Consumer electronics companies have replaced machines

When interviewed and researched in the Pearl River Delta region, the reporter recently discovered that consumer electronics upstream and downstream manufacturers, such as televisions, ice washing, air conditioners, kitchens, water heaters, computers, and mobile phones, etc., have started to implement the "machine substitution strategy" to cope with the continuing The downward pressure on the global economy is to explore the "Made in China 2025" practice. Under the background of the current increase in labor costs and the gradual disappearance of “demographic dividends,” mechanical intelligent manufacturing substitutes for artificial labor, which has become a strategic choice for many consumer electronics companies, and “wisdom factories” characterized by “machine substitution” will become secondary countries. New dividends in the development of consumer electronics and electrical appliances after traditional dividends such as industrial policies and population.

Replace "demographic dividend" with "intelligent bonus"

The United Group, headquartered in Shunde District, Foshan, hopes to lead the next round of consumer electronics industry development. To cope with the rising cost of factor costs, it has invested more than 800 robots, and its overall efficiency is currently at least 10%.

Among them, Guangdong Meizhi Refrigeration Equipment Co., Ltd., which is controlled by Midea Group, specializes in the production of rotary compressors, the core component of domestic air conditioners. In 2014, the global market share of compressors exceeded 30%. In the compressor capacity, there are many processes that are completed by robots.

At the Meijin plant's sheet metal factory, the reporter saw that the die casting, feeding, and logistics were completed by robots. In the past, the work of die casting was high-intensity, high-temperature, and dangerous. In particular, after 1990s, it was more inclined to engage in the service industry than in the manufacturing industry. The turnover rate of workers was very high. Although wages rose, recruitment was still difficult.

Since 2013, the factory has decided to carry out technological transformation of its production companies, purchase robots, automatic connection devices and robots, and carry out technological transformation of the original equipment. Repetitive work posts have iron fences, 1-2 robotic spray mold release agents, automatic castings, and automatic inspections.

Lai Fuyang, senior engineer of equipment management of the Compressor Division of Midea Group, said that between 2013 and 2015, the US reduced its annual employment by 500, 800, and 900 employees, respectively, and the efficiency of working hours achieved a leap from 1.3 to 1.9.

Meizhi sees the hope of converse growth in the market environment from this drop of one liter. This company will continue to invest 450 million yuan in the next three years, with high strength, high temperature, high noise, and high repeatability. Workplace "machine substitution" to further enhance the automation rate.

In the Pearl River Delta, although Dongguan and Foshan are "different" in terms of industrial layout and corporate structure, many companies are also concentrating their efforts on building "unmanned factories." Galanz Group spent 3 billion yuan to upgrade automation plants. The new plant's per-capita per capita efficiency was 62% higher than the traditional production line. Dongguan Songshan Lake Changying Precision Technology Co., Ltd. is busy installing 1000 manipulators for the newly established workshop. After that, the total number of laborers in related workshops will be compressed by about 90%. The company’s management introduced that “in the future, the company needs a software system. The number of back-office managers is expected to be no more than 200 people, and the planned annual sales will be 2 billion yuan.” Hisense also invested in the most advanced air-conditioning automation production plant in Jiangmen City, Guangdong Province. According to calculations, it will save 38% in terms of labor force positions. The production capacity can achieve 100% growth.

"Machine Substitution" or Formation of Matthew Effect

While some large-scale consumer electronic product manufacturers have made great strides and led growth, the reporter found that the growth of the entire industry is under pressure. The data released by the China Household Electrical Appliances Association shows that in 2014, the main business income of China's consumer electronics industry reached 1.41 trillion yuan, and the market growth rate dropped back to about 10%.

Gao Yuanjia, general manager of Jiangsu Chunlan Air-Conditioning Import & Export Company, frankly stated to reporters that the overall situation of foreign trade this year is more difficult, mainly related to the economic downturn in the international market. “The traditional European market, for example, the European economy itself is weak, plus the RMB exchange rate fluctuations. , leading to a difficult situation this year." The volatility of the market has led to an increase in market exits, and the Matthew effect of richer and poorer people is being formed in the consumer electronics industry.

The robot body has three core components: reducer, controller and servo motor. These three core technologies are not in the hands of the Chinese, such as a basic configuration of robots, the market price is 900,000 yuan, of which 400,000 should be handed over to Swedish robots. Manufacturer ABB. Due to the lack of core technologies, a few local enterprises that can produce industrial robots also face the bottleneck of the dependence of key industrial components on imports. This has led to excessively high robot body prices and set high barriers for application companies. For small and medium-sized enterprises, the investment needed to establish an automated production line is frequently tens of millions of millions. Even if one sees market opportunities, the amount of funds required for industrial manufacturing transformation and upgrading is huge, and it is difficult to keep up with the situation.

The general manager of a company in Dongguan Nancheng frankly stated that the use of robots “is too costly, and recovery may take 3 to 5 years. The liquidity requirements for the company are too high.” The manager said that since the establishment of the company for years, the workers have only 100 people and introduced automated machinery and equipment. Far from him, let alone the robot. "The company's output value is only a few million yuan, and it can only maintain its basic operation. Once it is invested, it is likely that there will be problems with insufficient orders and idle capacity." This has become the voice of most SME owners.

For large companies, they still face complex choices in the “machine substitution” strategy: whether the job must be replaced by robots, how the proportion of automatic connection devices, robots, and robots, whose price differs by several times, is allocated, and how There are equipment for technological transformation, how to use the minimum investment in exchange for maximum improvement in energy efficiency, etc., Lai Fuyang, senior engineer of the equipment management division of the Compressor Division of Midea Group, frankly stated that during the initial period of “machine substitution” several years ago, it experienced repeated trials. Mistakes and twists to explore. Local connection devices can be easily transported, robots can be used without high-flexible jobs, and robots are blindly deployed. Pursuing automation rates will waste enterprise resources.

Huge investment requires financial assistance

According to the 2014 forecast of the International Federation of Robotics, China will become the world's largest robot market, and the demand for industrial robots in China will be 1.55-3.4 million units in the next few years. At present, the annual growth rate of robots in the Pearl River Delta region has reached 30% to 60%. However, due to the fact that the robot production line is still moving by millions, the investment in smart factories is starting at 10 million. The demand for machine substitutions in the consumer electronics and electronics industry has not yet been truly released.

For the short funds, some governments have come up with real money to guide and support them. In March 2015, the Guangdong Provincial Government issued the “Three-year Plan of Action for the Industrial Transformation and Upgrading of Guangdong Province (2015-2017)”, and strives to complete at the end of 2017 three-year cumulative guidance of 20,000 and over 50% of industrial enterprises above designated size. A new round of technological transformation; accumulatively completed 943 billion yuan in investment in industrial technological transformation in three years. By the end of 2017, 10 intelligent manufacturing bases with a large influence in the country will be initially established, and 2 domestic leading robot manufacturing industry bases will be built, and 1950 industrial enterprises above designated size will be promoted to carry out “machine substitution”. The government uses a variety of methods to provide financial assistance to robot application companies.

Almost all cities and districts in Guangdong have promulgated very favorable supporting policies. According to the introduction of Rao Kechang, Industrial Development Division of Foshan Economic and Trade Bureau, Foshan uses five methods to subsidize the enterprise: 10% of the robot's free grants are purchased; 5 million are used without interest, and 1-2 years are paid back to the government; corporate equity investment; The government established a guarantee company to guarantee the company's smart manufacturing; financing leases, etc. The Dongguan Municipal Government's Executive Meeting reviewed and studied the "Measurement for the Special Fund Management of Machine Substitution" in Dongguan City. The preliminary plan was to start this year and arrange two hundred million yuan for three consecutive years. The application of "machine substitution" and third-party services for enterprises Institutions and other funding, the highest financial award up to 5 million yuan.

The consumer electronics industry has the characteristics of short innovation cycle, huge inventory fluctuations, and upstream control of upstream companies. Unfunded funds appear to be a drop in the bucket. Financial services such as financial leasing provide the possibility of large-scale development of "machine substitution". If a company needs a 1 million yuan equipment, its own financial pressure is greater. This equipment can be purchased by a finance leasing company (lessor). Enterprises can only use 30% or even a lower proportion of “down payment” and pay the rent regularly to use this equipment. After several years, property rights can be returned to the lessee or lessor for retention.

According to experts, whether the “machine substitution” smart transformation can drive the consumer electronics industry to break through, the key lies in whether it can build an ecosystem that is led by the government, the company sings, social organizations, and financial institutions.