The Global Lighthouse Network is a World Economic Forum initiative recognizing best-in-class operational sites and value chains that have achieved exceptional performance in productivity, supply chain resilience, customer centricity, sustainability and talent. The initiative was co-founded with McKinsey & Company and is counselled by an advisory board of industry leaders working together to shape the future of global manufacturing. Among these, the “Distinction in Productivity” recognition is a key recognition within the Lighthouse framework, honoring factories that have achieved exceptional performance in cost and quality through technology-enabled transformation, improving asset utilization, worker enablement, and resource management. 

The World Economic Forum noted in its Lighthouse recognition for Distinction in Productivity that: “As Asia’s largest automotive seat track production site, FORVIA Yancheng faced persistent challenges from high quality costs and intense market price pressure. To overcome this, the site launched a digital initiative, deploying over 40 advanced use cases, leveraging machine learning, deep learning and generative AI to create a multimodal quality control system. The system was designed to address complex, multi-sensory challenges including noise, leading to a significant reduction in quality costs and overall cost pressure. 

Having operated for 14 years in China, FORVIA Yancheng plant has built strong capabilities in automotive seat track production for a wide range of Chinese and international customers, supported by smart manufacturing processes. The plant has deepened digital and intelligent upgrading, with the return on investments of AI solutions implemented in 7.5 months. Meanwhile, the plant has replaced and optimized destructive testing by using big data model with accuracy over 90%. Furthermore, the plant uses generative AI to boost die change optimization by 46%. Additionally, the VR immersive interactive training model has allowed faster induction and simulated real work environment cases. 

Olivier Lefevre, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer stated: “Best-in-class recognition as a Lighthouse Factory — the industry’s highest recognition — reflects how our use of AI and IIoT drives continuous self optimization, empowers our teams, and accelerates FORVIA’s shift toward a smarter, more efficient, and sustainable manufacturing model.”

Since its establishment in 2011, FORVIA Yancheng plant has continuously improved its production capacity system and operational management capabilities, forming an annual production capacity of 30 million sets of automotive seat tracks. It has been awarded “Five-Star Industrial Enterprise” by Yancheng City for eight consecutive years, recognized as a provincial-level smart factory in 2023, and launched the “Lighthouse Factory” application process in 2024. With the support of the Yancheng Municipal Government, the Yancheng Plant has jointly tackled key challenges with professional institutions and partners, developing 5 innovative application cases that have helped the factory successfully pass the Lighthouse certification. 

As a global leading automotive technology supplier, FORVIA has established over 60 industrial sites in China, building a complete local system covering R&D, manufacturing, and supply chain. Currently, China is in a critical period of rapid advancement in smart manufacturing and dual-carbon transition. In the future, FORVIA will leverage the practical experience of the “Yancheng Lighthouse Factory” as a driving force to accelerate the replication and expansion of digital capabilities, green manufacturing systems, and AI technology across the country. It will further feed into the global factory network and work with industrial chain partners to build a green, intelligent, and sustainable future mobility ecosystem.