Chinese factories upgrade to stay competitive globally

"And to see these companies go from low-cost to highly innovative manufacturers in the space of under a decade is quite remarkable, and I think you'll see more of that to come," Watts said.

Rockwell Automation has also worked with Chinese companies that are going global. It recently assisted Giti Tire from Fujian province to meet safety standards at its new plant in South Carolina, and helped Giti put in information systems so that in China it can keep track of its overseas factories.

"The manufacturing industry in the US is highly developed. We can't fall behind," said Fan Shouyun, vice-general manager of Giti Tire, at the automation fair. Giti Tire has been gradually updating its five plants in China.

O'Reilly said it's easier for Chinese manufactures to update their systems in comparison to many Western plants, which are 30 or 50 years old. "Plants in China are relatively new, so their infrastructure is contemporary," he said. "They'll catch up very fast, and in fact, in some areas they may be ahead."

"The more technologies you use, the more you want. It's addictive," said Chen of Intco Medical. "Hopefully, soon I will be able to visualize all of our production lines on my iPad, and I will have control anytime, anywhere."