Chinese Factory Replaces Workers With Robots, Production Soars Immediately

By Jess Murray Truth Theory

In our day to day lives we are gradually seeing an increasing number of human operated jobs being replaced by developing technology.

But China has just dramatically increased the robot ruling world by setting up a factory that is run almost entirely by robots, and the results are definitely something to talk about.

The new factory, which is in Dongguan City in the central Guangdong province of China, is a company that focuses on producing parts for mobile phones.

The Changying Precision Technology Company factory makes use of automated production lines which consist of robotic arms which produce mobile phone parts, as well has using automated machine equipment and autonomous transport trucks.

Whilst there were previously 650 employees working at the factory, the use of the robots has taken this number down to just 60, with three people monitoring each production line, as others monitor the computer control systems.

The general manager of the company, Luo Weiqiang, told the People’s Daily that this number could decrease even further in the future, possibly dropping to just 20 real employees.

Despite the loss of human jobs, the factory’s efficiency has greatly increased since the use of robots began, with the new machinery producing almost three times as many pieces as were being produced previously, and production per person increasing by 162.5%, according to the People’s Daily, meaning that is has risen from 8,000 pieces per person to 21,000.

Whilst some may fear over a loss of quality, the opposite is in fact true, with quality improving since the use of the robots, and product defects decreasing from a rate of 25% down to just 5%.

It seems as if the Changying Precision Technology Company is not the only company to be heading towards a future run by robots, as Shenzhen Evenwin Precision Technology, based in the same area,  announced a similar plan back in May 2015. As a result, this particular region of China is referred to as the “world’s workshop” because of the high number of factories located there.

In other locations, the controversial manufacturer of the iPhone and iPad, Foxconn, announced a robot initiative in 2011.

However, despite the efficiency of using robot workers, some have fears about the growth of these innovative factories. Concerns have been expressed that these new workplaces that are within an existing harsh factory working environment which has previously caused strikes in the area, could increase the negative view against the product producers.

Owing to the Made in China 2025 initiative, it is likely that more robot-run factories will be seen as time goes on, reducing the number of manufacturing jobs for people.

In 2014, China was the largest market for industrial robotics, with almost 60,000 robots sold.

IMAGE CREDIT:zhu_zhu / 123RF Stock Photo

About The Author

Jess Murray is a wildlife filmmaker and conservation blogger, having recently returned from studying wildlife and conservation in South Africa, she is now striving to spread awareness about the truth behind faux conservation facilities throughout the world. You can follow Jess on Facebook Here