Gu Jiandang, member of the Executive Committee of Phoenix Contact Group, President of Phoenix Contact (China) Investment Co., Ltd., founder of Phoenix Contact Intelligent Strategy Promotion Alliance, and builder and promoter of China's intelligent industry ecosystem. Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Nanjing University, EMBA from China Europe International, graduated from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in 1992, and later joined Nanrui Group Company. At the end of 1993, as a member of the entrepreneurial team, I joined Phoenix and embarked on a 22 year entrepreneurial journey.

He has successively served as adjunct professor of Shanghai Electric Power University, guest professor of Nanjing University Business School, executive director of China Instrument and Meter Association, executive director of China Enterprise Confederation/China Entrepreneur Association, vice chairman of Smart Grid Equipment Working Committee of China Electrical Appliance Industry Association, etc; It has been awarded as a new Jiangsu businessman, a model worker in Nanjing, an outstanding entrepreneur in Nanjing, an annual influential person in China's business circle in 2012, a Chinese MBA achievement award, an industrial control industry operation and management award, a Jiangsu entrepreneur innovator in 2014, a 2015 Jiangsu smart manufacturing benchmark entrepreneur, an outstanding entrepreneur in Jiangsu Province, one of the top ten elite figures in China's MBA in 2015, one of the top ten figures in China's automation field in 2015, and a leader award for international multinational companies in 2015 Honors such as Top 10 Economic Figures of the Year of Jiangsu Merchants in 2015 and National Excellent Entrepreneur.

As a model of Sino German cooperation and a major participant and promoter of German Industry 4.0, Phoenix Contact released its intelligent strategy in 2014 and established the Phoenix Contact Intelligent Strategy Promotion Alliance, aiming to build a cooperation bridge between German Industry 4.0 and China's intelligent manufacturing, and create a new platform for industry, academia, research, and government industry media to jointly shape the future intelligent world. This interview with President Gu Jiandang of Phoenix Contact will focus on Industry 4.0, Made in China 2025, and Phoenix Contact's future smart world vision.

Mr. Gu delivered a keynote speech at the 2015 "Connected Intelligence World" Industry Summit Forum

The "Vanguard" on Industry 4.0 Road

Interviewer: Hello Mr. Gu, I'm glad you can accept my interview. This exchange with you focuses on the outstanding actions of Industry 4.0, Made in China 2025 and Phoenix Contact, which everyone is concerned about. In this regard, I understand that Mr. Gu and your team have done a lot of groundbreaking work, which has extended to industries, education, alliance platforms, etc. outside the enterprise. I have seen you three times on different occasions, heard your passionate speeches, and learned that you have been joining Phoenix Contact as one of the six person entrepreneurial teams since 1993, and have persisted for over 20 years now. So before the interview officially starts, would you like to first introduce yourself and share your love relationship with Phoenix with everyone. welcome!

Gu Jiandang: Okay, thank you! It is a great honor to have the opportunity to share and exchange ideas with everyone. I hope that Phoenix Contact and my personal thinking and practice can inspire everyone, and I look forward to the suggestions and criticisms of all experts!

I graduated from Huazhong University of Science and Technology with a major in Power System Automation in 1992 and worked at the Power Automation Research Institute of the Ministry of Electric Power at that time (now State Grid Electric Power Research Institute and NARI Group). I briefly experienced relay protection technical support and engineering services, and joined the Phoenix Contact China entrepreneurial team with Professor Li Musong, founder of Phoenix Contact in China at the end of 1993. From then on, I embarked on a 22 year entrepreneurial journey and took over as the general manager in 2005, President in 2011.

Phoenix Contact was born in Germany in 1923 and has been rooted in China since 1993. It is a global market leader in electrical connections, electronic interfaces, lightning and surge protection, electric vehicle charging and swapping technology, fieldbus, industrial Ethernet, and industrial automation industries. With a development philosophy of continuous passion for innovation, the brand has over 60000 innovative products, which can provide our customers and partners with high-quality devices System and industry solutions.

Who is Phoenix? A family enterprise from Germany, an excellent enterprise rooted in China, a most localized German enterprise managed by 100% Chinese and developing together with Chinese industry, an excellent enterprise willing to work as a supporting role to do a good job in small matters, and a German enterprise adhering to and adhering to local innovation. In a word, excellent representatives of industrial civilization: products are king, quality first, innovation and creation, professional focus, process system, excellent operation, people-oriented, and close to customers. Another feature is never going public and never lending, a standard German hidden champion.

Interviewer: As a model of Sino German cooperation, Phoenix Contact adopts "100% local team and 100% local management" in China and aims to become a truly rooted Chinese company. This unique development model is actually rare among foreign enterprises, and what kind of culture is precipitated behind it?

Gu Jiandang: The core of Phoenix Contact China's corporate culture and values is "trust=responsibility". Phoenix Contact China's management team has never had a "worker" mentality, adheres to dreams and mission guidance, always brings global advanced products and technologies to China with the spirit of ownership and entrepreneurial mentality, and develops together with Chinese industry to create Phoenix Contact and German investors The unique trust partnership between customers and partners, employees, communities, and the Chinese industrial ecosystem actively promotes the sustainable development of Chinese companies!

We always adhere to the path of independent development of the enterprise, and 100% local employees and 100% local management are the best interpretation of this concept. We can proudly say that standing on the platform of multinational corporations, we are rooted and soulful professional managers!

Interviewer: When it comes to cultural traditions or genes, one of the key words is "Phoenix is willing to be a supporting role". Why is it that the era of Industry 4.0 has come, it is no longer a supporting role, but a high-profile pioneer in front?

Gu Jiandang: Phoenix Contact people are worried about the future of China's industry, "small products and big business". It is our unchanging idea to be a supporting role, and "dare not forget to worry about the country because of low position"! Firstly, Phoenix Contact has never stopped paying attention to the development trend of Industry 4.0. In the early days, discussions were held with relevant departments of the German government regarding the transformation of the production and manufacturing industry in Industry 4.0, identifying gaps and summarizing them, clarifying the importance of automation and informatization for the growth and strength of manufacturing countries; Secondly, Phoenix Contact has always been better than words in its conduct and actions, but its mission is to drive the transformation and upgrading of China's industry with a proactive attitude and firm actions. As a Phoenix Contact Chinese with a mission rooted in China, we have the responsibility to bring the latest and most advanced concept of Industry 4.0 to China. As a model and bridge for China Germany cooperation, we will work with Chinese industry people who have aspirations to vigorously promote the landing and development of Industry 4.0 in China, practice intelligent manufacturing, and help Made in China 2025!

Interviewer: Phoenix Contact is an invisible champion enterprise with nearly a century of history in Germany, and one of the main participating enterprises in Industry 4.0. The concept and action framework of Industry 4.0 come from Germany, and this authentic German Industry 4.0 concept will continue to spread to your team. In your opinion, how to accurately grasp the connotation of Industry 4.0?

Gu Jiandang: Since Germany proposed the slogan of Industry 4.0 at the 2013 Hanover Industrial Expo, in just a few years, Industry 4.0 has become synonymous with the Industrial Revolution. Many experts have imaginatively described and introduced this, resulting in many new concepts, such as intelligent factories, intelligent production, digital factories, and so on. Dr. Du Pinsheng, Vice President of our company, has been in Germany for 30 years and has also been an ambassador for Phoenix Industry 4.0. He has participated in and witnessed the great development of Germany's automation industry over the past 30 years, and has a deeper understanding of this! Dr. Du said When I discussed Industry 4.0 with German government personnel, technology personnel, and business managers, everyone was also extremely excited and unanimously believed that Industry 4.0 was Germany's innovation. However, when it comes to how to develop Industry 4.0, many people are vague. If I really want to develop products or technologies for Industry 4.0, there are no technical specifications or indicators, and there is no place to start. The success of Industry 4.0 is not in words today, but in words On tomorrow's action

Industry 4.0 did not promote products, did not promote the technologies and methods to achieve Industry 4.0, and only used internet concepts that meet the needs of social development to describe the future of industrial development. At the same time, under the personal promotion of the German government, it has risen to the national policy of Germany. Germany hopes to hold high the banner of Industry 4.0 to revive its industrial spirit, solve the bottlenecks and challenges faced by the German manufacturing industry, and use Germany's industrial spirit to achieve the future of Industry 4.0. So the essence of Industry 4.0 can be summarized as follows:

1. Industry 4.0 is a product of the transformation of the manufacturing industry in the current Internet era;

2. Industry 4.0 is a powerful weapon to solve the bottlenecks currently encountered by Germany's manufacturing industry;

3. Industry 4.0 is the fundamental guarantee for Germany's machinery manufacturing industry to occupy a leading position in the world.

At present, it is the best time to bring Industry 4.0 back to its roots - tangible changes are better than rhetoric. I believe that there are certain limitations to using the Industry 4.0 Action Plan proposed by Germany to serve the transformation and upgrading of manufacturing in China without any changes. The current industrial development status and production chain structures formed by Germany and China are different, and there are also certain differences in the industrial ecological environment. This is an important prerequisite for us to accurately grasp the connotation of Industry 4.0. It must be pointed out that by holding high the banner of Industry 4.0, Germany has revitalized its national industrial spirit, solved the bottlenecks and challenges in its manufacturing industry, and achieved the future of Industry 4.0 with the German industrial spirit. This is undoubtedly an inspiration and guidance for the development of China's manufacturing industry. Of course, Chinese people never lack wisdom, seek common ground while reserving differences, and integrate, grasping the essence of Industry 4.0 to solve the problems in the development of China's manufacturing industry.

Interviewer: I understand that you once proposed a formula: "Industry 4.0"="Intelligent Manufacturing+Integration of Industrialization and Industrialization", which is equivalent to using the Chinese concept to interpret the German concept. Can you explain it in detail?

Gu Jiandang: Industry 4.0 is the wings of industrial civilization grafting on internet technology, and more importantly, it is a revolution in productivity and production methods. The core of China's industrial development is "intelligent manufacturing+integration of industrialization and industrialization"! As mentioned earlier, we have been in communication and discussion with German government departments to identify the gaps and differences in development between the two countries. Nowadays, we understand that in order for manufacturing countries to grow from large to strong, automation is necessary; And what manufacturing powers need from strength to superpower is digitization. The application of automation technology is a necessary condition for achieving Industry 4.0, while digital technology is a sufficient condition for achieving Industry 4.0. This is what we call "integration of industrialization and industrialization", ultimately achieving intelligent manufacturing that promotes the transformation and upgrading of China's manufacturing industry!

Interviewer: You once said that the Phoenix factory in China cannot be called "3.0", it can only be called "2.7". It will take 20 years for the German factory to achieve "4.0" today. What does Industry 4.0 really mean to us for enterprises that are still in the 2.0, 3.0, and so on?

Gu Jiandang: As described in the process of the Industrial Revolution, Industry 3.0 is a production model represented by automation. For most of our domestic enterprises, the level of development varies. To achieve 4.0, it must be based on 3.0. To some extent, Industry 4.0 has described us with a vision for the future and a new industrial civilization. Based on the current situation of China's industrial development, we must reach a consensus at the level of understanding, and then work together to promote the implementation of Industry 4.0:

1. Clarify the position of automation technology in Industry 4.0 and propose that in order for China to develop Industry 4.0, it is necessary to first provide supplementary courses for Industry 2.0, popularize Industry 3.0, and strengthen the application of automation technology in the production and manufacturing industry chain. Only by fully adopting automation technology can the quality and reliability of products be improved.

2. On the road to Industry 4.0, we must not only look up at the starry sky, but also be down-to-earth, moving towards 4.0 from 2.0, 3.0 to 3.5, always on the road!

Interviewer: A grand event, the 2015 Phoenix Contact Innovation and Industry Development Forum, was held at the Shanghai East Asia Exhibition Hall from May 18 to 20, 2015. I was also there, and I still remember the theme of the conference. "Connect the intelligent world, help Made in China 2025 2025". Your speech was inspiring, and you proposed to jointly explore the future oriented intelligent strategy. What impressed me most is that, compared with the noise of Internet plus, you advocate that industrial enterprises should be brave to meet the challenges, take the initiative to+the Internet, and call it "new industrial civilization", that is, "industry+the Internet". May I ask where your confidence comes from? What kind of path is the+Internet path you advocate?

Gu Jiandang: The cornerstone of Industry 4.0 is industrial civilization. Industrial civilization and Internet civilization do not replace each other, but integrate each other. Without the strong support of industrial civilization, Internet plus will be a skyscraper built on the beach!

In the past three years, German Industry 4.0 has led the integration and mutual promotion of the entire industrial civilization and internet civilization. For practitioners of our industrial civilization, it is our industrial mission and responsibility to seize the new technologies and development trends of today's interconnected intelligent world. When everyone is talking about "Internet plus", I would like to say on behalf of our practitioners of industrial civilization industry that we want industrial civilization+Internet!

Industry 4.0 is the integration of network technology, information technology and automation technology. There is no doubt that we industrial people should stand up and actively embrace the Internet. We industrial people should actively lead the future development trend of Industrial Internet technology and industry, and more firmly return to the origin of industrial civilization: "quality and quality" and "people first, safety first"!