When Li Jinbo, director of the 13th National People's Congress and director of the US-China Group Home Air Conditioning Innovation Center participated in the two sessions in Beijing, Midea Group released a new human-machine generation strategy in Shanghai, although Li Jinbo’s four proposals and recommendations are National Brands Participate in the Belt and Road Initiative, Suggestions to Expand China's Manufacturing Impact, "Recommendations on Encouraging Enterprise Basic Technology Research, Accelerate the 'Creation in China' Transformation and Upgrading," and "Development of National Mandatory Standards for Outdoor Installation of Air Conditioners for Exterior Walls of Buildings" The "Proposal" and "Proposal on Better Use of the Intellectual Property System to Promote the Transformation and Upgrading of China's Manufacturing Industry" did not include a complete new strategy involving the US Group's new strategy. However, in the new era of the Internet of Things, the blockchain boom has been raging. At present, in the context of a fundamental change in the relationship between man and machine, as an engineer's representative, as the core personnel of Midea's air-conditioning technology innovation, Li Jinbo has systematic thinking on technological innovation in the new century of human-computer interaction.
Li Jinbo, Director of Home Air Conditioning Innovation Center, Midea Group
In mid-March, at the National People's Congress, Li Jinbo explained the future of technological innovation to the author in terms of technology research and development, industrial evolution, and intelligent iteration. In fact, this is also a new concept for the future development of the entire United States. Especially with the release of the U.S. man-machine new generation strategy, technological innovation is also the fundamental driver for the landing of innovative technologies such as smart new retail.
Continuously increase investment in technology research and development
Fang Hongbo, the chairman of Midea Group, once said that the United States must invest its resources in invisible places. Among them, technological R&D is the area where resources spend the most. If it were not Li Jinbo's disclosure, it may be unknown to many outsiders. Within the United States, The assessment of technology research and development is not about the output of new technologies and new products, but the construction of a scoring system around resource input.
The author understands that in 2017, the investment funds for the Group’s research and development expenses reached 8 billion yuan, which is an increase of 2 billion yuan over the previous year. In the past few years, the funds of the American group in R&D investment have surpassed. Group operating income of 3.5%.
Now Midea has formed a multi-level, internal and external interconnected R&D system. In each division, it not only owns a technology R&D center, but also established a pioneering research center. At the same time, the Central Research Institute was established several years ago at the group level. As a result, the specific products of each division of the United States have achieved a four-level innovative R&D system, namely, first-generation research, reserve generation, development generation and production generation. The collaboration between Academia Sinica and each division is very close. When I was interviewed by the author, I said: 'Now at this time, many Ph.Ds in Academia Sinica are sitting with our colleagues in the business department to study several projects. These studies will soon be fruitful.'
Li Jinbo also revealed that among the nearly 1,000 technical R&D personnel of the Home Air Conditioning Division of the United States alone, the proportion of Shuo Bo exceeded 40%. Even more amazing is that in the global context, Midea is in the Silicon Valley of the United States, Osaka, Japan. , Germany, Munich, and so on have established technology centers. Such a huge technical institution and huge capital investment in recent years have created the outstanding innovation ability of the United States.
This year's government work report once again emphasized the reform of the supply side and called for accelerating economic restructuring and promoting consumption upgrades. Many years ago, Midea Group established product leadership, efficiency drive, and three major strategic axes of global operations. Under this principle, the United States The product structure upgrades and efficiency improvements of various business units are significant. These are based on technologies that have been continuously invested in technology research and development. Supply-side reforms are in the enterprise. The core of the market is to provide consumer users with materials that meet their growing needs. Culturally demanding products, which require companies to have more outstanding performance in product upgrading and technological innovation.
Human-computer interaction enters new generation to change product attributes
On March 8 last year, Midea Group released a new strategic direction, namely to become a consumer electronics, HVAC, robotics and automation systems, and a smart supply chain (logistics) technology group. Only from the literal meaning of this sentence It can be seen that Midea’s appeal to technology research and development, product upgrades, intelligent research, smart home platforms, robotics promotion, artificial intelligence applications, etc.
Li Jinbo said: “Human-computer interaction is a new strategy for the United States at present, and perfect human-computer interaction is between people and machines, desupported, and intermediate products. For example, when different users are air-conditioned without air-conditioning, the product will show different wind-free air patterns without any extra operations.
With the continuous penetration of Internet of Things elements at the enterprise, market and user level, the attributes of home appliances are undergoing transformation, and the relationship between people and machines has undergone fundamental changes, which has led to the connotation and extension of products. Extensions.
So, before the United States released another major strategy, that is, entering the new generation of human-computer interaction. According to Li Jinbo, the new generation of human-computer interaction in the United States is to use artificial intelligence, big data, sensors, and the Internet of Things in a new era. Other technologies such as Dr. Xu Chengmao, vice president of Midland Research Institute of the United States, also said: 'The new generation of man-machines is to make our products, machines, processes, systems, have the ability to perceive, cognize, make decisions, understand, and make people The interaction is harmonious and symbiotic, and it is very successful. This is the mission and connotation of the United States to create a science and technology group. This is the new generation of man-machine of the United States.
Li Jinbo disclosed that Midea established a technology center in Silicon Valley in the United States last year. One of its main functions is the research on intelligent technologies. Moreover, Midea’s Silicon Valley Technology Center is the only one established by a global home appliance company. mechanism.
As we all know, the double-mind strategy with smart manufacturing and smart family as its core has been practiced in the United States for many years. Last year's Nineteenth Congress once pointed out that the main contradiction in the present society is that the people's growing good living needs and development are not balanced. Sufficient, and the two conferences not long ago also proposed that to promote consumption upgrading, economic restructuring is still the main line of supply-side reform. To provide users with products with better experience, to free users from the interaction with the operation of the machine, and then provide a A more effective intelligent, intelligent solution has become the main theme of the current technology research and development of the United States.
More importantly, when the intelligence of home appliances is upgraded to a certain extent, it is itself a kind of service-based robot; when the synergy ability of manufacturing companies and industry chain reaches a certain degree, the deep integration of vertical integration will also bring To a new business model, so that the new generation of man-machine will bring an innovative retail model.
Intelligent new retail under the whole industrial chain layout
Although Midea has spent a lot of time investing in technology research and development for many years, Li Jinbo still stated that the simple stacking of technologies does not really create value for users, and that smart factories are not the ultimate goal. The core of the United States to build technology groups allows users to pass The products of Midea can enjoy the personalized and personalized services of the United States. Through technological innovations of the United States, people can liberate themselves from their heavy workload and re-create their creativity.
It is understood that now Midea has realized the entire industrial chain layout from the user end to the manufacturing end to the supply end. Not only the industrial robots of the big family of the United States, industrial systems, and digital solutions are going into other companies; moreover, the intelligent supply chain will manufacture The end, the application end organically linked together, realized the seamless docking, sent the beautiful product to the tens of millions of households. When the double 11th last year, the United States and its subsidiary, Andy Zhilian, first accepted the logistics of the Ali platform, in a very short time. Here, we have achieved very good results. And these have laid the foundation for smart new retail.
The author was also informed that in the US smart new retail system, smart shopping guides use face recognition technology, data models, artificial intelligence natural language understanding technology and customer dialogue, using intelligent recommendation algorithm, eventually recommend suitable products for customers. After the smart Experience allows customers to truly experience beautiful products in an all-digital environment, immersively understand every detail of the product, and even show customers technical innovations and designs that cannot be seen in front of actual products. After the customer experience is satisfied , Smart purchases can easily place orders and complete product purchases.
The intelligent new retail under the strategy of “The New Generation of Man-Machine Generation” of the United States is to make the system understand customers through intelligent technologies and maximize the customers’ satisfaction with the products they buy. Through the combination of software and hardware, the retail experience changes in every step. Be relaxed and happy.
Smart new retail is a global trend. Amazon Go and Taobao's unmanned retail stores have spared no effort to promote the landing of smart new retail, and Midea’s smart shopping guide will be fully applied to various stores in the United States. Not only that, but also Silicon Valley and China set up artificial intelligence teams, and technological innovations in face recognition, natural speech processing, smart recommendation, and knowledge mapping will also be implemented.
From the standpoint of beauty, to make enterprises understand customers better, and to increase product sales revenue through accurate recommendations, establishing a high-end brand in the United States is also its direct appeal. However, in essence, it still lies in the construction of product and technological innovation capabilities. Leading the product's writing into one of the three major axes of enterprise development, we can see that the US attaches importance to technology research and development. The chairman of the US Group Fang Hongbo once said that the creation of a product's competitive advantage is the core strategy of the United States. With the Academia Sinica as the traction, and with the technical centers at all levels of the Division as pivots, and the overseas research centers as the horns, Midea has built an innovative R&D system with a wide enough coverage and deep verticality. , R & D capabilities are also gradually changing the temperament of the United States, making the United States in the era of the Internet of things connected to the technology-oriented enterprises in the direction of forging ahead.
