TCL doubles down on smart manufacturing for air conditioning production

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TCL’s Global Headquarters in Shenzen, China Image credit: TCL Electronics

TCL Electronics has completed Phase I of TCL Wuhan Intelligent Industrial Park, reiterating its smart manufacturing commitments to support the production of premium air conditioners with an annual manufacturing capacity of over six million units.

According to the company, the industrial park is a three-phase project valued at  USD $497 million (AUD $721 million). 

The park, which spans up to 390,000 square metres, houses a full AC supply chain – R&D, smart manufacturing, and smart logistics – from which TCL’s high-end air conditioners are exported to over 160 markets worldwide.

To ensure that energy consumption and carbon emissions are kept at a sustainable level, the park will largely be powered by solar energy. 

An energy management system (EMS) also monitors the park’s operations and an intelligent hydration system supplies water.

Sixty per cent of the park’s production automation is developed by TCL and the park is digitally driven to use Industry 4.0 technologies such as AIoT, big data and machine learning to increase operation efficiency, improve product quality, and cut costs.

To date, TCL employs its FreshIN+ fresh air system, which has a capacity of up to 60 cubic metres, to carry fresh air from the outdoors to the interiors while increasing the oxygen and humidity levels.

With the latest upgrade, the patented circulation method used by TCL Fresh Air Technology exhales stale interior air as well as fresh outdoor air.

In addition to the already potent fresh air functionalities, its built-in sensor measures the total volatile organic compounds TVOC in the air, and the detection findings are given in the “dynamic display of air quality” in real-time.

Building on 20 years of consumer electronics expertise, TCL said it was able to establish a global production network – 10 manufacturing bases spanning across China, Brazil and Indonesia – with an overall capacity of more than 30 million units.