacturing power. However, our country is also confronted with the awkward situation of few well-known brands, low product quality, and even substandard quality. At present, when consumers are pursuing brand quality, on one hand, the cost advantage is gradually disappearing; On one hand, overcapacity is a fact, and domestic products that win by offering low prices are in a predicament.

This executive meeting held that it is necessary to carry forward the spirit of craftsmanship, pursue excellence, produce more creative, high-quality and popular products among the masses, resolutely eliminate substandard products, boost consumers' confidence in "Made in China", and support the quality improvement and efficiency enhancement of the manufacturing industry as well as its international competitiveness.