During the Industrial Revolution, menial and repetitive tasks were automated. Humans remained indispensable for most of the work, but this left many to wonder if it was just because the tech was not advanced enough to replace them. With the current surge in technology, the question has re-opened.
On the one hand, technology now allows us to automate tasks with precision impossible for humans, like with surgical robots. However, the other hand shows that more jobs are being lost to AI. It seems that, instead of the robots filling the gaps of humans, it has become the other way around. In the case of Xiaomi Smart Factory, humans are not even filling any gaps as the factory can operate without any human involvement.
Automatic and Intelligent.
Xiaomi Smart Factory is our next big try to boost the efficiency of manufacturing. #From10ToInfinity pic.twitter.com/Y7cz7v4ZlJ
— Xiaomi (@Xiaomi) August 11, 2020
Where is everyone?
A factory with no lights and no people. This is how the Xiaomi Smart Factory was announced back in 2020. Fast forward to today, and it’s working already, as announced personally by CEO Lei Jun on his socials. In the short video that followed his X post, the CEO explained that most of the machines were designed and developed by Xiaomi directly. While everything is automatic, there is a control room from which you can look at an overview of the factory’s operations. You can even view the real-time content of each individual machine.
The next-generation Xiaomi Smart Factory in Changping, Beijing is now in operation. We've invested RMB2.4 billion into this 81,000sqm facility, capable of producing 10 million flagship phones a year. This is also where the new Xiaomi MIX Fold 4 and MIX Flip will be manufactured.… pic.twitter.com/oPcjpGbFNf
— Lei Jun (@leijun) July 8, 2024
More details were provided on July 19 during a dedicated section of the Lei Jun Annual Speech 2024. It was revealed that it took seven years to achieve full 100% automation. It is understandable given the amount of machinery and resources needed to make smartphones. Back in 2019, Xiaomi opened another automated factory in Yizhuang. Besides not reaching the 100% automation mark, it only produced a million smartphones per year. This new Xiaomi Smart Factory is projected to reach 10 million units per year.
The future of human employment
The Xiaomi Smart Factory raises valid concerns regarding job displacement. Despite that possible future, it is nevertheless a technological marvel by itself and we should celebrate the humans that made it possible. Not only did people design, develop, and will likely keep maintaining the smart factory, but they did the same for the phones produced in it.
When you think about it, smart factories might not be anything different than another iteration of the Industrial Revolution. It is my firm belief that, if smart factories such as the Xiaomi Smart Factory become a norm, we would simply adapt. I think the future will also bring and create new opportunities around them. After all, we are the ones who shape it, and that cannot be automated.
YouTube: Xiaomi Smart Factory: The Futuristic Factory
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Photo credit: The feature image is symbolic and has been taken by Ron Lach.
Source: Mary Whitfill Roeloffs (Forbes)
