As digital transformation sweeps through global industries and the "dual carbon" goals reshape the energy landscape, infrared technology—capable of "seeing" temperature, "sensing" heat, and "visualizing" energy—is integrating into the core of industrial operations at an unprecedented depth and breadth. Over the past decade, infrared imaging has made a critical leap from military-specific to industrial and civilian applications. In the years ahead, it will complete a strategic shift from "auxiliary inspection" to "core sensing." With falling costs of uncooled infrared detectors and the deep integration of AI algorithms with IoT platforms, infrared sensing is breaking through traditional boundaries, evolving from discrete point applications into a networked, intelligent sensing foundation covering entire industrial processes and lifecycles.

Among all industrial sectors, the oil and petrochemical industry—characterized by complex processes, dense equipment, high safety risks, and urgent energy-saving needs—represents both the most challenging and most valuable application scenario for infrared technology. Major safety incidents have led to mandatory national requirements for continuous, intelligent, and visualized monitoring of chemical parks and major hazard sites. Infrared gas imaging, as the only means to achieve rapid visual screening of hazardous gas leaks such as VOCs, is becoming a standard safety requirement. Against a backdrop of oil price volatility and intensifying competition, cost reduction and efficiency improvement remain eternal themes. Predictive maintenance can reduce unplanned shutdowns by 30–50% and lower maintenance costs by 25–30%. Infrared thermography, through early detection of thermal defects in critical equipment such as furnace tubes, reactors, motors, and bearings, has become an indispensable sensing organ in predictive maintenance systems.

The  "Intelligent Inspection and Predictive Maintenance under Industry 4.0 Forum" will bring together leading experts, corporate representatives, and end-users from around the world. It aims to explore the latest developments in infrared technology, share innovative application cases, and build an efficient, precise bridge between end-users seeking technological breakthroughs and suppliers offering innovative solutions.