New productive forces promote Yili's digital development

As one of the top five dairy companies in the world and the largest one in Asia, Yili Group, based in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, has the world's largest and most intelligent dairy research and production base – Yili Modern Intelligent Health Valley.

From the Chilechuan Ecological Intelligent Pasture to the liquid milk intelligent production base, almost all production processes are carried out automatically, as members of the "Happiness is Here" Influencer Tour discovered.

"Digital technology is used in the whole production chain in Yili Group, from breeding of the cow to the processing of the dairy products, as well as the logistics and the retail," said Han Fei, vice-president of the group.

In front of the unmanned production base, journalists and online influencers from China and abroad were stunned by the fast speed of the canning and packaging of the milk. The seamless coordination among the automated guided vehicles, the palletizing robots and wrapping robots significantly enhance the production efficiency.

The milk is packaged automatically. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The plant processes 7,000 tons of fresh milk daily, making it the world's first factory to adopt a production line that fills 40,000 boxes of milk per hour. The milk produced in one day can meet the daily milk consumption needs of a city with tens of millions of people, according to data provided by the Yili Group.  

The intelligent health valley adopts the world's most advanced productive technologies, from 5G and the Internet of Things to big data and artificial intelligence, making it the smartest dairy factory in the world.

For example, big data supports the production, innovation and sales of Yili Group's dairy products. In the upper sector of the industrial chain, all the data produced by the pastures is closely monitored by an intelligence insight platform in case any abnormal condition happens. With an app, the data can also be viewed on the phone, supporting better management of the pastures.

The big data is also put into use in the R&D of the group. By collecting the data of breast milk and analyzing its components, the research team found that the breast milk of Chinese and Western mothers is vastly different. Through continuous innovation, Yili launched "Jinlinguan" milk powder with suitable nutritional formula for Chinese babies.

Moreover, the data also served as feedback for analyzing the demand of the market. The profiles of the consumers were drawn and new products were continuously rolled out. For example, milk powder specially designed for people of all age groups were launched, including babies, grown-ups and the elderly.      

The cows are milked on the machine. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The tour to the Yili Modern Intelligent Health Valley showcased to the Chinese and foreign journalists and online influencers the efficient manufacturing, supported by high technology, of high-quality products, in line with the characteristics of the new productive forces, namely high technology, high efficiency and high quality.