Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 1729: The Shock Wave of the Future (Third Update, Please Subscribe)

"…The Soviet delegation, represented by Kosygin and Minister of the Automotive Industry Tarasov, is here to discuss the introduction of automotive production equipment and technology. This will be an order worth more than 25 billion yuan…"

25 billion yuan!

Such a huge order naturally attracted the attention of the SEA industry.

As long as they can take this order, all companies can make a lot of money.

Because of this, Kosygin and his team received unprecedented attention - all automobile companies opened their doors to him!
Not only that, they can also visit the most advanced machines in the world.

Standing in the spacious and bright workshop of the automobile manufacturing plant, Kosygin stared at the scene in front of him: the huge robotic arm flexibly shuttled between the frames, welding sparks flew and emitted a dazzling blue light.

The movements of the industrial robot seem mechanical but are very precise. The silver-white car body keeps moving forward as the automatic welding robot welds it. It seems as if all this is a scene from a science fiction movie, making it hard to believe that this is real.

As for Tarasov, the Minister of the Ministry of Automobile Industry, he simply opened his mouth wide. He knew about industrial robots.

The first industrial robot prototype was produced in 100000 and installed in the BMW automobile factory for die-casting and spot welding. Its production cost was 50000 yuan, and the selling price was only yuan - subsidized by the government.

After that, BMW installed another 66 industrial robots, and Wuling also showed interest in them. Subsequently, industrial robots quickly became popular in automobile manufacturing plants in SEA.

But when they designed production lines for automobile factories in the Soviet Union, they excluded industrial robots for a very simple reason - they were restricted by a ban.

"Yes, this is an industrial robot. I am still conducting research in this area."

Tarasov's answer made Kosygin frown slightly. There was a flash of shock in his eyes, but more of a question.

“These robots…are the car bodies they weld really safe?”

Kosygin turned his head and looked at the manager of BMW Automobile Company who was accompanying him with a hint of doubt in his tone.

Zhang Dongjie smiled slightly, his tone relaxed but with a hint of pride:

"Mr. Chairman, in the past few years, all the body welding of every car we have produced has been done by robots. To be honest, if you have seen the white body just coming off the welding line, you may think that this thing does not look very safe. But please rest assured that our robots have been strictly programmed and tested, and the welding accuracy is far superior to manual operation. The quality is absolutely reliable."

People make mistakes, but machines controlled by programs do not make mistakes.

Kosygin nodded, but the doubt in his eyes had not completely disappeared. He continued to ask:

“So, these robots…how many workers’ jobs have they replaced?”

Many people have asked this question. Zhang Dongjie pointed to the few workers in the workshop and said with some emotion:

"There are not as many workers in today's car factories as before. Stamping, welding, painting... these jobs are almost all done by robots. More than a decade ago, it was overcrowded, but now robots are much more efficient than humans, and we only need a few technicians to monitor and maintain them."

Robots replacing workers!
This is exactly why SEA promotes industrial robots, which is to replace part of the manpower and save the use of human resources. After all, to a certain extent, the development of SEA has been restricted by the shortage of labor.

After a moment of silence, Kosygin's eyes swept across the cold mechanical arms and busy robots in the workshop. A complex emotion surged in his heart. As the leader of the Soviet Union, he knew the importance of technological progress, but the scene before him made him feel a little uneasy.

He thought of the factories in the Soviet Union, which were still bustling with people and workers busy on the assembly lines, producing all kinds of machines with their own hands.

And here, industrial robots have replaced humans, at least to some extent.

“Machines replacing humans… is this the choice of capitalism?”

Kosygin whispered to himself, with a hint of worry in his tone.

Sensing his emotions, Zhang Dongjie smiled and added:
"Mr. Chairman, technological progress is irreversible. Robots not only improve production efficiency, but also reduce costs. This is good for both companies and consumers. Our current industrial robot technology is very mature. Relevant companies are developing new types of industrial robots. I believe that industrial robots will play a greater role in future factories."

After SEA invented the industrial robot arm, competition among businesses in SEA continued to generate high demand for industrial robots. This stimulated further research and technological development, with projects such as the development of microprocessors contributing to the advancement of industrial robots.

In the past decade, various types of robots have been invented, from robotic arms with flexible joints to professional robots such as welding and spraying. The application range of industrial robots is getting wider and wider.

Almost everyone believes that industrial robots will replace humans in the future.

Kosygin did not speak. His thoughts had already flown back to the Soviet Union. He thought of the workers who depended on factories for their livelihoods, and the "full employment" policy that the Soviet government had always emphasized. In the Soviet Union, work was not only a means of making a living, but also a manifestation of dignity and value. Here, machines are depriving humans of job opportunities, and may even change the structure of the entire society, and even the world.

“If machines replace humans, then what is the value of workers?”

Kosygin finally spoke, with a hint of doubt in his tone:
"In other words, when machines replace humans, how should humans make a living? Manager Zhang, its use has caused many people to become unemployed! So how will you overcome unemployment in the future?"

After a moment's pause, Zhang Dongjie seemed not to have expected Kosygin to ask this question.

He thought for a moment and replied:

"Technological progress does bring some challenges, but it is also an inevitable trend of social development, just like the emergence of the spinning jenny, which caused a large number of spinners to lose their jobs, but people eventually adapted to it. I believe that as society develops, new jobs will emerge while robots replace old ones."

After a little reflection, Zhang Dongjie added:

"The reason why we study industrial robots is to make workers' work easier!"

Kosygin nodded, but he knew that the Soviet Union was fundamentally different from these capitalist countries. In the Soviet Union, the goal of technological progress was to benefit all the people, not to benefit a few. Here, the popularization of machines seemed to be exacerbating social divisions.

He even sees that in the future, with the popularization of these industrial robots, the Western world will inevitably fall into a situation of high unemployment. At that time, what will be waiting for the Western world?
Is it just high unemployment?

Of course this is impossible. For the Western world, high unemployment rates will inevitably bring about social unrest, just like the Great Depression, with unemployed workers everywhere.

At the same time, those greedy capitalists will continue to research industrial robots and respect industrial robots replacing workers the most. After all, compared with workers, industrial robots are cheap.

This has led to a vicious cycle - as industrial robots become more and more advanced, they will replace more and more workers, and at the same time more and more workers will become unemployed.

What will those workers do when their jobs are replaced by industrial robots?
They will roar and take to the streets, venting their inner dissatisfaction in various ways.
By that time, the entire Western world will not only face social unrest, but also the unemployed workers will overturn everything like a tsunami.

“Is this the future?”

Looking at the industrial robots in front of him and the scene of their robotic arms working there, Kosygin seemed to see the future - a future in which the capitalist world was completely buried.

That future is not about being defeated by others, but by science because they are constantly replacing humans with machines.

And the angry workers will turn into a tsunami and swallow everything.

“Perhaps, we need to rethink the meaning of technology.”

Kosygin whispered, his eyes once again turning to the industrial robots welding on both sides of the production line.

He had already made up his mind: after returning to the Soviet Union, he must discuss this issue with his friends. Technological progress is important, but it must not be at the expense of the interests of workers.

Of course, on the other hand, Kosygin was also very clear that industrial robots were the future development direction.

Just like a car manufacturing plant like this, it can produce millions of cars every year, but the number of workers is very limited.

The limited number of workers means that their production costs are lower, which is why SEA cars have become popular around the world.

How do you balance all this?

Compared to Kosygin's inner worries, Tarasov, the Minister of the Ministry of Automobile Industry, looked at the industrial robot arms waving in the air, and in the flash of welding he seemed to see another scene - tanks!
If such industrial robots could be used in tank production, the Soviet Union's tank production would surely develop by leaps and bounds.

By then, the Soviet Union could even manufacture tanks like it manufactured cars, in quantities of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands.

Just thinking about it made me feel excited.

During this visit, everyone had different thoughts. Some people were worried about the future, while others were imagining the future.

But they were all stunned by this factory that seemed like something out of a science fiction movie. After all, what they saw was the future.

(End of this chapter)