Robot company benefits from labor shortage Updated: 2011-09-14 14:24 By Wu Yong and Liu Ce (chinadaily.com.cn)

The ongoing migrant worker shortage is a nightmare for most low-value and labor-intensive factories around southeastern China, but is a historical chance for Siasun, a northeastern based robot company.

Siasun is a leading industrial robot company that specializes in four areas, namely advanced manufacturing equipment, rail transit automation, energy equipment and advanced robot industry.

"I have got hundreds of calls from traditional factories who show great interests in our products," said Xiao Ming, who is in charge of the market exploration of Siasun.

Potential clients include a clothing factory, shoe maker and electrics producer. He declined to provide the companies' names.

Xiao is backed by the half-year report of Siasun. According to the report, the revenue reaches 361 million yuan, up 52 percent from the previous year. And the profit before tax is 59.03 million yuan, which increased by 53.86 percent.

Experts close to the robot industry spoke highly of Siasun's performance and said this heralded the end of the low-cost manufacturing model and the automation push of Made-in-China.

The most powerful proof is that Foxconn, the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer by revenue, planed to have as many robots as workers in its China factories within three years, according to FT's report.

Experts said that the driving force behind all this change is the ever-increasing salary. A technician worker costs around 4,000 yuan per month, while the price for an industrial robot is around 200,000 yuan, a source close to market said.

"But robots never complain and ask for salary-increasing. You can profit in five years. It is the trend that robots take some mechanic work position," Xiao said.

"This is a unique chance for company like Siasun, who will enjoy explosive growth in the coming years because of the labor shortage," said Liang Qidong, scholar from Liaoning Social Science Academy.