Chinese Market for Industrial Robots to be Explored

　　China is soon expected to become the largest user of industrial robots. Robot manufacturers have dismissed worries that better technology will force lower-paid workers out of jobs. For more, here is our reporter Laiming.

 

　　Amid talks of China's economic restructuring and massive market potential, many international robot enterprises believe the country will become the biggest user of industrial robots in the near future.

 

　　One of the world's leading industrial robot manufacturers Kuka is stepping up its investment in the Chinese market. The German based company has set up new assembly lines in Shanghai and has moved all its manufacturing firepower to China.

 

　　Meanwhile, domestic brands are also booming. Qu Daokui is president of Saisun Robot & Automation:

 

　　"Our company went public in 2009. In the following years, our business enjoyed compound annual growth of more than 50 percent. This year things are looking good too; so far we've been successful both in sales and in research and development."

 

　　In 2011, China owned 2000 industrial robots. The number increased to 3200 in 2012. However, president of the China Machinery¹ Industry Federation², Wang Ruixiang says there is still a long way to go.

 

　　"So far the number of industrial robots in China is only one fifth of the number in Japan, and one third of the figure in the US and South Korea. More importantly, domestic brands take up less than 10 percent of the market share."

 

　　Chinese designed robots are adopted in auto-manufacturing, electronics, logistics and aero-technology; their application is yet to be expanded.

 

　　Qu Daokui believes this is due to the current industrial layout, as the focus of industrial development had previously³ been placed on labor⁴-intensive industries. However, he believes the popularity of robots in the future will not have a negative impact upon employment.

 

　　"Industrial robots are used in extreme production processes, for example, the production of chips, solar panels, tablets, or bio-chemical medicines. Humans can't work in the manufacturing environment, so robots take over the task."

 

　　In addition, due to a rapidly-aging population, China is estimated to have 40 million less workers aged⁵ between 20 and 30, compared with the same figure ten years ago. Robots are here to fill the gap.

 

　　Stefan Sack, CEO of Comau Engineering says the future of China's work force lies in jobs that require more skills like the modern service industry.

 

　　"You don't want to have people only providing very low value-added labor - you want them to be better educated, China is investing a lot in the education system, so bringing the next generation of Chinese workers into higher, value-added jobs will provide the benefits the government's expecting."

 

　　In 2012, the total output of robot industry reached 1 billion yuan, a 67% increase from 2011.

 

　　For CRI, I'm Laiming.

1 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

2 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

3 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。