Industrial Robots
(Industrial robots)
Also known as industrial robots, are a type ofautomatically controlled, reprogrammable, multifunctional, multi-degree-of-freedom manipulator, mainly used toreplace manual labor in flexible production processes, such as handling materials, parts, or tools to complete various tasks.
Classification of Industrial Robots by Function
Handling Robots:Handling robots, palletizing robots, sorting robots
Processing Robots:Forging robots, stamping robots,cutting robots, precision machining
Assembly Robots:Packaging robots, disassembly robots
Spraying robots, etc.
Upstream of the Industrial Chain
Basic raw materials and core components: reducers, sensors, servo motors, power supplies, controllers, software systems, actuators, machine vision, etc.
Among them, RV reducers and harmonic reducers have high technical difficulty and low domestic production rates.
Representative Enterprises
Key Raw Materials:
Metal Materials:
CITIC Pacific Special Steel
Baowu
Lightweight Materials:
Nanshan Aluminum
Kingfa Technology
Auxiliary Materials:
Zhongding Co., Ltd.
Mobil
Component Manufacturing:
Gears:
SAGW
Shuanghuan Transmission
Bearing:
Xiangyang Bearing
Wuzhou Xinchun
Midstream of the Industrial Chain
Manufacturing of Industrial Robot Complete Machines
The midstream is the manufacturing of the body, withFANUC, ABB, KUKA, and Yaskawa representingthe “Four Major Families” occupying50% of the global market share.Domestic companies like Estun and Efort are rising, but the high-end market is still dominated by foreign capital.
Representative Enterprises
Precision Reducers:
RV Reducers:
Zhongdali De
Qinchuan Machine Tool
Harmonic Reducers:
Green Harmonic
Laifu Harmonic
General Reducers:
Gear Reducers:
Guomao Reducer
Ningbo Dongli
Planetary Reducers:
Zhongdali De
Guomao Reducer
Precision Gearboxes:
Shuanghuan Transmission
Ningbo Dongli
Downstream of the Industrial Chain
Industrial Robot System Integration and Applications: Metal processing, food and beverage, home appliances, chemicals, 3C electronics, machinery, automotive, aerospace, etc.
Downstream applications are extensive,with automotive manufacturing accounting for35%,3C electronics accounting for25%, and lithium battery/photovoltaics growing the fastestat 20%.Ningde Times’ “Dark Factory”achieves 100% automation,and BYD widely applies robot clusters in integrated die-casting operations.
Representative Enterprises
Industrial Robots:
Estun
New Times
Jieka
Humanoid Robots:
Tesla
Automobiles:
BYD
NIO
Great Wall Motors
Global Distribution Pattern
Japan
Japan is one of the birthplaces of industrial robots,FANUC is located in Tokyo, and Yaskawa is in Kitakyushu. Japanese companies occupy an important position in the global market due tohigh-precision component manufacturing and advanced technology.
Europe
ABB’s headquarters in Europe is in Switzerland,KUKA is in Germany. European companies excel inhigh-end manufacturing and system integration, with products widely used in automotive, aerospace, and other fields, significantly impacting the development of global industrial automation.
China
The industrial robot industry in China is developing rapidly,Estun is located in Nanjing,Efort is in Wuhu.Chinese companies are gradually gaining an advantage in the mid-to-low-end market while advancing into the high-end market, with domestic production rates continuously improving.
Regional Clusters in China
Yangtze River Delta
The Yangtze River Delta, centered around Shanghai and Suzhou,is home to companies like Estun and Jieka robots.
This region has a developed automotive industry and many foreign enterprises, providing a broad market and advanced technology exchange platform for the industrial robot industry.
Pearl River Delta
The Pearl River Delta, centered around Shenzhen and Dongguan,has seen the rise of companies like Dazhong Robot and Li Qun Automation.
This region has a developed consumer electronics industry, with industrial robots widely applied in electronic supporting fields and an efficient supply chain.
Midwest
The Midwest, centered around Chongqing and Wuhan,has companies like Huashu Robot and New Times.
This region has significant cost advantages and actively undertakes industrial transfers from the east, with enormous development potential.
Main Core Components
Status of Domestic Production
Reducer Localization
In 2023, the localization rate of reducersis about 30%,with companies like Nantong Zhenkang and Shuanghuan Transmission achieving breakthroughs in the RV reducer field, but high-end products still rely on imports, with significant space for domestic substitution.
Servo Motor Localization
The localization rate of servo systemsis about 40%,with companies like Huichuan Technology occupying a certain market share domestically, but there is still a gap in precision and stability compared to international advanced levels.
Controller Localization
The localization rate of controllersis about 35%,with companies like Estun making progress in controller R&D and production, but the high-end market is still occupied by foreign brands, and domestic substitution needs to accelerate.
Value of the Industrial Chain
Core Components (Cost Proportion %)
Image Source: Lenovo
Reducer System 36%
(The phenomenon of technological monopoly is most evident, with the highest cost proportion)
Servo System 24%
(High product integration)
Controller System 12%
(The distribution of industrial chain value is uneven)
Total 72%
(The cost proportion of the three core components)
Other Links 28%
(Such as: robot body manufacturing, system integration, etc.)
Total Cost Composition 100%
Domestic Reducer Market Size
According to data from market research institutions,the global reducer market size in 2024is expected to be about 50 billion USD,with a year-on-year growth of about 6%,domestic companies dominate the market.In 2024, the size of the Chinese reducer market is expected to be about 144.8 billion RMB (approximately 20 billion USD),accounting for more than 30% of the global market.In 2025, the size of the Chinese reducer market is expected to exceed 150 billion RMB (approximately 22 billion USD), with a year-on-year growth of over 10%.
Leading Foreign Enterprises
International giant Nabtesco (Japan) occupies 60% of the RV reducer market,while Harmonic Drive (Germany) leads the harmonic reducer market, with a market share of over 25%. In addition,Germany’s Neugartis technically leading in the planetary reducer field,and Seiko’sgeneral reducer products cover multiple industries.
The working principle of Harmonic Drive’s precision planetary gearbox reducer
Leading Domestic Enterprises
Listed companies in the domestic reducer market includeKongli Technology, Fengli Intelligent, Zhongdali De, and others23 companies, among whichGreen Harmonic and Shuanghuan Transmission are two representative enterprises.
Shuanghuan Transmission focuses on the manufacturing of gear transmission products, with its main products currently being passenger car gears, commercial vehicle gears, engineering machinery gears, motorcycle gears, electric tool gears, reducers, and other products.From 2019 to 2022, the company’s revenue from reducers and other businesses showed a continuous upward trend, with a year-on-year increase of 66.35% in the first half of 2023, reaching 316 million RMB.
Image Source: Shuanghuan Transmission
Green Harmonic is a high-tech enterprise specializing in the R&D, design, production, and sales of precision transmission devices, including harmonic reducers and precision components, mechatronic actuators, micro-hydraulic servo devices, and intelligent automation equipment. The company’s products are widely used in high-end manufacturing fields such as industrial robots, service robots, CNC machine tools, medical devices, semiconductor production equipment, and new energy equipment,with Green Harmonic’s revenue in 2023 reaching 356 million RMB.
Image Source: Green Harmonic
High-end components such as RV reducers and high-end encoders still rely on Japanese companies like Harmonic Drive and Tamagawa, and technological blockades and import restrictions pose certain obstacles to the development of domestic industries.
Domestic enterprises lag behind international advanced companies in R&D investment and innovation capabilities, with weak basic research and a lack of core technology patents, affecting the pace of localization.
Application Field Proportions
Automobile Manufacturing
In 2023, the application of industrial robots in the automobile manufacturing sectoraccounts for 35%,making it the largest application field.Automobile manufacturing has high requirements for the precision, stability, and reliability of robots, with industrial robots widely used in welding, spraying, assembly, and other processes.
3C Electronics
The application in the 3C electronics fieldaccounts for 25%, with rapid updates in consumer electronics,industrial robots playing an important role in electronic assembly, testing, etc., improving production efficiency and product quality.
Lithium Battery/Photovoltaics
The application in the lithium battery/photovoltaics fieldaccounts for 20%,growing the fastest. The rapid development of the new energy industry has led to widespread application of industrial robots in battery production, photovoltaic component manufacturing, etc., assisting in industrial upgrades.
Typical Case Analysis
Ningde Times’ “Dark Factory”
Ningde Times’ “Dark Factory”achieves 100% automation, with industrial robots widely applied in all aspects of battery production,improving production efficiency and product quality, becoming an industry benchmark.
BYD Integrated Die-Casting
BYDuses robot clusters for integrated die-casting operations,significantly improving production efficiency and product consistency, reducing production costs, and promoting innovation in automotive manufacturing processes.
A list of publicly listed companies related to industrial robots in China (partial)
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