SUPCON Annual Appreciation Gala—Toward an Industrial AI Future

SUPCON held its Annual Appreciation Gala in Hangzhou on January 15, 2025. The event, themed "Unleashing AI, Empowering the Future Industry", welcomed esteemed guests, investors, customers, representatives, partners, and employees from both domestic and international markets. Attendees had the opportunity to tour the newly opened SUPCON Innovation Experience Center at the SUPCON Technology Park, where they explored the company’s journey in industrial automation transformation and its technology offerings.

The event also featured an Industrial AI Technology Conference, with presentations involving customers that highlighted the company’s innovative solutions and the positive outcomes of their collaborations, particularly on SUPCON’s AI innovation, the Time-Series Pre-Trained Transformer (TPT).

Revisiting Success: SUPCON’s Industrial AI Journey

George Cui Shan, Chairman & CEO of SUPCON Technology, addressed the audiences in his speech, reflecting on the company’s evolution and its ongoing commitment to innovation and delivering meaningful solutions. He shared how SUPCON’s strategy has transformed over the years—from developing one of China’s first domestically designed distributed control systems (DCS) to now striving to become a leader in industrial automation and Industrial AI. Quoting SUPCON’s Founder, Prof. Chu Jian, “Delivering value for customers is paramount.”— George elaborated that SUPCON aims to leverage its domain expertise to deliver value to customers using AI applications in four key areas:

• AI + Green for low carbon and sustainability

• AI + Quality to enhance manufacturing quality

• AI + Safety to strengthen industrial safety

• AI + Profit to boost operational efficiency

These initiatives aim to optimize industrial processes and deliver value to customers across industries.

George further elaborated on the three key strategic elements that have contributed to SUPCON’s success: Innovation, Influence, and Focus.

• Innovation: George explained that innovation is two-pronged—product and business. On the product side, he highlighted how SUPCON’s innovation team overcame challenges in unfamiliar fields, where innovation had little prior reference for guidance, leading to the creation of the Universal Control System (UCS) and the Time-Series Pre-Trained Transformer (TPT) AI model. The TPT AI engine is also the cornerstone of SUPCON’s “4 + 1” product line, integrating insights from four core databases—PRIDE, OMC, Q-Lab, and APEX—to harness industrial data effectively and maximize its value. On the business side, George outlined the success of SUPCON’s Plant Membership, a subscription-based model designed to deliver tailored solutions and enhanced services to its members. With 622 companies already signed up, the initiative is proving its growing impact.

• Influence: George discussed SUPCON’s commitment to expanding its global presence by delivering value through unique products and innovative offerings. This includes the company’s Smart Enterprise Architecture of "1 + 2 + N," which consists of one plant operating system (supOS), two layers of automation (process and business automation), and numerous industrial apps. The Clustar Program, also unveiled in Singapore along with UCS and TPT in June 2024, has also further strengthened SUPCON’s ecosystem by fostering connections and synergies across industries. In addition, new business models such as the Service to Business (S2B) model, including offline PlantMate 5S stores (sales, spare parts, service, specialists, and solutions) and online PlantMart platforms, continue to expand and gain traction.

• Focus: George touched on the importance of maintaining a focused approach. For SUPCON, this means concentrating on process automation, Industrial AI, and achieving operational excellence for customers. This commitment is reflected in SUPCON’s innovative product lines, such as the “1 + 2 + N” and “4 + 1” product offerings. George emphasized the four key areas of Industrial AI—safety, quality, low carbon impact, and efficiency—as central to helping clients optimize their factory operations. SUPCON’s success in AI and robotics deployment, as demonstrated by partnerships and projects with industry leaders, continues to drive the company’s progress.

Embracing Change for Industrial AI Transformation

Prof. Chu Jian also addressed the audiences and emphasized the company’s transformative journey and the importance of embracing change and thinking differently. Reflecting on the company’s progress, Prof. Chu highlighted that the successful development and launch of TPT and UCS in 2024 were pivotal in positioning SUPCON for success in the Industrial AI era. These accomplishments have established a strong foundation for SUPCON's ongoing evolution and its progression toward Industrial AI transformation. 

Prof. Chu stressed that a shift in mindset is essential for this transformation. He emphasized that embracing change is crucial for success, and clinging to the past will only hinder progress. The company’s shift into an Industrial AI platform is key for future growth. He further encouraged employees to remain steadfast in embracing SUPCON’s five core values, which will guide the company forward. These five core values will guide SUPCON toward its vision of becoming a global leader in Industrial AI, reshaping the future of automation and sustainable industrial development:

• Creating value for customers through innovation and excellence.

• Facing challenges head-on by pursuing bold, necessary endeavors.

• Fostering professionalism and respect, while maintaining passion and energy.

• Promoting collaboration and build a robust ecosystem.

• Professional and focused, to be a respected enterprise.