China Issues National Standard for Smart Process Factories

People's Daily reported that the State Administration for Market Regulation approved and released a national standard titled Smart Manufacturing - Business Management Specification for Smart Factory in Process Industry, scheduled to take effect on May 1, 2027. Process industries serve as foundational sectors sustaining national economic development, covering fields such as petrochemicals, iron and steel, pharmaceuticals, and building materials, characterized by continuous production, high process coupling, and higher safety risks. The standard establishes a business management framework spanning five modules: research and development design, manufacturing, operational support, full-chain coordination, and management methods. It requires a unified data platform to enable closed-loop precise control over planning, scheduling, operations, and warehousing logistics. Regarding safety and environmental baselines, the specification embeds graded safety risk control, hazard screening and rectification, special operation approvals, and hazardous chemical tracking directly into business operational procedures. The State Administration for Market Regulation plans to collaborate with authorities including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to organize standard interpretations, training sessions, and pilot demonstrations across relevant entities, associations, and enterprises.