Upgrading factory assembly lines is helping manufacturing companies stay competitive

It might seem like a science fiction novel, but robots are in a factory near you.

As manufacturing costs surge and labor shortages increase, one of the industrial heartlands of China is turning to advanced technologies to stay competitive.

Already incorporated on the frontline of plants in the Pearl River Delta, a major manufacturing region in South China, high-tech production is seen as the long-term answer to future growth.

With industries as diverse as garment manufacturing and smartphone production vying for export orders in a crowded global marketplace, finding that competitive edge is crucial.

"Using 60 industrial robots on a single assembly line, which would have included about 600 workers in the past, now needs just 100," Luo Weiqiang, assistant general manager of Guangdong Everwin Precision Technology Co, which designs, manufactures and sells electronics components, said. "The production efficiency has also greatly improved after the introduction of industrial robots."

Guangdong Everwin, setup in 2010 with a factory in an industrial park in Dongguan, Guangdong province, is planning to use 1,000 robots when it upgrades its production lines this year.

Since recruiting new staff has been a problem because of the labor shortage in the Pearl River Delta, this robotic workforce will do the jobs of 3,000 employees. "The use of smart equipment will help the company tackle the problem of labor shortages," Luo said.

"We will only need to recruit fewer than 200 software technicians and management personnel when the 1,000 industrial robots are installed in the coming months."

The lack of labor has become a major problem as companies develop and expand in Guangdong, which contributes about one fourth of the country's manufacturing trade, or 6.61 trillion yuan ($1.06 trillion), in 2014.

According to the Guangdong human resources and social security authorities, the province needs more than 600,000 to 800,000 new workers. In the Shunde district of Foshan city, in the heart of the Pearl River Delta, labor difficulties are acute.

This manufacturing hub is known for making home appliances, ceramics and furniture. But last year it reported a shortage of 200,000 workers, according to Zhang Peng, deputy director of the Shunde Economy, Science and Technology Bureau.

"Introduction of smart equipments will help solve the problem and improve working conditions for existing staff," Zhang said.

In the coming years, up to half of the staffing levels on the production lines in Shunde will disappear as manufacturers upgrade their facilities by using smart, or robotic, technology.

Companies are already planning to introduce about 1,500 industrial robots this year after investing more than 700 million yuan.

Home appliance company Midea Group, for example, has installed more than 800 robots to improve production efficiency, which is now 10 percent higher.

In China, demand for robots has increased dramatically. Last year, sales in robotic technology jumped 54 percent to 5.6 million items compared to 2013, Xinhua News Agency reported. "The demand for industrial robots will continue on an upward trend as China needs more advanced equipment to upgrade its manufacturing," Zhang said.

Home appliances produced at Shunde were worth 228.1 billion yuan last year, or 15 percent of the country's total output, and that is likely to increase in the future.

"The industry has laid solid foundations for expansion in industrial robot technology, which will increase production," Zhang said.

For those workers that are made redundant, local authorities will provide training courses to help them find new jobs. The booming robotics industry will also create openings. "A growing number of companies are manufacturing industrial robots in the Pearl River Delta," Xie Guogao, deputy director of Foshan Economic and Information Bureau, said. Figures released by the Shunde Economy, Science and Technology Bureau show that there are more than 20 companies in the area manufacturing industrial robots.

Many are joint ventures with international partners such as ABB Ltd, one of the world's leading engineering companies based in Switzerland, and Comau SpA, which specializes in advanced manufacturing in Italy.

Local authorities in Shunde plan to build an industrial robot park and establish a research institute. "These companies will create new jobs for workers," Xie said.

LiuMei, an official from the training and employment department of Foshan human resources and social security authority, echoed those views. Training courses in technology will be available to workers and this will equip them with the skills they require in this brave, new automated world.

"Moreover, the booming tertiary education industry will provide more jobs for workers, who were previously on production lines," Liu said.

GMCC, one of the world's leading compressor suppliers, has retrained employees from the production line and turned them into technicians, overseeing the automated systems.

"We are providing training and relevant academic courses for our workers," LiuYinhu, deputy general manager of GMCC, said. "We will guarantee new jobs to those who are qualified after training."

The Shunde-based company manufactures one-third of the world's compressors and employs more than 3,000 workers. Since 2013, GMCC has imported 112 industrial robots from Japan and Germany. "Along with business expansion, it is very important to introduce smart equipment," Liu said.

qiuquanlin@chinadaily.com.cn