Samsung to use “smart factories” to replace human labor with high-precision robots

Electronics Manufacturing

Similar to several manufacturers around the world, Samsung relies heavily on low-priced Chinese labor to create its products. This type of precision manufacturing requires complex level tasks typically only accomplished by humans. However with the rise in employee wages, many companies are looking for alternatives to combat rising costs.

Samsung’s New Manufacturing Task

The South Korean government has given Samsung $16.75 million to develop factory robots that can carry out many complex tasks typically reserved for humans. This includes precision speed reducers, motors, controllers, and sensor encoders. The company is expected to complete development by 2018. If successful, the company will provide the blueprint for mass-produced, six-axis vertical articulated robot. The use of robots already accounts for 10% of Chinese manufacturing, but that figure is expected to rise to 20% by 2025.