WEF's Global Lighthouse Network welcomes 12 new members including 6 in China

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has welcomed 12 new innovative industrial sites to the Global Lighthouse Network, bringing the total leading production facilities and value chains to 201, the organization announced on Tuesday. Launched in 2018, the Global Lighthouse Network brings together and celebrates the success of the world's leading industrial sites that have achieved exceptional performance in productivity, supply chain resilience, customer centricity, sustainability and talent.

The latest cohort spans seven countries, with six Lighthouse sites in China, namely: Eaton, Mettler Toledo, Tongwei, Yunnan Baiyao Group, Hisensehitachi and Haier Group.

Responding to its site's inclusion in the network, Haier said on Wednesday that so far, it has built a total of 12 lighthouse factories — a cluster that's the largest in the industry in both number and scale, covering the widest range of product categories.

Meanwhile, among the six Lighthouse sites located overseas, two are Chinese enterprises: Lenovo's site in Monterrey, Mexico, and Midea's site in Si Racha, Thailand.

Currently, China accounts for more than 40 percent of the 201 sites in the WEF's Global Lighthouse Network.

According to the WEF, these Lighthouse factories have increased labor productivity by an average of 40 percent and shortened delivery cycles by 48 percent. Compared to previous years, the share of AI and generative AI use cases has increased, achieving up to 50 percent of the top use cases.

Data has shown diverse impacts, such as a 41 percent decrease in product defects, 28 percent decrease in energy consumption and 44 percent decrease in cycle time.

"Global supply chains – once optimized for cost and scale – are now redefined by proximity, risk, and resilience," said Cedrik Neike, chief executive officer of Digital Industries, Siemens and Global Lighthouse Network Ambassador. 

"The Global Lighthouse Network illustrates how manufacturers can turn necessity into virtue in a glocalized world. By focusing on technology, sustainability, and an empowered workforce, the new Lighthouses demonstrate that transformation delivers flexibility and a competitive edge," he added.