Wednesday, September 23, 2015

High Chinese Labor Costs Drive Chinese Manufacturing Toward Robots.

In an article here from ABC news, it is reported that in an effort to contain costs and improve quality, Chinese manufacturers are being encouraged to use more robots. This includes descriptions of robots working alongside humans on factory floors.

One supposes that the Chinese robots will be equipped with multiple cameras, one to watch what it's doing and one or more to watch its human co-workers. Errors on the part of the humans will be reported as disloyalty to management, and after 3 such reports the human will be replaced by another robot.

The robots loyalty is, of course, unquestioned. Lau Hu Chow*, CEO of China's East Wind Robotic software company is now widely expected to become China's new premiere shortly after president Xi gets his new robot secretary installed.

*Translates as "Old Tiger Joe", a tribute to one of my former instructors.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Chinese manufacturers are being encouraged to use more robots."

So how are you going to blame this on Obamacare, labor unions, and/or the minimum wage?

Anonymous said...

"One supposes that the Chinese robots will be equipped with multiple cameras, one to watch what it's doing and one or more to watch its human co-workers. Errors on the part of the humans will be reported as disloyalty to management, and after 3 such reports the human will be replaced by another robot."

Thank God that U.S. companies would never do such a thing. Because, uh, "land of the free" and "capitalism" and "'merica!".

Billll said...

"High" is a relative term. When you consider moving production to China you have to compare the U.S. labor cost plus U.S. supply chain costs with Chinese labor costs plus Chinese supply chain costs.

The Chinese labor might be lower but having to ship raw materials from here to there and finished goods from there to here can easily make the savings disappear. Anything that makes it more expensive over here, makes doing it over there more attractive and vice versa.

If I can get around labor unions, minimum wages and Obamacare by hiring illegal aliens over here, it forces the Chinese to move to automation over there to remain competitive.

Anonymous said...

If I can get around labor unions, minimum wages and Obamacare . . . it forces the Chinese to move to automation over there to remain competitive.


So Chinese workers are being replaced by robots because of America's over-paid working class?!

Just how little do you think American workers should be paid? Less than illegal aliens? Less than Chinese workers? Less than robots? Less than Chinese robots?!

And just how much more do you think American executives — aka the Job Creators ™ — should be paid? Because your socio-economic ideas never seem to result in any downward pressure on their compensation.