From 8 Workers to 2: How One Motor Factory Automated Its Winding Floor

2026-06-12 · Longjiang Engineering Team

Three years ago, a mid-sized motor factory in Zhejiang had a winding floor that looked like this: 8 workers managing 4 semi-automatic winding machines, plus 2 more on wire arrangement and inspection. Daily output: 300 stators. Yield rate: unpredictable. When orders piled up, overtime ran until 10 PM.

The owner did the math: 8 workers cost nearly $85,000/year in wages and benefits. Machines broke down regularly. Worst of all — during slow seasons you're paying idle workers; during peak seasons you can't find enough people.

Last year they came to us with a clear goal: "Automate my winding floor. Fewer people, more output."

The approach: not a machine swap, a workflow transformation

We didn't just recommend the most expensive equipment. We spent two days on their factory floor, studying their workflow, material flow, and bottlenecks. Then we proposed a three-phase plan:

Phase 1 (immediate): Replace 4 aging semi-auto machines → 2× LJ-7HS dual-station 400 winding machines. Each dual-station matches the output of two old machines. Operators: 8 → 4.

Phase 2 (3 months later): Add auto loading/unloading modules. Machines now pick, clamp, and release automatically. Operators: 4 → 2 — just refilling material feeders and doing walk-around inspections.

Phase 3 (6 months later): Add vision inspection station. Finished stators are automatically photographed and checked for turn count and winding quality. Defective units are flagged and sorted out.

Results after one year

What surprised the owner most: with fewer people, management actually got easier. No more scheduling headaches, no more attendance issues. Two technicians — one day shift, one night shift — and the machines run themselves.

You don't need to automate everything at once

The smart move this customer made: phased rollout. They didn't jump straight to a fully automated line. They automated the core process with minimal investment, proved it worked, then added modules. Lower risk, faster payback.

If your winding floor is still running on manual labor, calculate labor cost as a percentage of total product cost. If it's above 15%, automation is probably worth it.