Show has lofty goals including integrating internet with modern manufacturing industries

A major expo opening tomorrow - aimed at integrating the internet with modern manufacturing industries and guiding internet companies to explore international markets - is expected to benefit the international community.

The third Internet Plus Expo, which will take place in the Foshan Shunde district, Guangdong province, from Oct 12-15, has great expectations.

It's being held in the wake of China's rapid development in the era of the Internet Plus and Industry 4.0 strategies.

That's according to a senior official of the Shunde district government.

The expo has the theme of "new interconnection, new smart manufacturing, new future."

The exhibition will focus on major areas such as intelligent manufacturing, cutting-edge internet-plus technologies, intelligent home furnishing, smart cities, internet plus finance, e-commerce, innovation and entrepreneurship.

"The expo will drive Foshan's internet plus applications and industrial developments," said Liu Yi, the deputy secretary of Party committee of Shunde district.

This year's expo will join hands with the Hannover Milano Fairs Shanghai Ltd.

It is the Chinese branch of a top German exhibition company and it will allocate core resources from its CeBIT Expo - one of the largest and most internationally representative computer expos.

The trade fair is held each year on the Hanover fairground, the world's largest fairground, in Hanover, Germany.

Liu said the link will enhance the branding value and industry influence of the Chinese expo.

"As a main manufacturing hub of China, Foshan is significantly advancing the strategic adjustment of its industrial structure and promoting integration of informatization and industrialization," said Liu Guoliang, managing director of Hannover Milano Fairs China Ltd.

Liu added that CeBIT's resources would be introduced into Foshan, to both meet with industry development trends and cultivate the exhibition in an international way.

CeBIT is one of the world's most influential digital economic events that focuses on artificial intelligence, virtual reality, humanoid robots and unmanned aerial vehicles, covering cloud computing, big data and mobile solutions.

In May, Shunde district government and Hannover Milano Fairs Shanghai Ltd signed a three-year action plan to jointly organize the expo.

"The expo will introduce a new concept and a large number of international elements both in the scale of the exhibition and the qualities of its exhibitors, "Liu said.

"It will have 45,000 square meters of exhibition space, attracting some 650 companies from home and abroad."

Chinese internet and IT giants, such as Baidu, Huawei Technologies, and leading global companies like Google, Fanuc, Kuka and Midea, will show their technologies, products and services at the expo.

Liu said more than 80 high-tech product categories - including big data, cloud computing, intelligent logistics, e-commerce, industrial and service robots, unmanned aerial vehicles, virtual reality/augmented reality, internet payments and artificial intelligence - will be demonstrated.

Global industrial robot manufacturer Kuka Roboter will display the excellent performance of its products and industrial automation solutions, and the consumer electronics leader Midea will show off its smart home appliances.

"Due to their potentially huge commercial value, virtual reality products and drones will be introduced into this year's expo to increase the participation of international groups," Liu said.

The expo will display virtual reality applications in e-Sports, virtual shopping, intelligent medical treatments, among other things.

Frontier technology exhibitors, represented by world leading drone manufacturer DJI-Innovations, will showcase the latest results of their intelligent flight controls in the drone pavilion, according to Liu.

Moreover, more than 1,000 square meters of area for overseas exhibitions will uniquely display the latest fruits of the Industry 4.0 strategy formulated by global industry leaders coming from Germany, Italy and the United States.

At the same time, the robotics academy in Foshan - the only brand agent internationally for the robotics academy in Hanover - will unveil the Industry 4.0 production technological demonstration line for the first time.

In addition to the expo, a series of forums and exchanges will be held simultaneously - both for experts and entrepreneurs to discuss industrial transformation and business cooperation, and for exhibitors and the audience to build a face to face communications platform.

Concurrent events, including the 2017 national robot and artificial intelligence competition and the China innovation and entrepreneurship competition (Foshan), will also be launched.

"Based on the previous two expos, this one will bring in more international factors, exhibition concepts and professional services.

It will create a world-class expo as a platform to further promote the internet and the integration of modern manufacturing industries, and provide companies with opportunities through Internet Plus to fully expand into international markets," Liu said.

The third Internet Plus Expo is co-organized by the Foshan committee of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, Shunde district government, the bureau of the China International SME Fair and Hannover Milano Fairs Shanghai Ltd.

yuanshenggao@chinadaily.com.cn

Virtual reality products are a hot attraction at the annual Internet Plus Expo in Foshan. This year the event runs from Oct 12-15.Provided to China Daily

(China Daily 10/11/2017 page12)