A large majority of vehicle manufacturers might disappear within two decades as humanoid robots become increasingly common in manufacturing, a Taiwanese company head said yesterday.
Peter Chen (陳其宏), chairman and CEO of Qisda Corp (佳世達), a technology manufacturer engaged in artificial intelligence (AI) of things applications, made the remark at a forum in Tainan.
Humanoid robots are expected to be used first in smart manufacturing, which relies on massive data, algorithms and computing power, he said.
Photo: CNA
Smart manufacturing builds on conventional automation, which remains the dominant production model in most factories today, by embedding AI, sensors, big data and connectivity to make the entire production process data-driven, adaptive and self-optimizing.
Deploying humanoid robots in smart manufacturing can help solve issues employers have such as employee morale, overtime and labor unions, Chen said.
Qisda has moved its most advanced production lines to Vietnam as a way of extending its lead over competitors, Chen said.
However, Qisda’s decision to invest in Vietnam was not based solely on labor costs, since the cost of AI technologies rises by about 15 percent annually, he added.
He said that the vehicle industry would be among the sectors most affected by the growing use of humanoid robots, leading to the disappearance of most car brands within 10 to 20 years.
Chen said those automakers in danger could include ones such as Mercedes-Benz AG, whose production he described as “still driven by traditional concepts.”
At the forum, Chen showed footage of Tesla Inc’s largely human-free manufacturing process, saying it gives the US automaker an edge in production efficiency.
Late last month, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), the world’s largest electronics and AI server manufacturer, announced plans to deploy humanoid robots on its production lines in Texas.
Speaking at the forum were Mirle Automation Corp (盟立) chairman Sun Houng (孫弘) and Delta Electronics Inc (台達電) vice president for motion control business David Tsai (蔡清雄).
Sun said the transition from automation to smart manufacturing is an inevitable trend, while Tsai stressed that identifying a company’s challenges and needs is key to digital transformation.
Delta Electronics began its transformation in 2015 to address labor shortages in China and established a demonstration production line in 2018, Tsai said.
Through standardization, automation, digitalization and intelligentization, the company increased per-capita production-line efficiency by a factor of three to five, boosted overall capacity by 70 percent and reduced factory floor space by 35 percent, Tsai said.
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