Reference News Network, August 4 report: According to an article titled "We are thinking about upgrading every day": The use of robots in Chinese factories is increasing, published on the website of Singapore's Straits Times on August 2nd, the following is a compilation of the article:

About 13 years ago, when Sun Huihai (音) started working at a factory in the manufacturing belt in southern Guangdong, his colleagues were all human beings.

Now, more than 200 robots have joined them. These robots can work continuously 7 days a week and 24 hours a day, producing air conditioners for Midea Group, a major home appliance company.

A row of bright orange robotic arms hum, taking plastic parts just pressed from hot metal molds and placing them on long conveyor belts. Light-emitting autonomous robots store these parts in the warehouse and then send them to the assembly area to be assembled into air conditioning units sold in China and around the world.

37-year-old Sun Huihai is a department head in the engineering department of the factory. He said that the number of robots used in the factory workshop continues to increase.

When interviewed by the Straits Times, he said, "We are thinking every day how to upgrade and make the production here more intelligent."

In China, such scenes are becoming increasingly common. As the "world factory," China is using robot technology to promote its powerful manufacturing industry.

The number of industrial robots in Chinese factory workshops has exceeded 1.7 million. According to data from the International Federation of Robotics in 2023, China's industrial robot density currently ranks third in the world, after South Korea and Singapore.

As China continues to transition from low-value, labor-intensive production to advanced manufacturing, the deployment of robots is expected to increase further.

For a long time, Chinese authorities have been striving to maintain the competitiveness of factories by improving automation levels. The "Made in China 2025" plan launched ten years ago emphasized promoting the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry and developing high-tech fields such as robotics.

The government promotes related industries through incentives in taxation and other areas. The increase in the output of domestically produced industrial robots also helps control their prices, making it easier for enterprises to afford them.

Statistical data show that in the first half of 2025, China produced nearly 370,000 industrial robots, a year-on-year increase of 35.6%.

The factory where Sun Huihai works has 204 robotic arms and 82 automated guided vehicles. These devices are provided by KUKA, an industrial robot giant, which Midea has acquired.

One production area inside the factory is called a "dark" area, named for its high level of automation: theoretically, this area does not require manual operation and can even run without lighting.

Of course, not all production processes can achieve such a high level of automation. Some assembly lines still require manual operation, machines need maintenance, and finished products also need manual quality inspection. Sun Huihai said that during peak season, the factory hires about 4,000 workers.

In other places, Chinese electrical appliances, electronics, and automobile manufacturers are also increasing the application of robot technology in their workshops. "Dark factories" have become a popular term to describe advanced production facilities. It is reported that many companies, from Xiaomi, Gree to Changan, Zeekr, have already adopted this production model.

Sun Huihai said that the number of workers employed by this air conditioner factory is roughly the same as ten years ago, but compared to 2015, the factory's air conditioner production has increased more than double.

Scholars have conducted interviews and surveys with workers in factories in southern China. They found that these workers are not too worried about robots at present.

In a paper published this year, it was written that, contrary to assessments that are more pessimistic about automation, most manufacturing workers in Guangdong, protected by demand growth and long-term labor shortages, seem not to be troubled by technological change at present.

Sun Zhongwei, an expert on labor employment and social security issues at South China Normal University, said that with the decline in birth rates and the improvement of education levels, factory bosses face challenges in recruiting workers. He is not worried that the automation process will severely impact manufacturing jobs, because market forces will play a regulatory role. (Translation/ Tu Qi)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7534637245047767588/

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