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Blackware technology has empowered rapid development in China’s tobacco industry.
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Blackware refers to technical advancements changing the world that most people are unaware of.
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Innovative scientific and technological means are essential for the tobacco industry.
It is often said that technology serves as the first productive force. With the rapid development of 5Gmobile communication, IoT, AI, etc., some enterprises adopted intelligent technology in retail, catering, service, and other industries to improve the customer consumption experience, enable business model innovation, and win the favor of consumers. Similarly, innovative scientific and technological means are essential for the tobacco industry to achieve high-quality and efficient development. Nowadays, a number of emerging so-called “blackware” technologies [“hēi kējì” in Mandarin, literally translated to black technology (or “blackware”), referring to technical advancements changing the world that most people are unaware of – Ed.] empower the development of sub-segments in the tobacco industry.
Cloud greenhouse nursery system: internet+ seedlings
Through the sensors and cameras deployed in the cloud greenhouse nursery system growers can monitor the temperature, humidity, etc. anytime and anywhere from mobile phones and computers, and can also check the growth of tobacco seedlings in real time.
The cloud greenhouse nursery system is an achievement of the Smart Tobacco Joint Innovation Center of China Tobacco (Wenshan city, Yunnan province) Corporation. By installing various IoT terminal data acquisition devices in the seedling nursery, the tobacco station technical personnel can “sense” the development stage and track the growth of tobacco seedlings in real time from the office, hence the term “cloud” seedlings. As the data of each seeding point is collected, the schedule and work progress can be flexibly determined. According to data displayed by real-time monitoring, the implementation of scientific and fine management on seeding points further reduces the seeding cost and ensure the cultivation of disease-free strong seedlings of the right age.
In previous years, in order to ensure that temperature and humidity control in the seedling nursery was in place, it was necessary to have personnel to monitor the seedling nursery temperature and humidity data manually in real time. During the seedling management process, tobacco varieties, transplant time, seedling operation, and other information are recorded one by one by the tobacco technicians in a paper record book. Due to multiple steps in the entire process and the large amount of information, in the past it was time-consuming and laborious to record and analyze this data. Now, the cloud greenhouse nursery system makes the previous complex seedling data collection, query, and comparison easier. Personnel can now know the temperature and humidity of each seedling nursery anytime and anywhere, giving the technicians more time and energy to provide guidance services to tobacco farmers.
Digital and intelligent sign-in system: internet+ logistics
With the continuous development of China’s economic transformation, the deepening of supply-side structural reform, and the innovations in logistics modes, the status and role of logistics will be further highlighted and higher requirements will be put forward. It can be said that “internet+ logistics” is triggering a revolution in the logistics field. In China, intelligent logistics is now evolving from a concept to a reality. The application scenarios of UAVs (unmanned vehicle) on the road along with robot transportation, etc., are enriching people’s experience.
The digital and intelligent sign-in system is a new mode of “internet+ logistics”, being explored by Changzhutan Tobacco Logistics Co., Ltd. in Hunan province. The regional logistics enterprise undertakes the cigarette distribution business in Changsha, Zhuzhou, and Xiangtan with large-scale, wide coverage, and many customers. Handling the independent business entities in these three cities, logistics management, ensuring the effective convergence of logistics with business flow, capital flow, and information flow, and the standardized distribution of each order has become the key to the success of cross-regional logistics integration.
Mainly serving cigarette retailers, this system realizes cigarette receiving and delivery by taking photos that include important elements such as customers, cigarettes, time, place, delivery personnel, and store related information, which can be used as an important basis for post tracking, internal supervision, and source tracing. In addition, the application of a digital and intelligent sign-in system also solves the disadvantages of the complicated process of a traditional paper receipt, and saves on the cost of paper receipts and the additional cost of equipment and personnel.
Although continuously upgraded, there were still large deviations in the AI recognition of signers and cigarettes in the digital and intelligent sign-in system. After several rounds of doubled efforts, the issues have finally been resolved. Today, this system can not only accurately identify sign-in photos, automatically and accurately judging whether the sign-in is compliant and effective, but also establish a face database of retailers and 3D retailer portraits, which provides effective data support for standardized operation, supervision, and governance.
Intelligent identification warehousing system: internet+ warehousing
At present, the intelligent OCR recognition technology has been successfully applied to all aspects of life, such as license plate recognition machines at the entrance and exit of a community, bank card recognition used by a bank to open an account, and business card recognition for business card management, etc.
In the tobacco industry, some enterprises also make warehousing more “intelligent” through the development of an intelligent identification system. Take for instance the “intelligent identification warehousing system” developed by China Tobacco (Dalian) Corporation.
Put into operation in January 2020, the system can automatically collect data about the volume and shape of the box (each box contains 50 cartons of cigarettes) on the tray by using a 3D camera and synthesizing the 3D model by using algorithms so as to identify its quantity. The feature patterns on the box are captured by high-definition camera in real-time, and the cigarette brand is accurately identified by comparing the graphic template in the brand feature template library. The tray coding information is collected by a dynamic barcode scanner so as to automatically complete binding with corresponding box and tray. Through the real-time software operation interface display, key warehousing information is displayed, which can be directly monitored and traceable. Automatic scanning, automatic identification, automatic association, and real-time display, the intelligent warehousing system completely replaces the manual code scanning and warehousing process, reducing manual intervention in the information collection process in the warehousing process, and significantly improving warehousing efficiency and reliability.
In recent years, in the process of promoting the visualization and intellectualization of tobacco logistics, China Tobacco (Dalian) planned the construction of intelligent logistics according to local conditions, applying new technologies such as image recognition and IoT into all aspects of the logistics operation, and made a series of feasible developments, including the development of an intelligent identification storage system.
The intelligent recognition warehousing system is a successful example of combining 3D modeling, image recognition, and other new technologies with the core logistics business. It effectively simplifies the operation steps, reconstructs the warehousing process, and improves operation efficiency and accuracy. For the next step, China Tobacco (Dalian) will try to use automation technology to realize the automatic shaping of inbound cigarettes and explore the introduction of visualization means and automation devices into the outbound link to achieve automatic stacking, further simplifying the need for personnel and improving operation safety and reliability.
The advent of these blackware technologies shows the exploration and efforts of China’s tobacco industry in integrating new resources, exploring new technologies, and developing new models.