In 2021, a "power rationing order" once again focused the attention of the Chinese people on the manufacturing industry of China. As a major manufacturing country, data shows that China's industrial output value accounts for about 40% of the GDP. However, industrial energy consumption accounts for more than 70% of total social energy consumption, and energy consumption per unit of product far exceeds the international advanced level. Low output value and high energy consumption have become the main issues restricting the development of China's manufacturing industry, especially for small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises. Under the dual-control policy of power rationing, various high-energy-consuming and high-polluting industries have suspended production and shut down. Traditional manufacturing enterprises are once again facing a transformation crisis. The concept of lean production has once again come into people's view. What is the current status of lean production in China? How can lean production management methods be popularized in small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises? What difficulties do they face?

Lean production, also known as lean manufacturing, is a modern manufacturing approach aimed at reducing production costs, eliminating waste in production, and improving production efficiency. Its advantages include reduced human resources, shortened product development cycles, reduced inventory, and reduced factory floor space. Achieving lean production requires a comprehensive upgrade from tools to production methods to management forms. For large manufacturing enterprises, achieving lean production management means equipping with lean production systems and high-end talents. However, for small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises, this path is not so easy.

Why is it difficult for small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises to transform? China's manufacturing enterprises started late and have a weak foundation. The vast majority of manufacturing enterprises are small and medium-sized, with outdated equipment, shortage of talent, and lack of funds, making the "innate conditions" for transformation poor. In terms of production methods, old equipment within the enterprise is difficult to connect to the network, and there are too many equipment manufacturers and models, making unified management of equipment status impossible. In addition, the Andon information on many production lines still needs to be manually entered, causing resistance from workers. Small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises lack the conditions for "Industrial Internet of Things," making it even more difficult to promote lean production management.

Solving the "Internet of Things" problem for small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises will be a big step forward for lean production. Against this background, the Equipment Status Monitoring System came into being. Its design concept is to collect equipment information by capturing the status of the tri-color lights that are standard on the manufacturing floor, thereby achieving the purpose of connecting equipment to the network.

The Equipment Status Monitoring System is launched by Alps Integration (Dalian) Co., Ltd. The Smart Data Collector TS-10, which uses self-developed technology, has obtained a national utility model patent. As a powerful "plug-in" for equipment networking, it does not require replacement of original equipment or the original tri-color lights. It is plug-and-play and applicable to more than 90% of various equipment, making it a pioneering technology in China. The characteristic of the Equipment Status Monitoring System is that no modification to the equipment side is required, and installation can be carried out without stopping the equipment, thus solving the problem of low-cost equipment networking.

In addition, the Smart Data Collector TS-10 uses an innovative design that can identify more than 27 different combinations of tri-color light states. Through machine self-learning and identification, algorithm iteration is completed, greatly reducing the impact of tri-color light lifespan and factory environment on tri-color light intensity. At the same time, combined with embedded development experience, the algorithm is optimized thoughtfully, significantly improving identification efficiency and operation speed.

It is worth mentioning that the Equipment Status Monitoring System does not require manual entry. It performs statistical analysis and report generation on process operations, equipment status, quality issues, etc. Storage and management provide decision-making basis for production management analysis and continuous improvement, promoting lean management in enterprises.

Currently, the Equipment Status Monitoring System, as an effective equipment lean production system, has been launched on the market and has successfully helped some manufacturing enterprises improve production efficiency. Due to its low cost and low level of equipment modification, it has gradually become a booster for lean production in small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises, effectively helping manufacturing enterprises achieve the lean production management goals of "cost reduction, efficiency improvement, and revenue growth."