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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: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Monday August 03 2015, @09:52AM
Starving peasants have been the trigger for several of the most well know revolutions in recorded history. The French revolution comes to mind, and unless I'm recalling it wrong the revolution in China that led to the current government coming to power had a starving populace as one of its triggers.
A revolt is the last thing a government wants, because there are always more presents than there are loyal guards.
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 2) by curunir_wolf on Monday August 03 2015, @10:15AM
Nah, the Communist party that took over China was lead by young wealthy intellectuals that used a populist messaging to oust the republic and establish a communist dictatorship. The starvation of Chinese that you're thinking of was caused by Mao Zedong when he implemented his "Great Leap Forward" program to "fundamentally transform" China from an agrarian economy to an industrial one. It caused widespread famine and millions of Chinese died. Five years later it was hailed as a huge success.
I am a crackpot
(Score: 3, Insightful) by ikanreed on Monday August 03 2015, @01:25PM
And, here's something a lot of people gloss over: in a nearby time period, across the globe, it's quite possible millions of Americans starved to death in the great depression(we think. There wasn't enough observation to have statistical confidence the number reaches the millions for sure).
That's no an indictment of the US, and the Great Leap Forward killed tens of millions almost certainly.
(Score: 2) by curunir_wolf on Monday August 03 2015, @07:34PM
I am a crackpot
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Monday August 03 2015, @07:38PM
No, my friend, those people starved because there was no one there for them in the harsh world of capitalism.
It prompted our government to fix itself in that particular way.
(Score: 2) by curunir_wolf on Monday August 03 2015, @08:31PM
LOL. Okay, dude. Thought you could read.
Nobody ever starved under feudalism, right? We should go back to that, I suppose.
Or are you referring to FDR's "fix" that took control of food production by burning and destroying food [answers.com] instead of distributing it to the poor?
Governments are evil. A necessary evil, but evil nonetheless. And should therefore be limited, like all evils.
Since you support consolidation of power, I assume you prefer dictatorship and the most preferred form of government?
I am a crackpot
(Score: 2) by ikanreed on Monday August 03 2015, @08:46PM
I'm talking about welfare and later food stamps. Virtually no one starves to death in the US anymore. There are places people do, and they're not characterized by large governments. Well, maybe North Korea.
And plenty of people starved under feudalism.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday August 03 2015, @10:12PM
wealthy intellectuals
Smart? Yes; Educated? Yes; Rich? No.
Under the Kuomintang regime, China still had a working meritocracy.
If you were smart and ambitious, you got a good education gratis; you didn't have to be rich to get schooling in line with your abilities.
to oust the republic
Can we admit that the "democratic" regime was quite corrupt and needed replacing?
a communist dictatorship
An oxymoron.
Communism is a bottom-up system, not top-down.
Communism requires Democracy at its heart.
(The people who think the terms are opposites don't understand one--or perhaps either--of the terms.)
What every nation which has ever called itself "communist" has had is State Capitalism, [wikipedia.org] replacing one cadre of overlords with another.
That's nothing like the Communism that Marx described.
[Mao's] "Great Leap Forward" [...] caused widespread famine
...and, in the process, produced mostly low-grade [alphahistory.com] steel. [mu.edu]
More [google.com]
It certainly was a boondoggle that ended in tragedy.
-- gewg_
(Score: 3, Interesting) by PinkyGigglebrain on Monday August 03 2015, @09:14PM
Thanks for all the replies to my comment. learned some things I didn't know and adjusted my worldview in response.
Good way to start the week :)
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."