[Air-L] New article on connected manufacturing in Shenzhen

[An Xiao Mina]

Hi all,

I've published a new piece with Fusion based on interviews with Shenzhen
researchers like Silvia Lindtner, David Li and Luisa Mengioni:

Surprisingly, China’s manufacturing productivity has historically been
lower than most developed countries. A 2013 report by McKinsey noted that
US labor productivity in manufacturing and communications technology was
10-12 times greater than that of China. As the report argued, much of the
inefficiency could be attributed to how Chinese companies were slow in
digitizing their production practices.

But that’s changing. Digital platforms like WeChat, Taobao and Amazon have
multiplied production and marketing efficiency for big and small players
alike. “You can buy everything for do-it-yourself work online,” explained
Doris Wang, who co-founded Barcamp in Guangzhou. “Leather for you to make a
bag, sensors for you to make your bot, et cetera.”

http://fusion.net/story/338939/created-in-china-shenzhen-hardware-startups/


Thought and feedback very much welcome - this is an ongoing interest of
mine, and I'll likely be doing more writing in the future.


An