At a distribution centre near Prague, Czech yoghurt maker Hollandia Karlovy Vary installed three robotic arms last year to sort and load yoghurts onto pallets, replacing the work of 10 people who were moved to other positions. — Photos: Reuters
KOSZARHEGY, Hungary: Istvan Simon's factory in western Hungary churns out more than a million plastic parts a day but on a busy morning in one of its large production halls there is only the sound of machines clicking and whirring. Workers have all but disappeared.
Similar transformations are underway on production lines across the European Union's eastern wing as surging wage bills undermine the region's reputation as a cheap production base. Factory owners from Hungary to the Czech Republic and Poland find themselves with little choice but to invest in the automation of their manufacturing processes if they want to remain competitive.
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At a distribution centre near Prague, Czech yoghurt maker Hollandia Karlovy Vary installed three robotic arms last year to sort and load yoghurts onto pallets, replacing the work of 10 people who were moved to other positions. — Photos: Reuters
A robotic arm sorting yogurts at a distribution centre near Prague, Czech Republic. — Reuters
A robotic arm sorts yogurts at a distribution centre near Prague, Czech Republic. — Reuters
A machine makes plastic parts at the Simon Manufacturer of Plastic Products in Koszarhegy, Hungary. — Reuters
An employee working at the Simon Manufacturer of Plastic Products in Koszarhegy, Hungary. — Reuters
Employees working at the Simon Manufacturer of Plastic Products in Koszarhegy, Hungary. — Reuters
An employee works at the Simon Manufacturer of Plastic Products in Koszarhegy, Hungary. — Reuters
An employee walks at the Simon Manufacturer of Plastic Products in Koszarhegy, Hungary. — Reuters
An employee walks at the Simon Manufacturer of Plastic Products in Koszarhegy, Hungary. — Reuters
A machine makes plastic parts at the Simon Manufacturer of Plastic Products in Koszarhegy, Hungary. — Reuters
Robotic arms sort and load yogurts onto pallets at a distribution centre near Prague, Czech Republic. — Reuters
A worker operates robotic arms sorting yogurts at a distribution centre near Prague, Czech Republic. — Reuters
Robotic arms sort and load yogurts onto pallets at a distribution centre near Prague, Czech Republic. — Reuters
Robotic arms sort and load yogurts onto pallets at a distribution centre near Prague, Czech Republic. — Reuters
