(Hong Kong, 6 December 2023) The Hong Kong Industrial Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Centre (FLAIR) held the "Industrial AI – a Leap Forward to New Productivity in Manufacturing” landmark signing ceremony and reached strategic partnerships with ten Mainland and European partners, reflecting the wide recognition of FLAIR’s capabilities in developing industrial artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics innovative technologies, empowering enterprises in upgrading and transformation, driving technology application and commercialisation. The event was witnessed by Mr Stefan BREDOHL, Consul General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Hong Kong and Ms Ursula KLINGENBERG, Chief Operating Officer of German Industry and Commerce Ltd.
Mr Edmond LAI, Chief Executive Officer of FLAIR, said, “FLAIR focuses on developing industrial AI and robotics technologies and commercialisation, promoting new industrialisation, and combining technological expertise, networks, innovation R&D, and patents, among other advantages. With excellent infrastructure and an outstanding I&T community, we are developing more practical and feasible innovative solutions. At the same time, FLAIR is committed to fostering innovation with industry peers, through collaborative agreements with world-renowned R&D institutions and enterprises, bringing together top I&T talent and technologies, allowing FLAIR's AI expertise to complement the enterprises' domain expertise, achieving true efficient collaboration, researching and finding suitable solutions to solve pain points in various industries.”
As a member of InnoHK, the major world-class initiative of the HKSAR Government, FLAIR announced that it has signed collaboration agreements with a renowned German sensor manufacturer, Futaba Precision Mould (Shenzhen) Company, Good View Industrial Company Limited, Hongrita Mold Technology (Zhongshan) Limited, Hongrita Precision Component (Zhongshan) Limited, InnovAItion Campus GmbH, IPE Robot Manufacturing Company Limited, InnoGetic Technology (Zhuhai) Company Limited, Ka Shui Manufactory Company Limited, Laogou Technology Company Limited, Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Industry Association (SAIA) and Sino-German Development (Shenyang) Offshore Innovation Service Center Company Limited.
Dr.-Ing. Benny DRESCHER, Chief Technical Officer of FLAIR, said “Our technologies improve product and process quality by co-piloting operators in analysing root causes and recommending actions, as well as predicting parameter setting of machines. To minimise faults in manufacturing operations, we focus on the practical application of AI together with our industrial partners in a wide range of industries.”
Among them is one of Germany leading sensor producers. Their production process for moulded sensor parts has been hindered by the time-consuming task of determining injection moulding machine parameters for new moulds, which heavily relies on engineers' experience during ramp-up production. Traditional simulations are not only costly but also time-consuming and require a high level of expertise. Additionally, they do not fully represent the real-world scenario. In response to the pain point, FLAIR developed an AI-based model that can accurately predict initial injection moulding machine settings for a new mould or product during ramp-up production.
Mr LAI continued, “FLAIR collaborates with renowned R&D institutions and enterprises both local and overseas to empower smart manufacturing. The successful expansion of FLAIR's network in the Mainland and Europe reflects our efforts in accelerating new productivity within the flourishing AI ecosystem, driving Hong Kong towards becoming an 'International hub for AI and data industry' and an international I&T centre."
The event also gathered industry, academia, and research partners from various sectors who shared their unique insights into the AI ecosystem. Guest speakers included industry leaders from renowned international companies and R&D institutions such as the German sensor manufacturing brand, Hongrita, InnoGetic Technology (Zhuhai) Co. Ltd., German InnovAItion Campus GmbH, SAIA, and Sino- German Development (Shenyang) Offshore Innovation Service Center Company Limited. They elaborated the roles and successful applications of AI in the manufacturing industry internationally and in Mainland cities. Representatives from industry, academia, and research sectors jointly discussed how to achieve enterprise transformation towards Industry 4.0, leveraging technology to complement and mutually benefit the industry for sustainable development.
On the other hand, the Hong Kong Productivity Council recently released the "Hong Kong AI Industry Development Study", which revealed the enormous market potential of the AI industry. The study successfully surveyed over 200 AI-related enterprises, with more than half of them planning to explore international and local markets. Furthermore, the study found that Hong Kong enterprises are intensifying their adoption of AI in their operations. Among the companies that have applied AI, 14% indicated that the technology's effectiveness exceeded expectations, demonstrating the expanding market value of AI.
Looking ahead, FLAIR will continue to expand its global network of industry, academia, and research partners, accelerate the commercialisation of I&T achievements, and provide innovative solutions for industries to achieve high-quality development.
FLAIR and ten world-renowned R&D organisations and enterprises reached a collaboration, and representatives from industry, academia, and research sectors attended the event and took the group photo.
From left:
Mr Lawrence TONG, Senior Investment Manager, IPE Robot Manufacturing Co. Ltd.; Mr William XU, Deputy Secretary-General of Shanghai AI Industry Association; Mr Watanabe KOICHI, Futaba Precision Mould (Shenzhen) Co.; Mr Keith WU, Product Development Department Manager, Good View Industrial Co. Ltd.; Mr Kai WANG, Germany Platform Director, Chief Representative of German Office of Sino-German Development (Shenyang) Offshore Innovation Service Center Co., Ltd.; Mr Edmond LAI, Chief Executive Officer, FLAIR; Ms Ursula KLINGENBERG, Chief Operating Officer of German Industry and Commerce Ltd.; Dr.-Ing. Benny DRESCHER, Chief Technical Officer, FLAIR; Mr Patrick KABASCI, Executive Director Business Unit Digital Operations of InnovAItion Campus GmbH; Mr Kevin SHU, Business Director, Hongrita Mold Technology (Zhongshan) Ltd. and Hongrita Precision Component (Zhongshan) Ltd.; Mr Henry CHENG, President of InnoGetic Technology (Zhuhai) Co. Ltd.; Mr Daniel SUNG, Senior Manager of Enterprise Development, Ka Shui Manufactory Co., Ltd.; Mr Yijun HAO, General Manager, Laogou Technology Co., Ltd.