Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2014-02-15
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| An exhibition of industrial robots in Shanghai, Nov. 5, 2013. (File photo/Xinhua) |
China is in
the process of becoming the world's leding operator of industrial robots as an
increasing number of its factories turn to mechanical devices to cope with
rising labor costs and shortages. The number of industrial robots in use in the
country could overtake Japan to be the highest in the world by 2015, reports
Japan's English-language Nikkei Asian Review.
Mingzhi
Technology, an auto parts maker in Suzhou in eastern China's Jiangsu province,
has six robots working on its production lines. It plans to install more for
grinding metal this year to increase its production efficiency and to cope with
its limited labor force, the company's equipment manager said.
Around 20
businesses producing metal castings and bolts showed great interest in the
latest industrial robots during an exhibition in Zhangjiagang in Jiangsu in
December. They were impressed by the speed and accuracy the robots exhibited in
assembly and painting.
In 2005,
only 4,500 robots were sold in China but the figure is likely to reach 280,000
this year, which is almost neck and neck with Japan, according to the
International Federation of Robotics. The figure may even reach 340,000 units
by 2015, around 3,000 higher than Japan's projected figure.
Labor
shortages are the main reason that the Chinese manufacturing sector has
embraced the use of automation. Many workers from the country's younger
generation cannot stand harsh working conditions on the production line and
quit after a few months, said Mingzhi Technology's equipment manager. Rising
labor costs have also contributed to the demand for robots, as wages in Suzhou
have doubled since 2008. Meanwhile the government has set a goal for income
levels to double between 2010 and 2020.
The time
needed for businesses to recover the costs they spend on robots is also
shrinking, said Japanese robotics firm Yaskawa Electric Corporate. The time to
recover the costs of a small multi-joint robot — which can replace two human
workers — has been reduced to two years from three to four years in 2008.
Installing
automated systems and maintenance services are the biggest problems that
Chinese businesses encounter. They cannot find the professionals needed to
automate their production lines, said a vice manager of a Chinese company
producing parts for car air conditioning systems.
The Chinese
government has stepped up its investment in training and developing
professionals for the robotics industry. The country's 12th five-year plan
highlights the importance of the industry and recognizes that robots can help
the manufacturing sector improve quality and efficiency.
The
Changzhou Institute of Mechatronic Technology established a robotic technician
academy in May last year to train talent in anticipation of booming demand for
robots. Its students will be trained to weld, transport and assemble robots on
17 mechanical devices provided by Yaskawa Electric and Japanese auto component
maker Denso.
Universities
and national research institutes meanwhile have also granted Siasun Robot &
Automation, a company controlled by the Chinese Academy of Science's automation
research institution in Shenyang, Liaoning province, access to their robotics
research. The company has produced robots which can weld, paint and transport
at automobile factories and reported a 30% increase in its revenue in 2012 at
1.04 billion yuan (US$171 million).
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