When Mr. Liang Guihua, Chairman of Cepai Group Co., Ltd., made the decision in 2019 to invest in a high-end automated production line for high-precision valve components—each weighing over several thousand kilograms with a minimum batch size of just over 10 pieces—he was met with almost universal opposition from all senior executives of the company and skepticism from peers in the industry. Comments abounded: "Doing automation for such small batches is just grandstanding," "With various types of valves, different specifications and sizes, and all kinds of special materials, how can automation be achieved?" "How to guarantee product quality?"... Now, three years later, this flexible production line, which integrates 6 high-end machining centers, stretches nearly 100 meters, and is hailed as the largest in the Asia-Pacific region for multi-variety, small-batch production, has been successfully put into operation. It has shattered all doubts with outstanding performance—doubling production efficiency and reducing production personnel by 40%—and has also become the "bedrock" of Cepai's Smart Dream Factory, laying a solid foundation for the company to rank among China's most sophisticated high-end valve manufacturers.
"For manufacturing enterprises, to gain an edge, they must have their own unique advantages. For Cepai, I believe that advantage lies in intelligentization," Mr. Liang Guihua stated. "With a focus on building a lights-out factory and a digital factory, Cepai has taken this flexible production line as a starting point, continuously making efforts to strengthen its core barriers to meet future manufacturing challenges."
Founded in 2009, Cepai is a high-end intelligent enterprise specializing in fluid control solutions. It has long been engaged in the R&D and production of oil drilling equipment, pipeline valves,
Control Valves, and instrumentation. With its high-performance and high-precision products, it has become a first-tier supplier to leading energy enterprises such as CNPC, Sinopec, Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), and Sonatrach of Algeria, enjoying high reputation and influence in the industry.
The high-end customized FMS production line jointly built by Cepai and Fastems integrates 6 intelligent machining centers from two brands, along with 159 machining pallets and 118 material pallets. With a total length of nearly 100 meters, it is currently the largest flexible production line in the Asia-Pacific region.
Stepping into Cepai's factory in Jinhu, Jiangsu Province, one is amazed by the advanced nature of its cutting-edge modern workshops, intelligent and efficient production equipment, automated production lines, and futuristic data monitoring hall. As a provincial leader noted during a visit, "I never expected there to be such an advanced enterprise in Jinhu, let alone such a forward-thinking entrepreneur." Behind all this is the profound and visionary thinking of Mr. Liang Guihua, the company's leader.
"Competition will only become more intense. On one hand, we are caught between domestic giants and overseas brands; on the other hand, user demands change rapidly. Only by taking the path of intelligentization can Cepai gain a 'differentiated competitive advantage,'" Mr. Liang Guihua explained. "We started planning years ago, and it wasn't until 2019 that we met Fastems. Through Fastems' numerous successful cases around the world, I saw the flexible production line I had envisioned; in many in-depth discussions, I truly felt that Fastems was 'different'—they always stood in my shoes, which won my trust."
Notably, Cepai's flexible production line not only sets a record in length but also leads the industry in terms of its hybrid nature and complexity. Firstly, it integrates machine tools from different brands: the production line incorporates 6 four-axis, four-linkage machining centers from two brands, Okuma and Makino, with different specifications and models. This not only requires the production line integrator to have strong brand compatibility but also rich application experience. Another difficulty, which is also a highlight, is the mixing of pallets of different sizes and functions. To match the two models of machine tools, the 159 machining pallets in the production line come in two significantly different sizes: 630630mm for horizontal machining centers and 800800mm for horizontal machining centers. In addition, there are 118 wooden material pallets of 1200*800mm. The flexible line needs to intelligently identify each pallet and accurately deliver them to the corresponding material stations or machine tools, which is quite a test for the performance of the flexible control software.
Mr. Ding Yongping, General Manager of Fastems Shanghai Co., Ltd., said, "Mixing machine tools of different brands, pallets of different sizes, and material pallet management have never been the 'patent' of any company. Fastems' confidence in undertaking this project and ensuring the smooth operation of the production line stems from its rich experience of devoting more than 40 years to the automation field. The answers to questions such as what interfaces to equip for different brands of machine tools, how stackers switch to identify pallets of different sizes, and how flexible control software meets different needs of users have been successfully verified countless times in our thousands of cases around the world. Moreover, the installation and commissioning of Cepai's flexible line were completed by our Chinese service team, which has been highly recognized by the customer. This is also a strong proof of Fastems China's positioning of 'global technical standards, local response speed.'"
When entering the workshop and seeing this flexible line standing in front of you, the shock it brings is indescribable. There, a five-story three-dimensional warehouse, nearly 100 meters long and 8 meters high, is neatly arranged. A stacker is integrated in the warehouse, which, at an ultra-fast speed of 210 meters per minute, efficiently and orderly transports various pallets, as well as the blanks and work-in-progress on the pallets, to the 6 machine tools and 3 loading stations in the production line. All processes are completed by only two technicians through operating the control panel and clamping parts.
Cepai has produced several parts of various sizes on the line, including valve covers, valve bodies, and pipe heads, with part weights ranging from a few kilograms to several thousand kilograms and a minimum batch size of only 18 pieces. Both processing quality and production efficiency have been excellent.
"When Mr. Liang first asked me to be in charge of the flexible line project, I was skeptical and even directly told Mr. Liang that 'the company's products are not suitable for automated lines,'" recalled Mr. Chen Hui, Manager of Cepai Group's Equipment Department and technical person in charge of the flexible line. "In my initial understanding, automated lines are generally only suitable for mass-produced products, because switching products requires large-scale adjustments to the production line, with extremely cumbersome steps. However, the maximum batch size of our valve parts is only a few hundred, with a large number of types and specifications, and multi-pallet production has extremely high requirements for fixture accuracy. How can automated production be achieved? It was not until I saw so many successful applications of Fastems that I truly understood the difference between flexible automation and conventional automation. Based on software, it can produce different orders at the same time, automatically sending the products to be processed to the required machine tools, with precise and flexible product switching. Fastems' flexible line adopts a pallet interaction form, where parts, fixtures, and pallets move as a whole in the line, thus enabling rapid switching and processing of different parts in the production line. In addition, when a part is being debugged, clamped, or inspected, the flexible line can automatically switch to process other parts, greatly improving equipment utilization."
How is this flexible line operating now? Mr. Chen Hui proudly introduced, "Our production line has been in operation for nearly a year since it was commissioned at the end of 2022. Various parts of different valves (6A, 6D), including valve covers, valve bodies, and pipe heads of various specifications, have been produced on the line. The part weights range from a few kilograms to several thousand kilograms, with a minimum batch size of only 18 pieces. Both processing quality and production efficiency have been excellent. Take the
gate valve pipe head parts as an example: in a traditional workshop, a single machine can produce 7 pieces in 8 hours, while a single machine on the flexible line can produce 13 pieces, nearly doubling the efficiency. Another example is the
ball valve body parts: a single machine on the flexible line can produce 32 pieces in the time it takes a single machine in a traditional workshop to process 20 pieces."
The flexible line has also reduced the number of operators and their workload. Thanks to Fastems software, as long as a product has been processed on the line, production can be restarted with one click if there is a repeat order in the future, realizing the inheritability of processes. Fastems software informs operators in advance of all production resources needed to ensure continuous production before production starts. Cepai has achieved 'the longest FMS line with the fewest people'!
"Eighty percent of Cepai's business is exported overseas, and customers have very strict requirements on delivery time and product quality. Therefore, what I value most is the stability and high efficiency of the flexible line. Over the past year, Fastems has lived up to our expectations. While effectively improving processing efficiency, there have been very few failures. Even if there is an occasional alarm, its technical team's after-sales support is very effective," Mr. Liang Guihua added. "In addition, this flexible line has greatly enhanced our brand influence. Not only has it attracted the attention of the government and brought a series of awards and resources, but when customers visit the factory and see this production line, they have greater trust in Cepai's supply capacity and product quality."
As one of the most important industries driving global production, oil and gas extraction equipment has long been regarded as a backward area in terms of intelligent development. On the one hand, the characteristics of the products themselves, such as a large variety, large volume, long manufacturing processes, and high customization, lead to fragmented data in the production process, which places high demands on automation and digital technology solutions. On the other hand, due to the high investment in oil and gas equipment and the difficulty in integrating resources, it is more challenging to realize full-process intelligent production. However, these challenges, which seem insurmountable to others, have become the driving force for Cepai Group, which has lofty goals and the courage to make breakthroughs, to move forward.
Founded in 2009, Cepai is a high-end intelligent enterprise focusing on fluid control solutions. It has been engaged in the R&D and production of oil drilling equipment, pipeline valves, control valves, and instrumentation. With its high-performance and high-precision products, it has become a first-tier supplier to leading energy enterprises such as CNPC, Sinopec, Kuwait Oil Company (KOC), Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), and Sonatrach of Algeria.