The 2026 Lean Digital Innovation Conference and Lean Digital Transformation Innovation Ecosystem Expo, hosted by the China Enterprise Reform and Development Research Society and co-organized by its Enterprise Management Committee, Tianjin Ambrich Technology Development Co., Ltd., and Yinhe Intelligent Technology (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., opened on September 6-7 at the Tianjin National Convention and Exhibition Center.
Centered on the theme "AI-Driven, Lean-Founded," the conference featured an opening ceremony, a main forum, and fourteen parallel sessions, drawing over a thousand representatives from government, industry, academia, research, and application sectors. The gathering aimed to explore a "China Solution" for deeply integrating artificial intelligence with lean management to empower high-quality development in manufacturing, contributing industrial strength to fostering new productive forces and advancing new industrialization.
At the opening ceremony and main forum, Peng Huagang, President of the China Enterprise Reform and Development Research Society and former Secretary-General of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council, delivered an opening address. Peng noted that we are in an era of rapid technological iteration and profound shifts in development paradigms, emphasizing that advancing lean digitalization is a micro-level manifestation of developing new productive forces within enterprises, an inherent requirement for promoting high-quality development, and an essential path to building world-class companies.
Liu Mingzhong, First Vice President of the China Enterprise Reform and Development Research Society and former Party Secretary and Chairman of China First Heavy Industries, presided over the opening and stated that manufacturing enterprises must firmly grasp the essential demand for high-quality development and take proactive action in promoting the deep integration of AI and lean management. He urged companies to accelerate the intelligent transformation of R&D, production, supply chains, and services with AI as the engine, while solidifying the management foundation with lean principles, strengthening their role in technological innovation, management reform, and commercialization, and forging a path toward an AI-driven, lean-founded enterprise.
Weng Jieming, a member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and Vice Chairman of the Financial and Economic Affairs Committee, highlighted in his opening remarks that in the age of artificial intelligence, lean management has not only not become obsolete but is more critical than ever. Lean is both a management philosophy that respects laws and pursues value, and a complete methodology and management system unifying value judgment, process governance, and continuous improvement. Without this foundation, AI applications in enterprises risk becoming castles in the air—unable to take root as sustainable industrial capabilities.
In the main forum's guidance segment, Wang Hongyan, Chairman of Tianjin Ambrich Technology Development Co., Ltd., founder of the China Manufacturing International Forum, and Vice President of the China Enterprise Reform and Development Research Society, emphasized that in the AI era, lean serves as the foundation while AI acts as a "particle accelerator." Technology can accelerate change but cannot replace practice; AI can amplify wisdom but cannot replace human value. Only when deeply integrated with customer value, business processes, organizational collaboration, and human growth can technology become a true force for enterprise transformation.
Li Peigen, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, shared insights on "AI Empowering Manufacturing: Consistency Throughout," pointing out that lean manufacturing is a fundamental concept at the base of the manufacturing industry, serving as its first principle and core philosophy. Lean focuses on eliminating waste and prioritizing continuous improvement, and the manufacturing sector must never overlook the value of lean even as it implements AI applications.
Chen Zhiming, Deputy Party Secretary of China Railway Construction Corporation Limited, emphasized in his keynote that lean digitalization is the core pathway for developing new productive forces in the construction industry, a mission-driven commitment to serving national strategies, and an essential route to building world-class enterprises. Scenarios are the "touchstone" for digitalization implementation, requiring a return to business fundamentals and solving real problems.
Zhao Yu, President of Tianjin Ambrich Technology Development Co., Ltd. and CEO of Yinhe Intelligent Technology (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., argued in his keynote that amid the AI boom, what enterprises truly need is the large-scale implementation of industrial AI—connecting advanced AI technology with real industrial scenarios, transforming decades of industrial wisdom into core assets for the AI era, and evolving AI capabilities from a skill held by a few into an organizational capability.
Ge Xingfu, an academician of the German National Academy of Science and Engineering, delivered a speech on "Interpreting China's 15th Five-Year Plan and Potential for Cooperation with Germany," proposing that complementary industrial and capability advantages between China and Germany could empower the blueprint for building China as a technology powerhouse under the 15th Five-Year Plan.
Deng Zhiguo, CEO of Guangdong Yuantu Future Technology Co., Ltd., shared views on "AI and Manufacturing: From Technology Competition to Value Realization," stating that "the true AI revolution happens half in the digital world and the other half in the factory." He stressed that scaling AI in manufacturing requires overcoming four gaps—data, returns, organization, and talent—and advocated for an "industry + AI" path that starts from process pain points and relies on organizational capabilities to realize AI value.
Ni Jun, Chair Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Dean of the Puyuan Future Technology College, and Chief Manufacturing Officer and Co-President of Engineering and R&D Systems at Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL), addressed "Next-Generation Smart Manufacturing in the AI Era: Extreme Manufacturing Development Trends from a Global Perspective." He emphasized that battery technology advancements are driving the world toward "new energy industrialization and industrial new energy," and that battery production requires extremely rigorous manufacturing processes and standards, reflecting sensitivity to errors and respect for boundaries.
Li Chao, General Manager of the Industry Division at Unitree Robotics, discussed "Intelligent Robot Development and Industry Application Evolution," focusing on industrial intelligent robot technology advancements and industrial solutions.
The conference unveiled two group standards—"Evaluation System for Lean Digitalization" and "Talent Capability Requirements for Lean Digitalization"—alongside the "2025 Lean Digitalization Innovation Competition Case Collection." These releases fill gaps in industry evaluation benchmarks, talent capability norms, and practical case references, establishing a three-pronged authoritative achievement system of "standards + cases" to provide actionable guidance for manufacturing enterprises undergoing lean digital transformation.
The conference also hosted the finals of the 2026 Lean Digitalization Innovation Competition. Tan Jian, Vice President and Secretary-General of the China Enterprise Reform and Development Research Society, announced the results, which included five-star, four-star, and three-star works, as well as Innovation Excellence Gold Awards and Best Organization Units.
From September 5-7, Tianjin Ambrich Technology Development Co., Ltd. also hosted the 2026 Lean Digitalization Transformation Innovation Ecosystem Expo at the same venue, showcasing a full chain of innovation achievements including smart factory holistic solutions, industrial software, intelligent equipment, AI lean tools, supply chain digitalization, green low-carbon manufacturing, and enterprise management upgrade services, providing a panoramic view of smart manufacturing innovation.
Exhibitors included nearly 40 organizations such as CNNC, CRRC Group, CRSC Group, CSG Energy Research Institute, Huarun Jiangzhong, Bright Dairy, Bright Grain and Oil, Yuantu Future, Kingdee Group, Unitree Robotics, Yuhe Technology, Jiebo Human Resources, the Tianjin High-tech Zone joint exhibition area, the Tianjin Binhai New Area SME Association joint exhibition area, the Hexi exhibition area, and the German Chamber of Commerce.
Beyond the main forum, the conference featured a leaders' closed-door session and 13 parallel specialty forums covering equipment manufacturing, military industry, metallurgy, chemicals, energy, AI industry chain innovation practices, supply chain, penetrating management, and lean AI talent development. These sessions balanced macro policy interpretation, academician and expert analysis, leading enterprise practical case studies, and roundtable discussions, exploring not only technology infrastructure and computing power models but also management topics such as value streams, cost control, organizational change, and talent development—connecting the complete chain from top-level concepts to workshop implementation and providing replicable transformation methodologies for enterprises of different industries and scales.
Since its inception in 2003, the Lean Digital Innovation Conference has been held 23 times, continuously serving as a platform and bond that outputs standards, cases, and methodologies, connects government, industry, academia, and research forces, and promotes the integration of lean management with digital and intelligent practices from pilot projects to scaled replication, empowering manufacturing enterprises to advance toward high-end, intelligent, and green development.
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