Chinese Factory Replaces 90% Of Its Workers With Robots, Productivity Increases 250%

Changying Precision Technology Company replaced 590 human workers, or 90% of its workforce, with robots. What used to be manned by 650 people is now run by a dismal 60, primarily tasked to oversee that the machines perform in optimum conditions.

Following the move, the company, which focuses on mobile phone production, saw pieces per person per month skyrocket from 8,000 to 21,000, Monetary Watch said. That’s a productivity increase of 250%. There’s also the added fact that the robots were still on trial.

Interestingly, defects were also down from 25% to 5%, suggesting that artificial intelligence is less prone to committing errors.

Impressed by the robots’ performance, General Manager Luo Weiqiang predicted that their human employees could be trimmed further to 20.

News on robots taking jobs in China isn’t entirely new. Last year, iPhone maker Foxconn fired 60,000 employees to make way for AI. In total, some 600 companies in Kunshan — the heart of China’s electronics industry — alone expressed plans to eliminate thousands of human workers to conserve labor costs.

Image via Flickr / Land Rover MENA