Motherboard-making magic

Thanks to a recent Slashdot post, I got the heads-up on a comprehensive case study from PCstats on the motherboard fabrication process at Gigabyte. Complete with pictures, it's an interesting read. The manufacturing line is less automated than I expected from my past experiences touring semiconductor fabs and US-based board manufacturing lines; I guess that when salaries are as low as they are in Taiwan, it doesn't make economic sense to install additional, expensive robotic equipment and dictate 100% use of surface-mount components.