As China’s working population falls, factories turn to machines to pick up the slack

China’s factories are turning to automation to upgrade production lines, and at the same time prepare for fewer, higher-skilled workers. Chinese manufacturing companies like Midea have already embraced automation to sharply reduce the number of humans needed. — SCMP

Orange robot arms weld and assemble with extreme precision. Digital cameras, powered by the latest computer vision technology, monitor parts as they move through the assembly line. Autonomous robots transport materials in, and finished products out, of the building silently and without human supervision.

Human beings have been physically removed from this assembly line, replaced by robots and digital-savvy technicians and engineers operating at a distance, who can monitor events in real-time via a digital panel accessible from anywhere in the factory via a portable device.