STORY: Made-in-China robots empower upgrading of manufacturing industry
SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage
DATELINE: July 1, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:10
LOCATION: JINAN, China
CATEGORY: TECHNOLOGY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of industrial robots
2. various of Weichai Power Co., Ltd.
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): WU LIANWEI, Staff member at Weichai Power Co., Ltd.
4. various of industrial robots at FAIR Innovation (Zibo) Robot Technology Co., Ltd.
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): WANG MIN, Executive general manager at the FAIR Innovation (Zibo) Robot Technology Co., Ltd.
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): WANG MIN, Executive general manager at the FAIR Innovation (Zibo) Robot Technology Co., Ltd.
7. various of industrial robots

STORYLINE:

Thanks to the rapid growth of industrial robot production capacity, China's installed capacity of industrial robots currently accounts for more than 50 percent of the world's total. 

Industrial robots are widely used in many manufacturing companies to improve efficiency. 

Weichai is a leading Chinese powertrain manufacturer based in Weifang in east China's Shandong Province.

In its smart factories, almost no manual operation is visible on the entire production line.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): WU LIANWEI, Staff member at Weichai Power Co., Ltd.
"This factory was established in 2004. At that time, the automation rate was less than 20 percent. Now, the automation rate for the entire production line is over 60 percent."

Data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology showed that in 2022, China's output of industrial robots exceeded 443,000 units, up over 20 percent year on year.
   
Statistics also showed that there are currently more than 1.5 million robots in operation in factories in China, twice the figure recorded in Europe. 

According to the International Federation of Robotics, in 2023, China alone had installed more than half of the world's new industrial robots.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): WANG MIN, Executive general manager at the FAIR Innovation (Zibo) Robot Technology Co., Ltd.
"We attach great importance to research and development investment. The core components of robots, such as controllers, speed reducers, and motors, are all independently developed and produced by our company." 

Made-in-China robots are also popular in overseas markets.

Some companies are exploring markets in countries and regions that have an aging population problem and high labor costs, such as the United States, Europe, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): WANG MIN, Executive general manager at the FAIR Innovation (Zibo) Robot Technology Co., Ltd.
"Our robots are really popular in overseas markets now. They've been exported to countries like the United States, Germany, South Korea, and Japan. They're mainly used in the medical industry, electronics industry, and large-scale retail trade."

Chinese robotics companies also target Latin America, Southeast Asia, and other regions where the development of the manufacturing industry is rapid, but the overall quality of the labor force is often unable to meet the needs of industrial upgrading.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Jinan, China.
(XHTV)