Extra Credit -The March of Robots Into Chinese Factories

One of the growing industries in China is the manufacturing of robots. Countries like Japan and South are the leading countries after USA and Germany which import robots. Robot sale has been quadrupling from 2006 to 2011.

These robots are replacing human labor in the factory to carry out the jobs. Each robot only cost $50 thousand before installation. The payoff period for each robot is only 3 years in China, according to the survey. With the high rise of labor costs and inflation, robot is considered to be the perfect substitute for human labor. Factories do not need to employ as many workers as before the robotic automation. In addition, robot can run for twenty four hours and without any downtime unlike human who feel exhausted after twelve hours of working shift in the factory. Another factor that accelerates the switch to robotic automation is compliance with legislation maintaining the minimum wage rate. With the use of robots, company does not have to deal with the required minimum wages.

Industry like textile industry face narrower margins which force the industry facing shutting down. The only way to resolve the critical issue is to cut down cost by moving towards automation. It is even a convenient way to relocate the factory location to low wage country such as Cambodia and Vietnam. The company could save the relocation cost. General Motors, Honda and Volkswagen have been using robotic engineering for some period of times already.

From this article, implication for the manager is to weigh the cost and benefit from robotic automation. The benefits are being the cost saving and reliving the manager from dealing with the tedious issue of human resource policy. The cost to imply the automation is further cutting down the job in the markets which will lead to higher employment rates and worsen the social problem due from unemployment.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-11-29/the-march-of-robots-into-chinese-factories

http://singularityhub.com/2012/11/12/1-million-robots-to-replace-1-million-human-jobs-at-foxconn-   first-robots-have-arrived/

http://www.dailytech.com/Foxconn+Receives+10000+Robots+to+Replace+Human+Factory+Workers+/article29194.htm

http://io9.com/5939931/noodle+shaving-robots-are-replacing-human-cooks-and-look-evil-doing-it

Extra Credit - 3D Printing

Extra Credit Blog – How to Make Almost Anything

What is 3-D printing? It’s an abstract thing to think about given our 2 dimensional views of a “printer”. A 3D printer is essentially a machine that can fabricate “things”. Just as a Xerox copier in your office can print images, text, pictures, etc, a 3D printer can actually create the objects you are viewing in two dimensions into a real life object…an object with shape, texture, height, width and depth…something you can feel with your hand.

The possible uses for this are endless. Can you imagine going to an auto body shop to get some small machined piece of steel replaced and instead of the dealer ordering the part, it is created right then and there? An auto part on-demand…sounds cool doesn’t it? In Japan, you can get an anatomically correct figurine/statue of yourself just by hanging out for 15 minutes while somebody waves a few beams of light over your body to determine your body’s proportions.

The most impressive piece of this article is the analogy of the ribosome to the 3D assembler. A ribosome carries messenger RNA that not only creates the blueprint for additional proteins, but is the additional protein itself.

I got the idea to write this blog after a lecture by my professor, Dr. Troy Voelker. To be honest, I’d never even heard of 3-D printing prior to his mentioning it during his closing lecture for the day. This intrigued me and thus, I wrote this blog.

What implications does this have for the business world? Many. “Digital fabrication will allow individuals to design and produce tangible objects on demand, wherever and whenever they need them. Widespread access to these technologies will challenge traditional models of business, aid, and education.”

I’ll leave you with my favorite passage from the article “After all, the real strength of a fab lab is not technical; it is social. The innovative people that drive a knowledge economy share a common trait: by definition, they are not good at following rules. To be able to invent, people need to question assumptions. They need to study and work in environments where it is safe to do that. Advanced educational and research institutions have room for only a few thousand of those people each. By bringing welcoming environments to innovators wherever they are, this digital revolution will make it possible to harness a larger fraction of the planet's brainpower.”

LINUX on steroids.

 Gershenfeld, Neil, Foreign Affairs, 00157120, Nov/Dec2012, Vol. 91, Issue 6, December 2012

Berman, Bary, Business Horizons; Mar2012, Vol. 55 Issue 2, p155-162, 8p

Reade, Lou. Chemistry & Industry. 4/25/2011, Issue 8, p14-15. 2p.