Local authorities in Shunde plan to build an industrial robot park and establish a research institute. "These companies will create new jobs for workers," Xie said.

LiuMei, an official from the training and employment department of Foshan human resources and social security authority, echoed those views. Training courses in technology will be available to workers and this will equip them with the skills they require in this brave, new automated world.

"Moreover, the booming tertiary education industry will provide more jobs for workers, who were previously on production lines," Liu said.

GMCC, one of the world's leading compressor suppliers, has retrained employees from the production line and turned them into technicians, overseeing the automated systems.

"We are providing training and relevant academic courses for our workers," LiuYinhu, deputy general manager of GMCC, said. "We will guarantee new jobs to those who are qualified after training."

The Shunde-based company manufactures one-third of the world's compressors and employs more than 3,000 workers. Since 2013, GMCC has imported 112 industrial robots from Japan and Germany. "Along with business expansion, it is very important to introduce smart equipment," Liu said.