China, the world's manufacturing powerhouse, is facing a big challenge as it scrambles to cultivate cutting-edge technologies and emerging fields, and deal with its sprawling traditional industries such as steel, nonferrous metals and building materials.

Though some have called these "low-end" and urged for the phasing out of such industries, arguing that they are not productive enough and could trigger negative environmental fallout, China's top industry regulator has expressed a more rational view.

Jin Zhuanglong, minister of industry and information technology, has said that China's traditional industries are vast and account for over 80 percent of the manufacturing sector, including steel, nonferrous metals, petrochemicals, building materials, light industry, machinery, textiles and apparel, foods, and traditional Chinese medicine.

These traditional sectors form the foundation of the modern industrial system, are crucial to economic development and people's livelihoods, and are essential for maintaining China's status as the world's leading manufacturer, Jin said.

"Regardless of the present or the future, traditional industries should not be simply labeled as 'low-end industries' and phased out. We must prioritize the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, employing a set of 'comprehensive measures' to accelerate their development toward higher-end, smarter and greener directions, allowing traditional industries to 'blossom anew'," Jin added.

Looking ahead, Jin's ministry will focus on implementing high-end, intelligent, green and integrated technological renovations of traditional industries, supporting new technology pilot projects, and executing major manufacturing technological upgrades and large-scale equipment renewal projects. The aim is to rejuvenate traditional industries, making them carriers of new quality productive forces.

A typical example is the collaboration between Inspur Yunzhou, a unit of Inspur Group that focuses on the industrial internet, and Hansy Mining Co Ltd, a manufacturer of mining crushing and screening equipment. The two companies have launched an industry case application aimed at transforming traditional machinery into smart equipment.

This initiative focuses on equipping conventional "dumb machines" that are not connected to the internet, with advanced industrial security devices such as Yunzhou security chips and intelligent gateways before they leave the factory. This transformation allows the equipment to evolve into smart devices that boast data services.

The equipment undergoes full-spectrum management and analysis, through comprehensive monitoring and control capabilities, including quality tracing, energy consumption, productivity analysis, remote maintenance and after-sales service. This process continually accumulates application and fault data, forming an equipment analysis model, the two companies said.

The transformation has significantly benefited Hansy Mining by reducing operational costs, enhancing product value and improving service quality. It has helped the company cut equipment failure rates by 15 percent, reduce unplanned downtime by 20 percent, increase maintenance efficiency by 25 percent, lower maintenance costs by 20 percent, and boost after-sales repair efficiency by 90 percent. These improvements have markedly increased the competitiveness of the company's products and brand, Hansy Mining said.

Shang Guangyong, chief technology officer and deputy general manager of Inspur Yunzhou, said the intelligent transformation of equipment helps companies transition from traditional "industrial equipment manufacturers" to "operators of industrial equipment manufacturing, industrial digital service and infrastructure".