That is a misconception. Anyone with first hand knowledge of manufacturing knows how high tech it is. My cousin has worked in an assembly line manufacturing cell phones. (mechanical engineering degree with concentration in HVAC from a top university too, so I also disagree with those who say a bachelors means anything)
There is no such thing as purely manual manufacturing anymore except in final assembly. Everything is, to a degree, automated. Otherwise it's not possible to compete. Even most assembly line tasks are automated, in that the raw materials are input automatically, the line moves automatically, and the final products are automatically packaged. No one sits around, makes a box, and puts iphones into it. It's automatic; only small, extremely precise steps such as actually assembling the parts for an iphone which robots do too expensively or are not even capable of doing, are given to humans.
Let's take making a toy as an example. How do you make a toy? modern toys are solid plastic. No one carves plastic. Instead, liquid polymer is extruded into a mold, controlled by a computer, and carefully shaped. Prerequisite technology? Chemical knowledge of polymer reactions, maintaining polymers in liquid/solution form, design of extrusion mechanism, design of computer software to control the extrusion mechanism.
Evidence: Africans make 1/10th of what Chinese make. Why is Africa not a manufacturing center? Indians make 1/3rd of what Chinese make, why is India not a manufacturing center? There's lots of countries that have lower GDP/capita than China, why are they not all manufacturing centers if manufacturing is so low tech and anyone can do it?
Conclusion: no one else can substitute China's unique combination of competitive wages, high tech manufacturing, and the infrastructure to transport goods to market on time. For your manufacturing needs, please contact a qualified Chinese contractor.
Also, a misconception is that foreign companies actually OWN the factories that produce goods. They do not. It is far cheaper to contract manufacturing out to Chinese companies that specialize in manufacturing (who may manufacture simultaneously for many different, often competing companies). The goods are designed in the US, but the process design is in China. The goods (sometimes identical) would then be labeled with the Western logo, and then shipped out. It is far more expensive to lease the land and open a factory, which may lead to overproduction. Contract manufacturing moves the risk of manufacturing to another company while keeping the profits for yourself.
This reduces profits for Chinese companies but importantly, does not leave them at the mercy of Westerners, which could otherwise close factories at will.
Go to anywhere around Shenzhen, you'll see lots of these no name companies that actually manufacture everything.
