Official data from the Hohhot Bureau of Industry and Information Technology indicates that the pilot initiative for manufacturing digital transformation in Inner Mongolia has been successfully completed, with Hohhot achieving standout results. After being designated among the first batch of pilot cities for this initiative in the region, the city coordinated its efforts with the national pilot program for SME digital transformation. By establishing a complete "1+N" digital transformation policy framework and fostering a supportive digital ecosystem, the city comprehensively pushed local manufacturing firms toward digital upgrades, solidly advancing the construction of a regional model city for manufacturing digital transformation.

Digital transformation has demonstrably enhanced both enterprise efficiency and product quality. During the pilot phase, the Hohhot Bureau of Industry and Information Technology actively guided businesses to implement key systems, including MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems), WMS (Warehouse Management Systems), LES (Logistics Execution Systems), as well as digital twin technology. These efforts strengthened full-process data collection and application while deepening the integration of digital technologies with production operations. At present, over 100 enterprises in the food processing and biopharmaceutical sectors across the city have completed their digital overhauls, all reaching L2 or above on the regional digitalization maturity scale. Following these changes, participating enterprises have achieved a 20% reduction in the R&D cycle, a 5.74% boost in production efficiency, and a 5.37% decrease in overall costs. At the same time, product quality has steadily improved, with the product qualification rate rising by 0.10% and energy consumption dropping by 0.48%. These gains have simultaneously improved economic returns and operational performance. Additionally, the pace of enterprises adopting cloud services has accelerated significantly, with more than 70% of the restructured companies now using cloud-based solutions, thereby reinforcing the city's digital infrastructure.

Champion enterprises have become a powerful engine for advancing high-quality industrial development. Guided by a principle of "promoting demonstrators and strengthening models," the Hohhot Bureau of Industry and Information Technology has worked to shift enterprise digitalization from isolated advancements toward a broader system of leadership. During the pilot period, the city received recognition for 4 national 5G factories, accounting for 66.7% of the region's total; 4 national 10-gigabit optical network trial projects, representing 80% of the region's total; and 7 regional digital transformation pilot enterprises, making up 28% of the region's total. To date, the city has built a cumulative portfolio of 2 cutting-edge, 13 advanced, and 22 foundational smart factories, with 120 enterprises now certified under the integration of informatization and industrialization standards.

Industry-level industrial internet platforms are driving synergistic upgrades throughout the entire supply chain. The creation of the Yili Smart Supply Chain Industrial Internet Platform and the Mengniu Full-Channel Digital Management Platform has effectively connected critical segments of the dairy supply chain, delivering improved quality, reduced costs, and greater collaborative synergies. The city has established a total of 18 industrial internet platforms covering key areas such as food processing, biomedicine, and the power and energy sectors, offering robust support for the industry's ongoing digital evolution.

Moving forward, Hohhot will concentrate its efforts on the national SME digital transformation pilot and continue to reinforce and deepen long-term digitalization mechanisms. By fully capitalizing on the enabling role of platforms and the guidance of benchmark enterprises, the city aims to facilitate the digital transformation and upgrade of even more businesses, infusing lasting digital momentum into the high-quality development of the manufacturing sector. This strategic approach is designed to support industry iteration and elevate overall efficiency and competitiveness.