Automation dominates manufacturing sector

World Today

Automation dominates manufacturing sector

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has accused China of stealing American manufacturing jobs.

But recent evidence points to technology, not Beijing, as the main culprit.

It’s a global shift happening across the world and as CCTV America’s Nathan King found out when he visited one of China’s most modern car factories.

There are foreign workers at the GAC motor plant in Guangzhou from the U.S., Europe and Japan – but they’re robots.

In fact, there are more robots and automated production and assembly machines here than people.

Deputy Manager, Liang Weibao shows us around. He’s proud of the productivity of this plant.

“This workshop just finished construction in July and we designed all of the production process with a world standard. We have achieved 100 percent automated production,” he said.

Far from China stealing U.S. manufacturing jobs with cheap labor-Chinese plants like there are investing heavily in technology to constantly improve quality and efficiency.

More cars, less workers – this facility has gone from producing 200 hundred cars per shift to now over 400. The target is to double that again.

Some of the technology they buy comes from U.S. companies, designed and built by U.S. workers-today’s global supply chain in action.

So what does Mr. Liang think of the U.S. president-elect’s accusations against China? He gave a diplomatic answer.

“I think all misunderstandings come from poor communication,” he said.

And what is the name of the car this factory produces? The Trumpchi. No connection to the U.S. president-elect. Trumpchi sounds like the word ‘legend’ in Chinese.