The issue of automation is particularly evident in developing markets, such as Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Workers with low skill levels are easily replaced by machinery capable of working around the clock at a higher rate of efficiency. And since the workforces of emerging market economies are largely unskilled, automation makes financial sense. In fact, according to research conducted by the Oxford Martin School of the UK and Citi, some 75% of Chinese manufacturing jobs may be lost to robots. While some have been calling it a robot army in China, others are less 'militaristic' about the widespread changes sweeping through the workforce. Estimates from the IFR (International Federation of Robotics) suggest that China’s 260K industrial robots have been responsible for the displacement of 1 million workers. In 2014 alone, China purchased 57K robots, and within the next two years it is expected to purchase 150K robots. If the analysis is correct, as many as 3.5 million Chinese workers could be replaced by automation by 2020. http://www.aomarkets.com/china-plans-phase-mass-automation-2020/
Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! This one not at Foxconn. An arc welding robot is displayed at the World Robot Conference 2015 in Beijing, on Nov 24, 2015 * Robots don't need lights in many cases. - More savings.
China Automation.... Just a thought. I was a world class Automation Engineer where I went with my project team to provide the then Advanced Automation. to China. That is not the problem. They said, to improve human development, they will add thousands of projects for them selves and the planet in the next 30 years. So, Automation is not a problem That is exactly what happened....Perhaps, now they have another 30 years of future projects using high level Robots...that we want to see...It is the design...and apparently Chinese are good at it....
