RAGE AGAINST MACHINES

While robots may have improved efficiency in manufacturing, they have also triggered concerns of declining employment opportunities.

Government statistics in Dongguan show that half of the companies employing industrial robots in the city have laid off workers, causing speculation that the industry is posing a threat to China's labor market. But that accusation is refuted by the companies themselves.

"The automation process may have seen some workers laid off, but it has also created a huge number of job vacancies for laborers skilled at controlling the robots," according to Dong Mingzhu, chairman of Gree.

The firm has hired more than 1,000 new recruits this year, and is training them to work in an automated factory. It has also re-trained 372 laborers already working there.

Ding Li, a research fellow with the Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences, believes it is essential for workers to gain new skills if they are to keep pace with what he calls "an intelligence revolution."

"The government should play an important role in training the laid-off workers to help them find jobs, while education departments should beef up human resources programs for the industry," Ding said.

Meanwhile, Wu Xinyu, a research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, sees robots' dirty work as actually benefiting the human workforce as "the chances of workers facing dangerous environments are lowered."

BARRIERS TO GROWTH

Employment controversy is not the only hurdle in the way of growth of robotics. Industrial robots are expensive.

Of the 36,860 robots bought by Chinese enterprises last year, 9,597 came from domestic producers, while the remaining 73 percent were imported. Even robots classified as home-grown in fact rely on key imported component.

If China is to start producing more of its own robots (and lower costs in the process), it needs to get round a dearth of talent.

"We are in dire need of talented people that can provide solutions and help with system integration in factories," according to Liu Yihua, director-general of the Automation Society of Guangdong Province.

Just as the onus is on authorities to train staff to operate robots, Liu stresses that it is the responsibility of the government, colleges and companies to work together to cultivate personnel to design and produce the technology.

"China trails other countries in application of industrial robots in terms of the usage density, so there is huge market potential to be tapped," said Wu Xinyu.