【193】Traditional Injection Molding Relies on Manual Labor – Fengchuang‘s Robotic Arms Double Efficiency

【193】Traditional Injection Molding Relies on Manual Labor – Fengchuang‘s Robotic Arms Double Efficiency

Keywords: Industry 4.0 Robotic Arm Automation Fengchuang Plastics

Boss Zhang runs an injection molding factory in Huizhou. For fifteen years, his operations have relied on manual part removal, manual trimming, and manual stacking. In recent years, workers have become increasingly hard to find, and young people refuse to do tedious, repetitive jobs. Zhang’s factory has 20 injection molding machines, requiring 25 operators per shift – 50 people across day and night shifts. But actual attendance often falls to just 30-something. When short-handed, Zhang himself has to jump on the machines.

Zhang considered automation but didn’t know where to start. A long-time customer introduced him to Fengchuang Plastics, saying, “Go see how they do it. They run 20 machines with only six technicians.” Skeptical but curious, Zhang paid a visit. When he arrived at Fengchuang’s workshop, he stood at the entrance and watched for a long time. Twenty injection molding machines stood in neat rows. Beside each machine, a robotic arm performed part removal, trimming, positioning, and palletizing – all automatically. The workshop was quiet and orderly, with just a few technicians in blue uniforms walking the floor.

Fengchuang’s general manager received him and said, “We started pushing automation five years ago, for the exact same reason you’re struggling with – can’t find people, can’t keep them. Now we have 50 injection molding machines, and we need only 12 operators – each managing four machines. A comparable traditional shop would need 80 to 100 operators.”

Back at his own factory, Zhang ran the numbers. Converting his shop to the level of automation he saw at Fengchuang would require about ¥3 million in equipment investment – but it would save ¥1.5 million per year in labor costs, paying back in just two years. He gritted his teeth and began the upgrade in stages. In the first phase, he automated four machines. After the robotic arms went online, those four machines produced 15% more output than they had with eight people working on them. Watching the robotic arms work steadily, Zhang said with emotion, “If I had known automation worked this well, I would have done it ten years ago.”

Today, Zhang’s factory has completed its full transformation. Twenty machines now run with only eight technicians, and both production efficiency and product consistency have improved dramatically. He tells everyone he meets, “Industry 4.0 isn’t just for big corporations. Small factories like mine can use it too. Just look at Fengchuang.”

Traditional injection molding plagued by high labor costs and recruiting difficulties? Fengchuang’s Industry 4.0 automated lines and robotic arms double efficiency while cutting headcount in half.