"To boost the informatization of small-and-middle-sized enterprise (SMEs) will become an important method to promote the adjustment, optimization and upgrade of economic structure." When talking about the keystone of the informatization of SMEs in 2010, Yang Xueshan, Vice Minister of Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) put a strong emphasis on the importance of pilots.
In 2009, MIIT advanced the pilots of integrating informatization and industrialization in eight pilot areas including Guangdong province and Tangshan city, and made remarkable achievements. "The informatization of SMEs is one of the key contents in the pilots of integrating informatization and industrialization." Yang Xueshan said, "In 2010, we will go on advancing the informatization project for SMEs in pilot areas, and establishing the pilots for research, management and e-commercial informatization service platform."
The survey from MIIT shows that more and more SMEs have realized the significance of informatization. 60 percent of small-sized enterprises and 45 percent of middle-sized enterprises are pondering adopting Software-as-a-service (SAAS); According to the demands that SMEs raised on informatization establishment, 50.13 percent of these enterprises hope that the consultancy on informatization establishment can be provided, 43.2 percent hope for trainings and lectures on management theory, 34.8 percent hope for assessment on informatization construction, and 33.2 percent hope for trainings and lectures on technologies.
In 2009, the MIIT guided and conducted some pilots of platform for informatization service aiming at improving SMEs' capability on innovation, management and market expansion. "These pilots have done a lot for the informatization of SMEs in various aspects, such as consultancy, finance and training." Wang Liming, Director of SME Department, MIIT, introduced.
The "Rich R&D Service Platform", which is provided to elevate SMEs' innovative capability, is just a highlight in these pilots. Such a platform is established on the mode of SAAS, which can help SMEs to rent hardware resources, computers for example, and software tools at a relatively lower cost, meanwhile, enable them obtain such services as online training about research and development, and consultancy on project outsourcing, so as to realize the upgrade and transform of products towards an advanced manufacture industry.
In 2009, the Rich R&D Service Platform has provided trainings on informatization research and development, simulation technique, quality control and innovation methods for more than 2,300 SMEs, totaling more than 5,000 persons. For example, the platform has cooperated with China Die & Mould Industry Association (CDMIA). Through visiting seven key die & mould industrial clusters in such cities as Changzhou and Ninghai, and having a cooperative construction with Kunshan Industrial Technology Research Institute and Anhui Die & Mould Industry Association, the platform has provided trainings on the technologies and techniques of die & mould development for over 100 enterprises in die & mould industry, totaling over 300 persons. In 2010, the platform will be promoted by cooperating with other cities.
Additionally, in order to improving SMEs' management level, in April 2009, the MIIT implemented the "Plan for SMEs' Health Development". The e-commercial platform, which is designed for SMEs' market expansion, helps SMEs learn the variation of market demand timely, and reduce the circulation links and operation cost of products. Nowadays, the number of the industrial and professional third-party public service platforms has exceeded 4,500.
Driving by the leading demonstration of such eight pilot areas of integrating informatization and industrialization, the project of promoting SMEs' informatization has been conducted nationwide. Wang Liming believes that, "SMEs are characterized in centralization; we shall grasp such a character to promote the informatization of SMEs, and to establish pilot areas is a good choice."
In 2009, the eight pilot areas of integrating informatization and industrialization have respectively caught the local economic features to promote SMEs' integration of informatization and industrialization. For example, in 2009, in allusion to the economic feature of industrial cluster, Guangdong province selected 38 demonstration sites of SMEs' informatization application service; Tangshan city attached great importance to such five leading industries as iron & steel, chemical engineering and equipment manufacture, and promote to implement the transformation projects of leading enterprises in terms of information technologies; and Qingdao city established RMB30-million-yuan special fund for information industry and invested RMB40 million yuan on the three funds for science and technology, and promoted such traditional industries as textile & garment, food & beverage and chemical rubber and 60 key enterprises to implement transformation of information technologies.
SMEs' informatization is fanning out from point to area nationally. In Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, a kind of informatization pattern of enterprises is shaping up, that is, large scale enterprises take the lead while SMEs follow them. The popularity rate of internet application in SMEs has reached over 30 percent, and 90 percent for above-scale enterprises; as for the applications of computer aided design, aided manufacture and product life circle management, the rate reached 60 percent. Almost half of the SEMs in the region have realized informatization application in different degrees.
However, "Viewing from the average level across China, it's just a start for SMEs' informatization construction." Wang Liming expressed that in 2010, the MIIT will continue to optimize the environment of SMEs' informatization construction, promote informatization management, and provide efficient, low-cost and quality solutions and services for SMEs.
