Shanghai key to unlock Yangtze River Delta region value in digital age

Shanghai will be key for the Yangtze River Delta region to make it a gateway to the Asian Pacific region, by leveraging its lead in digital technologies.

The Yangtze River Delta generates more than 20 percent of China’s gross domestic product (GDP) and it is among the country’s most advanced areas in terms of economic vitality, degree of openness, innovative ability and absorption of immigrants. As a leading city in the region, Shanghai boasts a well-developed transport network, a strong manufacturing base and a high level of connectivity, which lays a solid foundation to deploy digital technologies.

By leveraging opportunities from industrial digital technologies, as well as the synergies between “Made in China 2025” initiative and the comprehensive city cluster development plan in the region, Shanghai can lead the delta region to a quantum leap in growth as it moves toward the goal of building a world-class conurbation.

The “BosWash” region in the United States and the so-called “Blue Banana” in Europe went through similar transitions. In a digitalizing, globalizing world, the paradigm of cities is shifting when smart cities, big data in manufacturing and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) are redefining the future of city clusters .

In the Fourth Industrial Revolution, smart manufacturing and processes, intelligent services, shrewd energy initiatives, and unfettered communication and data exchange are not only benefiting factories and enterprises, but vastly elevating the growth and development prospects of cities and city clusters.

Government-led projects can drive innovation, promote regional development and unlock the full potential of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The German government’s role in the “Industry 4.0” project is an example. The project helps factories and enterprises, powers sustainable urban and regional development as well as to increase connectivity and German competitiveness in the process.

It is important to focus specifically on helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which are critical drivers of regional economic growth. Fostering a strong spirit of cooperation among all stakeholders to facilitate the sharing of ideas and best practices; while leveraging the use of pilot projects as reference examples for leaders charged with project implementation are key to success.

ABB has an extensive portfolio of products that can help the Yangtze River Delta region and the city of Shanghai in that process. As a leading technology company, ABB can provide state-of-the-art ABB Ability solutions to improve the Shanghai port’s operational efficiency and performance and enable ships to sail safely through complicated weather, helping both port and fleet operators with their digital transformation.

To conclude, we remain optimistic about Shanghai’s future development as always. It is perfectly positioned to leverage industry leading digital solutions to further upgrade the extensive network that already links it to countries along the “Belt and Road” routes and develop its smart services and logistics to glean new advantages in the high-tech, connected city cluster.