Intelligent agricultural machinery speeds across fields, precision bearings rotate rapidly in equipment, and digital production lines operate efficiently—on the industrial front, an upgrade wave driven by "smart manufacturing" is accelerating. During a research visit themed "Looking at China in the Opening Year: This Is the Real Henan," insights were gathered in Luoyang, an old industrial city, where digital transformation is propelling manufacturing to achieve "accelerated growth."
From "smart agricultural machinery" working the fields to precision "industrial joints" in motion, the scope of Luoyang's intelligent manufacturing continues to expand. The most representative examples are the transformative stories of two companies: China Yituo and Luoyang Bearing Group.
First, China Yituo. The company's development history vividly illustrates China's agricultural machinery industry's journey from nonexistence to existence, and from manufacturing to smart manufacturing. In 1958, the first Dongfanghong tractor rolled off the production line; today, a smart tractor leaves the assembly line in under three minutes. "Dongfanghong," an iconic symbol etched into Chinese memory, is now advancing toward the future with a new identity.
Inside the Dongfanghong Innovation Space, agricultural machinery from different eras is neatly arranged—from classic crawler tractors to 450-horsepower heavy-duty continuously variable transmission machines, from unmanned agricultural equipment to 5G+ hydrogen fuel electric tractors. Each generation of product upgrades clearly outlines the trajectory of China's agricultural machinery leapfrog development.
"We keep pace with the times by integrating smart technology into agricultural machinery, making farming easier and more efficient for farmers," said Wang Yuche, head of product research and development at China Yituo's Large Tractor Company, with a smile. "In the past, farming relied on physical strength; now, it relies on smart machinery. We aim to accompany farmers with 'Dongfanghong,' transitioning from 'knowing how to farm' to 'farming wisely.'"
Behind these words reflects the broader shift in China's agricultural machinery sector from extensive manufacturing toward precision and efficiency. With core proprietary technologies such as power shift, intelligent driving, and electronic control systems for entire machines and components, China Yituo has built a tractor product line covering 25 to 450 horsepower, suitable for various farmland operation scenarios.
Dongfanghong medium and large tractors maintain the leading market share and highest social ownership in the industry, with cumulative production nearing 4 million units, providing solid support for national food security.
As breakthroughs in key core technologies continue, China's agricultural equipment is rapidly advancing toward intelligence, serialization, and high-end refinement. The product system is increasingly complete, and application scenarios continue to expand. The overall leap in agricultural equipment manufacturing capability is injecting continuous momentum into agricultural modernization.
In early 2026, eight departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly issued the "Implementation Opinions on the 'AI + Manufacturing' Special Action," explicitly promoting the deep integration of artificial intelligence and manufacturing and driving digital transformation among small and medium-sized enterprises. Follow-up policies such as the cultivation of smart factories and the promotion of typical application scenarios are accelerating the manufacturing sector's shift toward high-end, intelligent, and green development.
With policy support, an increasing number of traditional manufacturing companies are seizing opportunities to derive momentum from smart manufacturing.
Turning attention to Luoyang Bearing Group: As one of the key national projects during the First Five-Year Plan period, the group, established in 1954, is considered the "cradle" of China's bearing industry. Today, this longstanding state-owned enterprise has moved beyond traditional production models, achieving "accelerated growth" on the track of smart manufacturing.
Inside Luoyang Bearing Group's smart production workshop, robotic arms move with precision, AGVs shuttle orderly, and "5G + Industrial Internet" technologies make production lines "sharp-eyed and quick-eared."
"We continue to increase investment in digital and intelligent upgrades to make production more efficient and products more precise," said Song Huahua, deputy director of the group's technology center. The company has invested over 1 billion yuan in digital transformation, achieving digital, visual, and unmanned connected production processes.
At the same time, data integration across design, processing, and inspection has shortened product changeover time to 1–2 hours, while the production cycle has been reduced by 30% compared to traditional production lines.
Leveraging its national-level laboratory to tackle core technologies, Luoyang Bearing Group continues to enhance its independent R&D capabilities in high-end bearings. It holds over 40% of the domestic market share in wind power main bearings, with 13 scientific and technological achievements reaching international advanced levels. The company has also independently incubated and developed a range of bearing application software with proprietary intellectual property, further boosting competitiveness through digital and intelligent empowerment.
These precision bearings form the "backbone" of major national equipment, showcasing the hardcore strength of China's equipment manufacturing industry.
Smarter workshops, higher-end products, and more complete industrial chains—this is a vivid portrayal of the transformation and upgrading of China's traditional manufacturing sector. Currently, traditional manufacturing is in a critical period of transitioning toward high-end, intelligent, and green development. The exploratory practices of companies like Yituo and Luoyang Bearing Group offer a replicable transformation path for the entire industry, demonstrating the robust resilience of China's equipment manufacturing.
Anchored to the goal of high-quality development, China's traditional manufacturing sector is taking innovation as its core driving force, accelerating breakthroughs in core technologies, improving industrial chains, and advancing toward high-end, refined, and intelligent production. On this global competitive track, "Made in China" is swiftly evolving into "Intelligent Manufacturing in China," continuously releasing new vitality and injecting lasting momentum into the high-quality development of China's manufacturing industry.