On July 12, the launch ceremony of the Global Smart Manufacturing Industrial Park of Yili Future Intelligence and Health Valley was held in Hohhot, China. Four major projects, including a liquid milk production base, a milk powder production base, the Chilechuan Ecological Intelligent Pasture and the Yili Intelligent Manufacturing Experience Center, have now entered into operation.

 

Aspiration to build a “Dairy Silicon Valley”

With the goal of building a “Dairy Silicon Valley”, Yili aims to establish a region that will serve as a global hub for the dairy and health industries.

The Global Smart Manufacturing Industrial Park applies world-class intelligent equipment and takes full advantage of leading technologies such as the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence.

The benchmarking production bases for liquid milk, infant formula and cheese at the Park represent the world’s largest scale of their kind, most advanced technology and highest level of automation and digitization. The Valley is also home to six national platforms, including the National Center of Technology Innovation for Dairy and the National Metrology and Testing Center for Dairy Products.

 

Bringing prosperity to the industry and the region

Exploring the development of dairy industrial clusters, the program is expected to boost regional economic growth and accelerate the growth of global health industries.

With a total investment of RMB five billion, the liquid milk production base covers an area of about 950 mu (equivalent to the field of play area of 89 FIFA World Cup stadiums) and employs world-leading digital equipment that can ensure unmanned, transparent, efficient and traceable production processes. It can process 6,500 tons of fresh milk per day, which can meet a megacity’s daily demand.

The milk powder production base, with an investment of RMB three billion, has an annual production capacity of 60,000 tons, which can feed 1.28 million infants per year. As the world’s largest infant formula production base with the highest level of digitization, the production base leads the industry in introducing the Intelligent Building Management System (IBMS), the Facility Management and Control System (FMCS) and applies a variety of cutting-edge interactive technologies.

Chilechuan Ecological Intelligent Pasture, a supporting farm for the Valley, occupies an area of 11,250 mu and has received a total investment of RMB 700 million. Equipped with world-class systems for automatic management and smart low-carbon management, it aims to create and share prosperity with farmers, herdsmen and industrial partners working in the area.

Yili Intelligent Manufacturing Experience Center houses the world’s first 5D cinema for industrial tours, where visitors are shown videos made with advanced sound and light technologies that showcase the intelligent manufacturing process for liquid milk and milk powder. This enables them to learn more about state-of-the-art dairy production models and the entire lifecycle of milk production.

 

Integrating industry, tourism and urban functions, Yili Future Intelligence and Health Valley will generate greater ecological, social and economic benefits by 2035. It is expected to create direct and indirect employment opportunities for more than 350,000 people and attract a total of one million people to live in the region.