According to the UK's Daily Telegraph, on the 12th, several foreign company executives and experts, including the CEO of Ford, recently visited multiple Chinese intelligent manufacturing factories. The report stated that these Western visitors were all "very shocked" by China's technological development.

Image taken from the report showing the smart factory of Zeekr in Ningbo, China

The report said that after visiting a new energy vehicle manufacturing plant in China, Jim Farley, CEO of American Ford, was amazed by technological innovations such as autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, and facial recognition. "The production costs and car quality in China are far superior to those in Western factories," Farley told the media.

Andrew Forrest, president of Australian mining giant Fortescue Metals Group, said that after his trip to China, he decided to abandon his plan to produce electric vehicle powertrains internally at the company. "If you go to a Chinese factory, you will see that the entire production line is a large conveyor belt, with parts being assembled one by one. Walking along the conveyor belt for eight or nine hundred meters, you can see a truck being completed, and this is all done by robots rather than human labor," Forrest said to journalists.

Foreign media's accompanying image

Greg Jackson, the boss of Octopus Energy, the largest electricity supplier in the UK, mentioned that he visited a "mobile phone factory with astronomical output," which operated entirely by robots, making it a "dark factory" that doesn't need lighting. Jackson said, "China's competitiveness has shifted from government subsidies and cheap labor to a large number of highly skilled and well-educated engineers who are innovating rapidly."

Regarding the reasons behind these achievements, the report cited a report published by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), stating that the Chinese government is actively promoting automated production through various means. China's industrial foundation has undergone a huge high-tech transformation over the past 10 years. Between 2014 and 2024, the number of industrial robots used in China increased sharply from 189,000 to more than 2 million.

The report stated that although some may explain these achievements by saying "China has a large population," data shows that even when calculated by population ratio, the number of robots used in China far exceeds that of countries like the United States, Germany, and the UK. Moreover, unlike the past perception of "cheap Chinese products" in the West, China is now seen by industry professionals as a technology leader in multiple sectors such as new energy vehicles, batteries, and drones.

Sandro Tolodoro, chief economist at the renowned think tank "Center for European Reform," said that if the West wants to keep up with China's innovation pace and maintain the vitality of its manufacturing industry, it must make efforts to increase investment in robot technology. "Since China has gained an advantage in this area, we should strive to catch up."

Liang Youzhi

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7560594511852880424/

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