China’s factories try to manufacture their way out of a shortage of both jobs and hi-tech

The world’s factory is in a bind, facing a number of internal and external challenges that are exposing and accentuating ways China needs to improve if it hopes to retain an edge in manufacturing amid technological restraints and demographic shifts.

At a manufacturer in northern China’s Tianjin, a piece of coated metal is hoisted into a blazing-hot gas furnace that must be precisely controlled. The exactness of this carburising step is vital, as it can determine if the part – in this case, industrial gearboxes – will last for 10 years or 50 years.