On the morning of July 16, Li Zhijie, General Manager of the Strategic Development Department of China First Heavy Industries (CFHI), led a delegation to visit the Institute of Engineering Technology,USTB (IET,USTB). Guo Qiang, General Manager of DRI, and Wang Tie, Deputy Chief Engineer of DRI attended the exchange meeting, which was hosted by Yang Quan, Director of the National Engineering Research Center for Advanced Strip Production Equipment.

On behalf of IET and DRI, Guo Qiang extended a warm welcome to the CFHI delegation. He first reviewed the long-standing cooperation between the two parties in complete metallurgical equipment, then introduced IET’s layout and industrialization achievements in intelligent strip rolling control systems, digital twin platforms and metallurgical process equipment solutions. He expressed anticipation for further strengthened cooperation, enabling both sides to fully leverage their respective technical and industrial resource advantages and unblock full-chain collaborative innovation covering equipment R&D and manufacturing, process control and digital implementation.

Li Zhijie noted that as a leading domestic enterprise for core major metallurgical equipment, CFHI has long specialized in R&D and manufacturing of high-end rolling mills and complete hot & cold rolling equipment. The company is currently formulating its 15th Five-Year Plan, targeting breakthroughs in localization of core equipment components, equipment monitoring and diagnostics, digital twin technology, forward design, intelligent equipment and industrial chain expansion for rolling mill equipment. IET possesses profound expertise in rolling processes, precise process control, intelligent inspection, digital twin technology and talent cultivation, creating highly complementary industrial tracks and technical capabilities between the two parties. He hoped that this in-depth exchange would serve as a catalyst for joint breakthroughs on core technical bottlenecks hindering the localization and digital intelligent transformation of high-end metallurgical equipment.

In his opening remarks as host, Yang Quan urged sustained deepening of industry-university-research collaborative innovation, joint R&D of equipment and process optimization alongside co-construction of digital platforms, and joint promotion of localized, intelligent and green development of high-end metallurgical equipment to support the high-quality transformation and upgrading of China’s iron, steel and non-ferrous metal industries.

During panel discussions, technical teams from both sides fully deliberated on development trends of the metallurgical equipment industry and layout planning for the 15th Five-Year Plan. Following the forum, Li Zhijie and the delegation touredIET’s Simulated Rolling Laboratory and Digital Twin Experimental Platform..