A man operates machinery in a workshop belonging to MLily in Rugao, Nantong. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

MLily, a company in Rugao renowned for its mattresses, recently introduced fully automated mattress compression and roll-packing equipment, an automated glue spraying system, and established intelligent warehouses and automated sewing production lines.

"Upgrading equipment is crucial for industrial enterprises that wish to enhance the quality of their products, increase production efficiency, and build competitive advantages," explained Xu Jian, digitalization manager at MLily.

The introduction of smart equipment and systems has resulted in a 30 percent increase in per capita output value at the company, while the defect rate has dropped to just one twenty-fifth of that in manual production. During a shopping festival in June, MLily's total sales across all platforms reached 316 million yuan ($44.29 million), a 90 percent year-on-year increase.

Xu noted that replacing traditional manual cutting with data-driven automated cutting machines has been a key focus of the company's recent upgrades. On MLily's recently updated automated cutting production line, the workforce has been reduced from 20 to just five employees, while production efficiency has surged by 50 percent. With the forthcoming launch of new automated cutting equipment, production efficiency is expected to improve by an additional 10 percent.

According to Xu, the benefits of equipment upgrades extend beyond enhanced production efficiency—they also transform the skill requirements for technical roles. "Previously, our equipment required high-level technical skills from workers, with regular staff needing a week of training to operate it. Now, with the integration of digital modules, workers can be trained and ready in just one hour," Xu added.