JD.com warehouse employs four people to fulfil 200,000 packages a day

It could be interpreted as ironic that China – whose export-orientated economy was built on its vast and under-employed labour force – is one of leading countries in the adoption of automation and robotics in its manufacturing and warehousing sectors; or it could simply be a sign of the demographic process under way there, with a rapidly ageing population. Either way, the most recent investment by Chinese e-commerce platform JD.com in a new highly automated facility outside of Shanghai is ...