43% higher product quality
84% reduction in production and delivery cycles
20% lower energy consumption per unit
LONGi has announced significant breakthroughs at its Jiaxing Lighthouse Factory, achieving a 43% increase in product quality, an 84% reduction in production and delivery cycles, and a 20% decrease in energy consumption per unit. This state-of-the-art facility, the first Lighthouse Factory in the global PV industry, integrates more than 30 digital use cases and sets a new benchmark for high-quality development and intelligent manufacturing in the photovoltaic sector.
Vice President Haimeng Zhang highlighted the primary motivations behind establishing the Lighthouse Factory: to meet the evolving and diverse needs of customers and to ensure consistency in production processes across multiple sites.
Video: How AI and Automation Drive LONGi's Jiaxing Production Base (YouTube)
Ensuring global production consistency through the adoption of Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies
As module production scales up globally, maintaining consistency across dispersed production bases is vital. LONGi’s Lighthouse Factory addresses this challenge by adopting advanced technologies such as the industrial Internet of Things (iIoT), big data, artificial intelligence, and digital twins. This approach has garnered recognition from the World Economic Forum (WEF), which included the Jiaxing Lighthouse Factory in its latest "Lighthouse Factory" list, making it the only PV industry factory to receive this honor.
Expansion of the Lighthouse Project across further production sites
LONGi also introduced the "Lighthouse Project" which aims to replicate the agile intelligent manufacturing model of the Jiaxing Lighthouse Factory across additional production sites. "LONGi Jiaxing Lighthouse Factory is just a starting point," stated Haimeng Zhang. "Our goal is to develop it into a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility that can be replicated in the future.”
Improving R&D while ensuring highly efficient, digitalized manufacturing processes
LONGi has consistently prioritized technological research and development, aiming to enhance productivity through innovation. The company's advancements have led to record-breaking achievements, including a 27.30% conversion efficiency for back-contact crystalline silicon heterojunction solar cells (HBC) and a 34.6% efficiency for crystalline silicon-perovskite tandem solar cells.
The PV industry is increasingly driven by customer needs, necessitating the production of modules that meet specific requirements. LONGi recognized that while improving R&D is important, it is not the sole solution. Efficient manufacturing processes are essential for meeting diverse customer demands, ensuring flexible production for various applications, and expediting product delivery.
New Hi-MO X6 Max Series to be produced at Lighthouse Factory
The Lighthouse Factory in Jianxing has been serving as the manufacturing base for the Hi-MO X6 high-performance back contact module and will also be the production site for LONGi’s newly introduced Hi-MO X6 Max module series. These modules feature the innovative TaiRay Inside silicon wafer technology and Hybrid Passivated Back Contact cells (HPBC), boasting the "golden size" M11 rectangular silicon wafer and a leading industry standard size of 2382×1134mm. This series offers enhanced stability, reliability, and power generation efficiency.
Employee greatly benefit from up-skilling and modern working environment
The Lighthouse Factory has significantly improved the working environment for employees, enabling them to master digital tools, enhance their skills, and achieve higher quality employment. "This is also the greatest benefit of the Lighthouse Factory," noted Haimeng Zhang.
LONGi remains committed to driving innovation and meeting customer needs through intelligent manufacturing, setting new standards in the PV industry.
Press Contact
Nadine Bütow
Head of European Communications (DG)
Timo Helmke
PR Manager Europe (DG)