The manufacturing industry relies heavily on seamless and reliable global communication, especially when it comes to coordinating operations, supply chains, and production lines spread across different regions. For manufacturers with operations in China, establishing high-performance network connectivity is crucial for ensuring that everything runs smoothly. However, connecting branch offices and factories in China with headquarters or supply chain partners in Europe, the United States, or other regions presents several unique challenges.
Given China’s strict cybersecurity laws and the presence of the Great Firewall, manufacturers often struggle with high latency, unreliable VPN in China, limited bandwidth, and escalating costs. Digital Carbon is here to provide a robust solution. By leveraging SD-WAN technology in combination with cloud provider transit networks, manufacturers can achieve reliable, cost-efficient network connectivity to China, ensuring smooth operations across borders.
In this blog post, we will explore how Digital Carbon’s solution addresses the specific connectivity needs of the manufacturing sector and how it can empower businesses to overcome the challenges associated with China connectivity.
The Critical Need for Reliable Connectivity in Manufacturing
Manufacturing companies operate in a highly interconnected environment, where communication between plants, suppliers, and headquarters is essential for success. Many global manufacturers rely on enterprise applications and cloud-based tools like Microsoft Azure, AWS, and ERP systems to manage everything from logistics to production processes. In addition, real-time communication and data exchange between headquarters and facilities in China are crucial for optimizing supply chains and maintaining production schedules.
However, when it comes to network connectivity to China, the manufacturing industry faces several significant hurdles:
- High Latency: Connecting facilities in China with global headquarters often leads to delayed communication due to the filtering processes of the Great Firewall. This can negatively impact productivity and slow down decision-making, especially in industries where real-time communication is critical.
- Unstable VPN Connections: Many manufacturers attempt to use site-to-site VPNs in China to link their factories or warehouses with their global network. However, these connections are frequently unreliable, and disruptions can severely impact the flow of information between teams, delaying production and shipment timelines.
- Limited Bandwidth: High bandwidth is essential for transferring large amounts of data, especially for real-time production monitoring, IoT systems, and high-volume ERP systems. However, bandwidth constraints within China make these processes more challenging and expensive.
- Compliance with Chinese Regulations: Manufacturing companies must adhere to strict Chinese laws regarding internet traffic, which often involves working with Internet Content Providers (ICPs) that have the necessary licenses to operate in China. Failing to comply can result in operational shutdowns and steep penalties.
Given these challenges, manufacturers require a solution that provides fast, reliable, and compliant connectivity between their facilities in China and the rest of their global infrastructure.
Digital Carbon’s Solution: Optimizing Connectivity for Manufacturers
Digital Carbon’s solution is tailored to address the connectivity challenges faced by global manufacturers operating in China. By combining SD-WAN technology with the power of cloud providers’ global backbone networks, manufacturers can bypass many of the traditional limitations associated with connecting to China and enjoy secure, scalable, and cost-effective networking.
Here’s how Digital Carbon’s solution benefits manufacturing companies:
1. Improved Connectivity and Reduced Latency
Manufacturers often require near-instant communication between their production facilities and their global headquarters. This is particularly important for real-time production monitoring, where slow connections could delay critical decisions.
Digital Carbon’s SD-WAN technology optimizes connectivity by dynamically routing traffic along the most efficient path, even in regions with high latency like China. By routing traffic through Hong Kong, where the Great Firewall’s effects are minimized, manufacturers can experience significantly faster data exchange, resulting in smoother coordination between teams. This can be especially beneficial for IoT-enabled factories, where real-time monitoring and data analysis are essential.
With this advanced routing, you can reduce the delays caused by the firewall and ensure that traffic between your Chinese plants and your headquarters travels via the least congested path, improving communication, and enhancing productivity.
2. Reliable, Compliant VPN Alternative
Traditional site-to-site VPNs in China are prone to disruptions, which can jeopardize operations. In the manufacturing industry, downtime in communication or access to business-critical systems can halt production lines, delay shipments, and disrupt supply chains.
Digital Carbon offers a more reliable alternative to VPN in China by creating a secure virtual overlay network that bypasses the issues of traditional VPNs. Through DIA (Dedicated Internet Access) in Chinese facilities and a cloud provider’s backbone for international traffic, manufacturers can maintain stable, secure connections between plants, warehouses, and headquarters, ensuring smooth operations at all times.
Additionally, Digital Carbon’s solution fully complies with Chinese cybersecurity laws by working with ICP-licensed providers, guaranteeing secure and uninterrupted internet access.
3. Cost-Efficient Networking for Global Operations
The cost of maintaining global network connectivity, especially for manufacturing plants in China, can be exorbitant when using traditional networking options like MPLS. These options not only involve high costs but also lack the flexibility and scalability required by today’s fast-paced manufacturing environments.
Digital Carbon allows manufacturers to optimize costs while still achieving high-performance network connectivity. By deploying Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) at Chinese facilities and leveraging cloud provider backbones, manufacturers can significantly reduce costs compared to MPLS-based solutions. This makes it easier for manufacturers to scale their operations as needed, without worrying about skyrocketing networking costs.
For example, a manufacturer could connect their factory in China to a Microsoft Azure Virtual WAN Hub in Hong Kong, and from there, route traffic to global headquarters via a secure and high-speed network, bypassing expensive MPLS circuits.
4. Seamless Cloud Connectivity for ERP Systems and IoT Platforms
Cloud-based applications are critical for manufacturers, particularly those using ERP systems, real-time production management tools, and IoT platforms to monitor and control operations remotely. However, accessing cloud services like AWS or Microsoft Azure from China can be problematic, as the Great Firewall adds latency and causes performance bottlenecks.
Digital Carbon integrates seamlessly with global cloud providers like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, using their high-speed backbone networks to bypass public internet congestion and firewall delays. This ensures that applications such as ERP systems and IoT platforms can be accessed with minimal latency and maximum reliability, even from within China.
Additionally, this solution supports compliance requirements, ensuring that data hosted on cloud platforms meets local regulations while maintaining high performance.
5. Scalability and Flexibility for Expanding Operations
As manufacturers expand their global footprint, their connectivity needs grow increasingly complex. With Digital Carbon, manufacturers can scale their network infrastructure easily, adding new branch offices or production facilities to the network without the headaches associated with traditional networking solutions.
SD-WAN provides the flexibility to quickly adapt to changing network conditions, whether that involves adding a new site in China or connecting an additional office in another region. By centralizing network management, manufacturers can easily configure and manage connections across all locations, streamlining operations and ensuring consistent performance across the globe.
Conclusion: Unlocking Seamless China Connectivity for Manufacturers
For manufacturers operating in China, maintaining reliable, secure, and high-performance network connectivity to China is crucial for optimizing supply chains, production processes, and overall business operations. With Digital Carbon manufacturers can overcome the unique challenges posed by China’s Great Firewall and regulatory environment while benefiting from cost-efficient, scalable, and secure networking.
Whether your business relies on real-time production monitoring, ERP systems, or IoT platforms, Digital Carbon’s solution ensures that your operations remain seamless, regardless of location. By addressing the limitations of VPN in China and offering superior connectivity options, Digital Carbon empowers manufacturers to unlock the full potential of their global operations.
If you want to learn more about how to revolutionize your network strategy in China, download our detailed White Paper – Riding the Cloud into China to explore the full solution, including architecture examples and compliance strategies.
Alternatively, use our China Connectivity Price Calculator to discover how much you can save by riding the cloud into China with Digital Carbon’s cutting-edge solution.
Don’t let connectivity challenges hold back your manufacturing business — start optimizing today!
