Big Military & Manufacturing Implications
Between 2014 and 2024, the number of industrial robots deployed in China rocketed from 189,000 to more than two million. During that time period, only 449 were deployed in Germany. In comparison, 307 robots were deployed in the US, and 104 in the UK.
The overall number of robots added in China in 2024 was 295,000.
In Germany, it was only 27,000. In the US, it was 34,000, and just 2,500 in the UK.
It would be easy to attribute this disparity solely to population size. Yet, China also surpasses its western rivals significantly in robot density.
They now boast 567 robots for every 10,000 manufacturing workers.
Andrew Forrest is the Australian billionaire behind mining giant Fortescue. The company is investing massively in green energy. Forrest says his trips to China convinced him to abandon his company’s attempts to manufacture electric vehicle powertrains in-house.
“I can take you to factories [in China] now, where you’ll basically be alongside a big conveyor and the machines come out of the floor and begin to assemble parts,” he says.
“And you’re walking alongside this conveyor, and after about 800, 900 metres, a truck drives out. There are no people – everything is robotic.”
Other executives describe vast, “dark factories.” Robots do so much of the work alone that there is no need to even leave the lights on for humans.
“We visited a dark factory producing some astronomical number of mobile phones,” recalls Greg Jackson, the boss of British energy supplier Octopus.
“The process was so heavily automated that there were no workers on the manufacturing side, just a small number who were there to ensure the plant was working
“You get this sense of a change, where China’s competitiveness has gone from being about government subsidies and low wages to a tremendous number of highly skilled, educated engineers who are innovating like mad.”
Americans who still believe that products “Made in China” are cheap quality may be in for a rude awakening.
China is no longer focused on just low-quality products. It is now seen as a leader in rapidly-growing, high-value technologies. These include electric vehicles (EVs), batteries, solar panels, wind turbines, drones, and advanced robotics.
A big part of that transformation is due to the country’s focus on automation. The ruling communist government has encouraged this focus. It is heavily supported with state subsidies, grants, and local government policies.
Figures recently released by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) show this has led to a dramatic transformation of China’s industrial base. It has become high-tech over the past 10 years.
This includes everything from robot arms used for welding, assembly, and loading. There are also spider robots used for high-speed “pick and place” movements. Additionally, overhead gantry robots are used for precision tasks such as 3D printing.
Many analysts also note that China’s growing share of worldwide manufacturing gives it increasing leverage over global supply chains. This would make it a formidable opponent in a war.
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Well, China doesn’t think much of people. They are a bother; lots of upkeep. It’s nice if they start making some high-quality stuff, but we’ve already taken the turn, and I have no doubt that with people and with technology, we’ll leave them in the dust. Let them enjoy it for now. I just want to see them quit killing off their people.
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