On June 4, the 2026 Manufacturing Digitalization and Intelligence Expo was in full swing, with exhibitors simultaneously conducting live online broadcasts. Invited by the organizers, Mr. Jiang Zhenshan, General Manager of Shanghai Dongshang Information Technology Co., Ltd., shared his company's 16 years of experience and insights in the intelligent manufacturing software industry.

How to Break Down System Silos? We Created a "Software Adapter"
Q: Many manufacturing enterprises face challenges when advancing digitalization—workshop systems often fail to communicate with upstream office systems. How does the i3 Plus platform address this issue?
Mr. Jiang: "It's unacceptable to say that MES and WMS can't connect with ERP or PRM. The planning software in the office must integrate seamlessly with workshop systems. To achieve this integration, we need a software adapter. We found that one-to-one interactions between software work fine, but if every system requires individual connections, conflicts arise. Therefore, we developed a software recognition system acting as a coordinator. Your data comes in, my data goes out, and then his data waits its turn. Through this queuing and scheduling mechanism, communications proceed in an orderly manner."

Flexible Production and Customization: Making Products "Configurable"
Q: With today’s manufacturing companies increasingly demanding personalized customization, flexible production has become essential. How does Dongshang meet these customization needs?
Mr. Jiang: "Our core approach is making all products configurable. This enables customers to get up and running quickly, significantly shortening implementation cycles. Time is money. By minimizing custom development and maximizing configurability, customers can independently adjust configurations in response to changes in flexible production—often without needing our involvement. This allows them to respond faster to market demands."

Differentiation Advantage: Early Platform Adoption and Continuous Innovation as the Core  
Q: Dongshang has already provided services to numerous large-scale manufacturers in automotive parts, home appliances, and other industries. How does your company demonstrate its differentiation advantage?  
Mr. Jiang: "To be honest, when we launched this platform back in 2015, there were no platform-based products available either domestically or internationally. Today, platformization has become a trend—everyone has their own platform, which I see as positive; ecosystems need to be built collectively. I deeply admire Elon Musk’s vision of opening up patents to grow the market together. But what truly sets companies apart over time is one thing: innovation. Last year, Professor Xu Xiaonian, an economist, visited our company for guidance and discussed the same issue. His conclusion was clear: 'continuous innovation.' In future competition, there's nothing else but innovation—product innovation, business model innovation, and domain innovation. Our i3 Plus platform has never relied on a single trick. From iterative improvements in core functional modules to integrating large AI models, we constantly explore new AI application scenarios. Customers learn quickly. Without an innovative mindset and continuous delivery of new value, you'll soon be left behind. This is why, for the past 16 years, we've consistently stayed at the forefront of technology and industry."

Integrating AI: From Knowledge Bases to AI Agents—Internal and External Enhancement  
Q: Algorithms tailored to industrial applications are emerging rapidly. What are Dongshang’s current AI strategies and latest progress?  
Mr. Jiang: We started engaging with AI large models as soon as they gained momentum last year. Initially, it was basic—intelligent Q&A systems and knowledge base accumulation for operations and service support. As AI programming capabilities improved, we began using AI to assist software development. Then came AI agents, which I believe are truly transformative. We’re now pursuing two tracks: first, internal AI transformation—fully agentizing our own organizational structure; second, embedding AI into our products. On the hardware side, we're implementing AI-powered recognition and object grasping (though not entirely novel, the capabilities keep improving). On the software side, we plan to introduce AI agents on the i3 Plus platform to make software usage more intuitive—users won’t need to request new features or changes just because a report isn't convenient or they have a new idea. Going forward, we aim to combine cloud-based large models, local knowledge bases, and AI agents on the platform to deliver richer, more seamless experiences for customers.

Recommendations for Manufacturing Transformation: Leadership-Driven Initiative + Expand Horizons + Trust Partners  
Q: What are the main challenges manufacturing enterprises face in implementing digital transformation, and what practical advice do you offer?  
Mr. Jiang: "Digital transformation pitfalls vary across industries, especially among small and medium-sized manufacturers, with pain points scattered and diverse. My advice is simple: First, digital and intelligent transformation must be a top-down initiative led by senior leadership, who must possess a solid understanding of digitalization—this is widely recognized in the industry. Second, get out and learn—explore, observe, and engage. When leaders’ awareness improves, the success rate of internal transformation increases significantly. Third, trust excellent service providers and embrace deep collaboration—have confidence in partners like us."  

Although the live online session has ended, the conversation around digital and intelligent transformation continues. China’s manufacturing sector is advancing along a clear and pragmatic path. In the future, as more dedicated players like Dongshang Information join hands with manufacturers, the vision of high-quality development for “China’s Intelligent Manufacturing” will become ever clearer and more magnificent.