Founded by the "genius youth" Zhihui Jun, Zhiyuan Robotics is accelerating the implementation of general artificial intelligence with a dual-wheel drive product strategy. Its product portfolio not only includes highly efficient commercial cleaning robots that have been validated in the market but also encompasses flagship products representing the future of the industry— the general humanoid robot “Exploration A1.”
Image source: Zhiyuan Robotics official website (https://zhiyuan-robot.com/)
If the large-scale production of commercial cleaning robots tests efficiency and cost control, then the path of “Exploration A1” from 0 to 1 and from 1 to N poses an unprecedented extreme test on the precision, flexibility, and intelligence of the manufacturing system. As the MES service provider for Zhiyuan Robotics, Xinkeyun will share the case story of how Zhiyuan Robotics tackles this "manufacturing Everest."
1. "Growing Pains" in Scalable Expansion
With the rapid increase in orders in the commercial cleaning robot market, Zhiyuan Robotics’ production line has faced typical "growing pains" amidst joy. Management methods that were effective during small batch trial production have now turned into four major bottlenecks limiting efficiency and quality:
1.1 Fragile “Manual” Data Chain: The “Tug of War” Between Efficiency and Errors
As the production pace accelerates, the workshop reveals its weaknesses. Reporting processes rely heavily on manually inputting batch numbers or handwritten records, which not only makes operations cumbersome and inefficient but a tiny typo or number reversal can lead to distortion of the entire batch data. More critically, although each product and key component has a unique serial number, this traceability chain is a “broken chain” connected by paper. Once traceability is needed, it implies a massive query task based on manual records, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive, making it impossible to quickly respond to the needs of the quality department.
1.2 Broken “Paper” Traceability Chain: The “Snowball” of Quality Issues
Quality is a lifeline, but in traditional processes, this lifeline has "delays" and "breakpoints." Checkpoints, inspections, and reports of non-conforming products on the production line exist in the form of offline forms and are not connected in real-time with the production process. This means that when a quality issue is discovered downstream, information is hardly fed back to upstream processes in time for early warning and interception. Due to a lack of a unified follow-up processing path and closed loop, the same errors may be repetitively manufactured amid the "time difference" in information transmission, leading to increased rework costs and quality risks.
1.3 Lagging “Offline” Quality Loop: Repeated “Errors”
The smoothness of production depends on the precise collaboration of plans, materials, and execution, akin to a symphony. However, due to information silos between the planning system, warehouse, and production line, production instructions and material supply often cannot be accurately synchronized. The most direct consequence is that issues of material shortages and line-side warehouse shortages frequently occur. Workers often face the awkward situation of “having materials but no one to work, or someone to work but without materials,” where frequent halts disrupt production rhythm, significantly affecting the overall output efficiency of the factory and the delivery commitments of orders.
1.4 Disordered “Material” Symphony: The “Rest” of Production Rhythm
The smoothness of production depends on the precise collaboration of plans, materials, and execution, akin to a symphony. However, due to information silos between planning, warehouses, and production lines, production instructions and material supply often cannot be accurately synchronized. The most direct consequence is that material shortages and line-side warehouse issues frequently occur. Frequent production pauses act like jarring “rests” pressed into an exhilarating production symphony, severely affecting the overall output efficiency of the factory and the delivery commitments of orders.
This is precisely the opportunity opened by digitization: to "materialize data off the production line online", and to achieve full-process traceability through key product serial numbers, by using digital systems to connect production with quality, material management, etc., and realize production monitoring, error-proof management, and data integration. At this turning point, Zhiyuan introduced the Xinkeyun MES system to fully initiate digital construction, laying a foundation for the production of new production lines and subsequent expansion.
2. Building a Digital “Backbone” for the “Cash Cow” Business
Faced with the four major bottlenecks in scalable expansion, Xinkeyun deployed an AI MES solution for Zhiyuan Robotics' production line, centered on “real-time, closed-loop, and collaboration.” It serves as a powerful digital “backbone” supporting the stable operation of the entire manufacturing system while providing precise responses to each pain point:
2.1 Replacing “Handwritten Records” with “Scan-to-Report,” Dispelling the “Production Fog”
To address the inefficient “workshop-style” reporting, the system fully implements paperless electronic work orders. Workers can complete material binding, process reporting, and data collection at each process node by simply scanning a barcode. The entire process has been shortened from several minutes to a few seconds, completely eliminating human error issues and allowing critical data such as production progress and labor consumption to be presented to managers in real-time and accurately.
On-site scan-to-report binding SN batch scene illustration
2.2 Building a “Digital Family Tree,” Connecting the “Broken Paper Traceability Chain”
To solve the problem of incomplete traceability chains, Xinkeyun has assigned a unique digital ID to each cleaning robot and its key components. During the production process, the system automatically binds the serial numbers of components with the serial number of the complete machine, forming a complete, detailed, and tamper-proof “digital family tree archive.” It has wholly eliminated the low-efficiency model of “querying based on manual records.”
Custom serial number generation rules
Serial number printing
2.3 Creating an “Online Quality Closed Loop,” Breaking the “Information Delay”
To address the issue of measurement and quality data not forming a closed loop, the system has moved all quality processes, such as inspections, patrols, and initial inspections, online. If a non-conforming product occurs, inspectors can immediately report it through a terminal, automatically locking that batch of products and triggering a non-conforming product handling process, with real-time information pushed to the relevant personnel. Quality issues shift from "post-remediation" to "in-process control and pre-prevention.”
Production test results
At the same time, if deemed non-conforming, the system will automatically display options for defect reasons and generate handling processes. Workers can choose:
Generate rework order → Perform offline rework (dismantle or replace components)
Scrap processing
The MES can manage the entire rework process, including scanning the input of disassembled and new assembly parts, ensuring a closed-loop traceability during rework.
Full-process traceability scene illustration
2.4 Connecting “Information Islands,” Achieving “Lean Material Pull”
To address the frequent problems of assembly shortages and line-side warehouse material shortages, the MES system has deep integration with ERP and WMS systems, seamlessly connecting the information flow from planning, procurement, to warehousing and production lines. The system can accurately calculate and predict material needs at the line-side warehouse based on real-time production progress, automatically triggering supply instructions. This transforms “blind stocking” into “lean pulling,” ensuring the continuity of production.
Assembly analysis and request for transfer
Transfer docking log
3. Phase Results: Injecting Data Power into Business Cornerstones
The successful implementation of the Xinkeyun AI MES system has injected strong data power into Zhiyuan Robotics’ scalable expansion of the commercial cleaning robot business, achieving tangible commercial returns:
1. A Leap in Efficiency, Driven by Real-time Control:
Process reporting and traceability inquiries have changed from “hours” to “seconds,” production plan achievement rates have increased from 75% to over 95%, and the overall delivery cycle of products has been shortened by 30%.
2. Quality Assurance, Driven by Complete Traceability:
A 100% traceability closed loop for critical components has been achieved; any information needed for tracking by customers or the quality department can be completed within 30 seconds; the first pass yield (FPY) of critical process assembly has improved to 99%.
3. Cost Optimization, Driven by Collaborative Pull:
Accurate material management has reduced work-in-progress (WIP) by 40%, and the downtime caused by assembly material shortages has decreased by 80%.
4. From a Solid Foundation to Intelligent Peaks
“The depth of understanding that the Xinkeyun team has of our business has exceeded our expectations. In our commercial cleaning robot project, they delivered not only a MES system but also an advanced manufacturing management concept and methodology. In the past, our production resembled an 'art' dependent on the experience of a few experts; now, Xinkeyun has helped us transform production into a 'science,' allowing every product's birth to be clear, transparent, and controllable.”——Head of Production Operations, Zhiyuan Robotics
Having successfully laid a solid “smart manufacturing” foundation for the commercial robot production line, Zhiyuan Robotics and Xinkeyun are moving towards an even more exciting future—realizing the large-scale production of the “Exploration A1” humanoid robot.
This is no longer a simple system replication but a comprehensive enhancement of capabilities. Both parties will continue to serve as core digital partners, engaging in deeper collaborations in areas such as AI scheduling, digital twins, and predictive maintenance, collectively building the most cutting-edge and robust “smart manufacturing” foundation for this grand embodied intelligent revolution.
To learn more about Xinkeyun MES customer cases, visit the Xinkeyun official website 👉www.xinheyun.com
Founded by the "genius youth" Zhihui Jun, Zhiyuan Robotics is accelerating the implementation of general artificial intelligence with a dual-wheel drive product strategy. Its product portfolio not only includes highly efficient commercial cleaning robots that have been validated in the market but also encompasses flagship products representing the future of the industry— the general humanoid robot “Exploration A1.”
Image source: Zhiyuan Robotics official website (https://zhiyuan-robot.com/)
If the large-scale production of commercial cleaning robots tests efficiency and cost control, then the path of “Exploration A1” from 0 to 1 and from 1 to N poses an unprecedented extreme test on the precision, flexibility, and intelligence of the manufacturing system. As the MES service provider for Zhiyuan Robotics, Xinkeyun will share the case story of how Zhiyuan Robotics tackles this "manufacturing Everest."
1. "Growing Pains" in Scalable Expansion
With the rapid increase in orders in the commercial cleaning robot market, Zhiyuan Robotics’ production line has faced typical "growing pains" amidst joy. Management methods that were effective during small batch trial production have now turned into four major bottlenecks limiting efficiency and quality:
1.1 Fragile “Manual” Data Chain: The “Tug of War” Between Efficiency and Errors
As the production pace accelerates, the workshop reveals its weaknesses. Reporting processes rely heavily on manually inputting batch numbers or handwritten records, which not only makes operations cumbersome and inefficient but a tiny typo or number reversal can lead to distortion of the entire batch data. More critically, although each product and key component has a unique serial number, this traceability chain is a “broken chain” connected by paper. Once traceability is needed, it implies a massive query task based on manual records, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive, making it impossible to quickly respond to the needs of the quality department.
1.2 Broken “Paper” Traceability Chain: The “Snowball” of Quality Issues
Quality is a lifeline, but in traditional processes, this lifeline has "delays" and "breakpoints." Checkpoints, inspections, and reports of non-conforming products on the production line exist in the form of offline forms and are not connected in real-time with the production process. This means that when a quality issue is discovered downstream, information is hardly fed back to upstream processes in time for early warning and interception. Due to a lack of a unified follow-up processing path and closed loop, the same errors may be repetitively manufactured amid the "time difference" in information transmission, leading to increased rework costs and quality risks.
1.3 Lagging “Offline” Quality Loop: Repeated “Errors”
The smoothness of production depends on the precise collaboration of plans, materials, and execution, akin to a symphony. However, due to information silos between the planning system, warehouse, and production line, production instructions and material supply often cannot be accurately synchronized. The most direct consequence is that issues of material shortages and line-side warehouse shortages frequently occur. Workers often face the awkward situation of “having materials but no one to work, or someone to work but without materials,” where frequent halts disrupt production rhythm, significantly affecting the overall output efficiency of the factory and the delivery commitments of orders.
1.4 Disordered “Material” Symphony: The “Rest” of Production Rhythm
The smoothness of production depends on the precise collaboration of plans, materials, and execution, akin to a symphony. However, due to information silos between planning, warehouses, and production lines, production instructions and material supply often cannot be accurately synchronized. The most direct consequence is that material shortages and line-side warehouse issues frequently occur. Frequent production pauses act like jarring “rests” pressed into an exhilarating production symphony, severely affecting the overall output efficiency of the factory and the delivery commitments of orders.
This is precisely the opportunity opened by digitization: to "materialize data off the production line online", and to achieve full-process traceability through key product serial numbers, by using digital systems to connect production with quality, material management, etc., and realize production monitoring, error-proof management, and data integration. At this turning point, Zhiyuan introduced the Xinkeyun MES system to fully initiate digital construction, laying a foundation for the production of new production lines and subsequent expansion.
2. Building a Digital “Backbone” for the “Cash Cow” Business
Faced with the four major bottlenecks in scalable expansion, Xinkeyun deployed an AI MES solution for Zhiyuan Robotics' production line, centered on “real-time, closed-loop, and collaboration.” It serves as a powerful digital “backbone” supporting the stable operation of the entire manufacturing system while providing precise responses to each pain point:
2.1 Replacing “Handwritten Records” with “Scan-to-Report,” Dispelling the “Production Fog”
To address the inefficient “workshop-style” reporting, the system fully implements paperless electronic work orders. Workers can complete material binding, process reporting, and data collection at each process node by simply scanning a barcode. The entire process has been shortened from several minutes to a few seconds, completely eliminating human error issues and allowing critical data such as production progress and labor consumption to be presented to managers in real-time and accurately.
On-site scan-to-report binding SN batch scene illustration
2.2 Building a “Digital Family Tree,” Connecting the “Broken Paper Traceability Chain”
To solve the problem of incomplete traceability chains, Xinkeyun has assigned a unique digital ID to each cleaning robot and its key components. During the production process, the system automatically binds the serial numbers of components with the serial number of the complete machine, forming a complete, detailed, and tamper-proof “digital family tree archive.” It has wholly eliminated the low-efficiency model of “querying based on manual records.”
Custom serial number generation rules
Serial number printing
2.3 Creating an “Online Quality Closed Loop,” Breaking the “Information Delay”
To address the issue of measurement and quality data not forming a closed loop, the system has moved all quality processes, such as inspections, patrols, and initial inspections, online. If a non-conforming product occurs, inspectors can immediately report it through a terminal, automatically locking that batch of products and triggering a non-conforming product handling process, with real-time information pushed to the relevant personnel. Quality issues shift from "post-remediation" to "in-process control and pre-prevention.”
Production test results
At the same time, if deemed non-conforming, the system will automatically display options for defect reasons and generate handling processes. Workers can choose:
Generate rework order → Perform offline rework (dismantle or replace components)
Scrap processing
The MES can manage the entire rework process, including scanning the input of disassembled and new assembly parts, ensuring a closed-loop traceability during rework.
Full-process traceability scene illustration
2.4 Connecting “Information Islands,” Achieving “Lean Material Pull”
To address the frequent problems of assembly shortages and line-side warehouse material shortages, the MES system has deep integration with ERP and WMS systems, seamlessly connecting the information flow from planning, procurement, to warehousing and production lines. The system can accurately calculate and predict material needs at the line-side warehouse based on real-time production progress, automatically triggering supply instructions. This transforms “blind stocking” into “lean pulling,” ensuring the continuity of production.
Assembly analysis and request for transfer
Transfer docking log
3. Phase Results: Injecting Data Power into Business Cornerstones
The successful implementation of the Xinkeyun AI MES system has injected strong data power into Zhiyuan Robotics’ scalable expansion of the commercial cleaning robot business, achieving tangible commercial returns:
1. A Leap in Efficiency, Driven by Real-time Control:
Process reporting and traceability inquiries have changed from “hours” to “seconds,” production plan achievement rates have increased from 75% to over 95%, and the overall delivery cycle of products has been shortened by 30%.
2. Quality Assurance, Driven by Complete Traceability:
A 100% traceability closed loop for critical components has been achieved; any information needed for tracking by customers or the quality department can be completed within 30 seconds; the first pass yield (FPY) of critical process assembly has improved to 99%.
3. Cost Optimization, Driven by Collaborative Pull:
Accurate material management has reduced work-in-progress (WIP) by 40%, and the downtime caused by assembly material shortages has decreased by 80%.
4. From a Solid Foundation to Intelligent Peaks
“The depth of understanding that the Xinkeyun team has of our business has exceeded our expectations. In our commercial cleaning robot project, they delivered not only a MES system but also an advanced manufacturing management concept and methodology. In the past, our production resembled an 'art' dependent on the experience of a few experts; now, Xinkeyun has helped us transform production into a 'science,' allowing every product's birth to be clear, transparent, and controllable.”——Head of Production Operations, Zhiyuan Robotics
Having successfully laid a solid “smart manufacturing” foundation for the commercial robot production line, Zhiyuan Robotics and Xinkeyun are moving towards an even more exciting future—realizing the large-scale production of the “Exploration A1” humanoid robot.
This is no longer a simple system replication but a comprehensive enhancement of capabilities. Both parties will continue to serve as core digital partners, engaging in deeper collaborations in areas such as AI scheduling, digital twins, and predictive maintenance, collectively building the most cutting-edge and robust “smart manufacturing” foundation for this grand embodied intelligent revolution.
To learn more about Xinkeyun MES customer cases, visit the Xinkeyun official website 👉www.xinheyun.com
Founded by the "genius youth" Zhihui Jun, Zhiyuan Robotics is accelerating the implementation of general artificial intelligence with a dual-wheel drive product strategy. Its product portfolio not only includes highly efficient commercial cleaning robots that have been validated in the market but also encompasses flagship products representing the future of the industry— the general humanoid robot “Exploration A1.”
Image source: Zhiyuan Robotics official website (https://zhiyuan-robot.com/)
If the large-scale production of commercial cleaning robots tests efficiency and cost control, then the path of “Exploration A1” from 0 to 1 and from 1 to N poses an unprecedented extreme test on the precision, flexibility, and intelligence of the manufacturing system. As the MES service provider for Zhiyuan Robotics, Xinkeyun will share the case story of how Zhiyuan Robotics tackles this "manufacturing Everest."
1. "Growing Pains" in Scalable Expansion
With the rapid increase in orders in the commercial cleaning robot market, Zhiyuan Robotics’ production line has faced typical "growing pains" amidst joy. Management methods that were effective during small batch trial production have now turned into four major bottlenecks limiting efficiency and quality:
1.1 Fragile “Manual” Data Chain: The “Tug of War” Between Efficiency and Errors
As the production pace accelerates, the workshop reveals its weaknesses. Reporting processes rely heavily on manually inputting batch numbers or handwritten records, which not only makes operations cumbersome and inefficient but a tiny typo or number reversal can lead to distortion of the entire batch data. More critically, although each product and key component has a unique serial number, this traceability chain is a “broken chain” connected by paper. Once traceability is needed, it implies a massive query task based on manual records, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive, making it impossible to quickly respond to the needs of the quality department.
1.2 Broken “Paper” Traceability Chain: The “Snowball” of Quality Issues
Quality is a lifeline, but in traditional processes, this lifeline has "delays" and "breakpoints." Checkpoints, inspections, and reports of non-conforming products on the production line exist in the form of offline forms and are not connected in real-time with the production process. This means that when a quality issue is discovered downstream, information is hardly fed back to upstream processes in time for early warning and interception. Due to a lack of a unified follow-up processing path and closed loop, the same errors may be repetitively manufactured amid the "time difference" in information transmission, leading to increased rework costs and quality risks.
1.3 Lagging “Offline” Quality Loop: Repeated “Errors”
The smoothness of production depends on the precise collaboration of plans, materials, and execution, akin to a symphony. However, due to information silos between the planning system, warehouse, and production line, production instructions and material supply often cannot be accurately synchronized. The most direct consequence is that issues of material shortages and line-side warehouse shortages frequently occur. Workers often face the awkward situation of “having materials but no one to work, or someone to work but without materials,” where frequent halts disrupt production rhythm, significantly affecting the overall output efficiency of the factory and the delivery commitments of orders.
1.4 Disordered “Material” Symphony: The “Rest” of Production Rhythm
The smoothness of production depends on the precise collaboration of plans, materials, and execution, akin to a symphony. However, due to information silos between planning, warehouses, and production lines, production instructions and material supply often cannot be accurately synchronized. The most direct consequence is that material shortages and line-side warehouse issues frequently occur. Frequent production pauses act like jarring “rests” pressed into an exhilarating production symphony, severely affecting the overall output efficiency of the factory and the delivery commitments of orders.
This is precisely the opportunity opened by digitization: to "materialize data off the production line online", and to achieve full-process traceability through key product serial numbers, by using digital systems to connect production with quality, material management, etc., and realize production monitoring, error-proof management, and data integration. At this turning point, Zhiyuan introduced the Xinkeyun MES system to fully initiate digital construction, laying a foundation for the production of new production lines and subsequent expansion.
2. Building a Digital “Backbone” for the “Cash Cow” Business
Faced with the four major bottlenecks in scalable expansion, Xinkeyun deployed an AI MES solution for Zhiyuan Robotics' production line, centered on “real-time, closed-loop, and collaboration.” It serves as a powerful digital “backbone” supporting the stable operation of the entire manufacturing system while providing precise responses to each pain point:
2.1 Replacing “Handwritten Records” with “Scan-to-Report,” Dispelling the “Production Fog”
To address the inefficient “workshop-style” reporting, the system fully implements paperless electronic work orders. Workers can complete material binding, process reporting, and data collection at each process node by simply scanning a barcode. The entire process has been shortened from several minutes to a few seconds, completely eliminating human error issues and allowing critical data such as production progress and labor consumption to be presented to managers in real-time and accurately.
On-site scan-to-report binding SN batch scene illustration
2.2 Building a “Digital Family Tree,” Connecting the “Broken Paper Traceability Chain”
To solve the problem of incomplete traceability chains, Xinkeyun has assigned a unique digital ID to each cleaning robot and its key components. During the production process, the system automatically binds the serial numbers of components with the serial number of the complete machine, forming a complete, detailed, and tamper-proof “digital family tree archive.” It has wholly eliminated the low-efficiency model of “querying based on manual records.”
Custom serial number generation rules
Serial number printing
2.3 Creating an “Online Quality Closed Loop,” Breaking the “Information Delay”
To address the issue of measurement and quality data not forming a closed loop, the system has moved all quality processes, such as inspections, patrols, and initial inspections, online. If a non-conforming product occurs, inspectors can immediately report it through a terminal, automatically locking that batch of products and triggering a non-conforming product handling process, with real-time information pushed to the relevant personnel. Quality issues shift from "post-remediation" to "in-process control and pre-prevention.”
Production test results
At the same time, if deemed non-conforming, the system will automatically display options for defect reasons and generate handling processes. Workers can choose:
Generate rework order → Perform offline rework (dismantle or replace components)
Scrap processing
The MES can manage the entire rework process, including scanning the input of disassembled and new assembly parts, ensuring a closed-loop traceability during rework.
Full-process traceability scene illustration
2.4 Connecting “Information Islands,” Achieving “Lean Material Pull”
To address the frequent problems of assembly shortages and line-side warehouse material shortages, the MES system has deep integration with ERP and WMS systems, seamlessly connecting the information flow from planning, procurement, to warehousing and production lines. The system can accurately calculate and predict material needs at the line-side warehouse based on real-time production progress, automatically triggering supply instructions. This transforms “blind stocking” into “lean pulling,” ensuring the continuity of production.
Assembly analysis and request for transfer
Transfer docking log
3. Phase Results: Injecting Data Power into Business Cornerstones
The successful implementation of the Xinkeyun AI MES system has injected strong data power into Zhiyuan Robotics’ scalable expansion of the commercial cleaning robot business, achieving tangible commercial returns:
1. A Leap in Efficiency, Driven by Real-time Control:
Process reporting and traceability inquiries have changed from “hours” to “seconds,” production plan achievement rates have increased from 75% to over 95%, and the overall delivery cycle of products has been shortened by 30%.
2. Quality Assurance, Driven by Complete Traceability:
A 100% traceability closed loop for critical components has been achieved; any information needed for tracking by customers or the quality department can be completed within 30 seconds; the first pass yield (FPY) of critical process assembly has improved to 99%.
3. Cost Optimization, Driven by Collaborative Pull:
Accurate material management has reduced work-in-progress (WIP) by 40%, and the downtime caused by assembly material shortages has decreased by 80%.
4. From a Solid Foundation to Intelligent Peaks
“The depth of understanding that the Xinkeyun team has of our business has exceeded our expectations. In our commercial cleaning robot project, they delivered not only a MES system but also an advanced manufacturing management concept and methodology. In the past, our production resembled an 'art' dependent on the experience of a few experts; now, Xinkeyun has helped us transform production into a 'science,' allowing every product's birth to be clear, transparent, and controllable.”——Head of Production Operations, Zhiyuan Robotics
Having successfully laid a solid “smart manufacturing” foundation for the commercial robot production line, Zhiyuan Robotics and Xinkeyun are moving towards an even more exciting future—realizing the large-scale production of the “Exploration A1” humanoid robot.
This is no longer a simple system replication but a comprehensive enhancement of capabilities. Both parties will continue to serve as core digital partners, engaging in deeper collaborations in areas such as AI scheduling, digital twins, and predictive maintenance, collectively building the most cutting-edge and robust “smart manufacturing” foundation for this grand embodied intelligent revolution.
To learn more about Xinkeyun MES customer cases, visit the Xinkeyun official website 👉www.xinheyun.com
