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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.
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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.
Is eliminating the work force the best way to solve labor unrest?
(Score: 5, Insightful) by szopin on Monday August 03 2015, @08:14AM
Production per person from 8k to 21k, but persons down from 650 to 60, soooo... lower production over all? Or how was that counted?
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 03 2015, @08:42AM
Just wait until they build the first fully robotic factory. Then the production per person will be infinite even if they manage to produce only one item per year.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 03 2015, @09:03AM
By my math production is down nearly 80%. This level of spin indicates propaganda.
Rather odd that "the People's Daily" would be proud of the destruction of the need for their huge population.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 03 2015, @10:33AM
>By my math production is down nearly 80%. This level of spin indicates propaganda.
No, it indicates an idiot drone at Techrepublic could not even retell a press release right.
The mismatch is absent in original source: http://en.people.cn/n/2015/0715/c90000-8920747.html [people.cn]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 03 2015, @11:39AM
Well, submitter and SN editor were non wiser.
(Score: 2) by mhajicek on Tuesday August 04 2015, @12:22AM
"Data shows that since the robots came to the factory, the defect rate of products has dropped from over 25 percent to less than 5 percent and the production capacity from more than 8,000 pieces per person per month increased to 21,000 pieces."
??
The spacelike surfaces of time foliations can have a cusp at the surface of discontinuity. - P. Hajicek
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 03 2015, @09:13AM
Chairman mayo says SHUTTHEFUCKUP!!