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