The transformation of the electronics manufacturing industry is giving rise to a new market for automation.

　The rapid development of China's electronics manufacturing industry has made it the global center for electronics manufacturing. However, under the new circumstances, the rapid development of manufacturing technologies, the pressure of overall operating costs, and the demand of manufacturers for equipment efficiency and flexibility have led to increasing attention and application of automated equipment in the electronics manufacturing industry.

　 In fact, as "Made in China" begins to upgrade and transform into "Created in China," a wave of automation in electronics manufacturing is quietly emerging. Zoomlion began purchasing welding robots to replace expensive human welders; the new production line of Huaxi Energy will extensively adopt industrial automation equipment; Foxconn, a typical representative of labor-intensive industries in China, ambitiously proposed to "replace manual labor with 1 million robots in the next 3 years."

　Automated Electronics Manufacturing Equipment Addresses Labor Shortages

　 From the recently concluded 18th South China International Electronics Manufacturing Equipment and Microelectronics Industry Exhibition (NEPCON South China 2012), it was learned that in the face of increasingly severe operating costs, especially the increase in labor costs, many buyers favored industrial electronics manufacturing automation equipment, making it the focus of their attention.

　 Huang Shuiling, automation department manager of Rapoo Technology, said: "In the fierce competition in the keyboard and mouse market, the only way for Rapoo to obtain good returns is to reduce manufacturing costs. To this end, we have introduced automated production technology into keyboard production. Visiting this exhibition, we have seen many exhibitors with advanced technologies and leading positions in the industry, as well as the latest products and equipment. We mainly focused on robots and components, automated packaging technology, etc."; "I mainly want to see the automated electronics manufacturing equipment here," said Mr. Zhang, a visitor. Many buyers shared similar thoughts with Mr. Zhang, all of whom valued the important role of automated equipment in reducing labor costs and improving production efficiency.

　 In recent years, "labor shortages" have frequently occurred, labor wages have continued to rise, and coupled with a sluggish macroeconomic environment, corporate profits have been continuously squeezed, especially labor-intensive enterprises facing unprecedented pressure. Strengthening equipment automation transformation, improving the level of production automation, reducing labor intensity, and improving the working environment have become a common consensus in the manufacturing industry.

　 "One automated electronics manufacturing machine can replace more than 20 workers. Through more than two years of automated transformation of the production workshop, our number of employees has decreased from 1280 at the end of 2009 to 420 now, and the annual production capacity has increased by 20% compared to before the transformation." Automated electronics manufacturing transformation has allowed labor-intensive enterprises to truly reap the benefits.

　Automated Deployment Promotes Industrial Upgrading

　Su Bo, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, pointed out that from the perspective of the international environment, the pattern of economic and social development worldwide is constantly changing, which both breeds huge opportunities and is accompanied by severe challenges, bringing a profound impact on China's industrial transformation and upgrading. From the domestic environment, the basic conditions, internal driving forces, and long-term positive trends of China's industrial development have not fundamentally changed, but the traditional development model faces many challenges, and industrial structure optimization and transformation and upgrading are imperative.

　 In the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan," changing the economic development model remains a priority, and improving the level of automated manufacturing is the means to achieve it. In the next 5 years, automation will experience great development. Experts point out that with the booming development of the industrial automation industry, China's industrial structure upgrading and technological progress will have more sufficient impetus and more diverse choices, thereby accelerating the transition from the traditional industrialization path that mainly relies on scale growth to a new type of industrialization path that mainly relies on technological progress and sustainable development.