Robots Replace Human Workers in Eastern Europe

plastic 塑料的

disappear消失

remain保持

wage工资

Istman Simon's factory in western Hungary produces more than one million plastic parts every day. But on a busy morning in one of its large production areas, there is only the sound of machines.

Workers have all but disappeared.

Similar changes are taking place on production lines across Eastern Europe. Rising wages for workers are in conflict with the area's image as a low-cost production base. So factory owners from Hungary to the Czech Republic and Poland find themselves with little choice but to invest in machinery if they want to remain competitive.

Manufacturing in the area has increased since the European Union expanded eastwards in the 2000s. Since then, companies such as carmakers Audi and Daimler have opened local production lines and the number of parts suppliers has grown. But more recently strong economic growth has led to rising wages and a shortage of workers.

新闻来源：路透社