Chinese factory replaces 90% of humans with robots, production soars- defect rate cut 75%
Changying Precision Technology Company in Dongguan
city has set up an unmanned factory run almost entirely by robots. The factory
has since seen fewer defects and a higher rate of production.
By Conner Forrest July 30, 2015, 11:30 AM PST
The gravest fear that has rippled through humanity
from the technology industry is that, someday, almost all of our jobs will be
replaced by robots.
While that fear is often laughed off as something that
will only happen far into the future, the truth is that it's actually happening
right now.
In Dongguan City, located in the central Guangdong
province of China, a technology company has set up a factory run almost
exclusively by robots, and the results are fascinating.
The Changying Precision Technology Company factory in
Dongguan has automated production lines that use robotic arms to produce parts
for cell phones. The factory also has automated machining equipment, autonomous
transport trucks, and other automated equipment in the warehouse.
There are still people working at the factory, though.
Three workers check and monitor each production line and there are other
employees who monitor a computer control system. Previously, there were 650
employees at the factory. With the new robots, there's now only 60. Luo
Weiqiang, general manager of the company, told the People's Daily that the
number of employees could drop to 20 in the future.
The robots have produced almost three times as many
pieces as were produced before. According to the People's Daily, production per
person has increased from 8,000 pieces to 21,000 pieces. That's a 162.5%
increase.
The increased production rate hasn't come at the cost
of quality either. In fact, quality has improved. Before the robots, the
product defect rate was 25%, now it is below 5%.
Shenzhen Evenwin Precision Technology, also based in
Dongguan, announced a similar effort in May 2015. This region of China is often
referred to as the "world's workshop" due to the high number of
factories located there.
The shift happening with automation has been in the
works for many similar companies in the area for quite some time. Foxconn, the
controversial manufacturer of many gadgets such as the iPhone and iPad
announced its robot initiative back in 2011.
Dongguan is about an hour's car ride north of
Shenzhen, which is widely regarded as one of the top regions in the world for
gadget manufacturing. The growth of robotics in the area's factories comes
amidst a particularly harsh climate around factory worker conditions,
highlighted by strikes in the area. One can only wonder whether automation will
add fuel to the fire or quell some of the unrest.
Some of the influx of robotics in the region is due to
the Made in China 2025 initiative, and we will continue to see automation
affect the area and potentially reduce the number of manufacturing jobs.
Additionally, in March, 2015, the Guangdong government announced a three year
plan to increase automation in the region by subsidizing the purchase of
robots.
According to the International Federation of Robotics
(IFR), electronics production was one of the biggest growth drivers for the
sales of industrial robots. China was the largest market for industrial
robotics in 2014 with nearly 60,000 robots sold.
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