China has marked a significant milestone in its manufacturing sector with the opening of its first intelligent manufacturing base for offshore oil and gas equipment in Tianjin Municipality. This state-of-the-art facility, spanning approximately 575,000 square meters along the Bohai Sea coast, is set to revolutionize the production of offshore platforms and high-end products like liquefied natural gas modules.
Constructed by China Offshore Oil Engineering Company (COOEC), a subsidiary of the China National Offshore Oil Corporation, the base boasts four intelligent production workshops, eight auxiliary centers, 16 final assembly stations, and advanced docks for large ship transportation. Equipped with over 600 smart production machines, the facility leverages a sophisticated manufacturing management platform that enables a single click to perform operations such as material retrieval, pipe coiling, cutting, and hydraulic bending.
Wang Lei, a senior executive at COOEC's Tianjin branch, highlighted the transformation from traditional manufacturing processes to a more streamlined, intelligent system. \"More manufacturing processes are now achieved through the use of equipment, while only a small number of workers are needed to undertake detail adjustment tasks,\" Wang explained.
The factory was developed in two phases. The first phase, launched in June 2022, successfully delivered 35 offshore oil and gas platforms to countries including China and Canada, with a total weight exceeding 87,000 tonnes. The second phase expanded the facility with eight additional final assembly stations and an intelligent pipe production line, effectively doubling the factory's overall production capacity and increasing production efficiency by about 20 percent.
This advancement comes at a pivotal time, as China's offshore crude oil production surpassed 62 million tonnes in 2023, marking a year-on-year increase of 3.4 million tonnes. This growth accounts for approximately 70 percent of the country's total crude oil production increase last year, underscoring the critical role of intelligent manufacturing in meeting rising energy demands.
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China's first smart factory for offshore oil and gas equipment opens
cgtn.com
