Industrial robots are hailed as the “jewel at the top of the manufacturing crown.” As a major manufacturing country, China’s demand for industrial robots is extremely strong, making it the world’s largest industrial robot market for 11 consecutive years. This article will analyze the market size, regional distribution, and some representative enterprises of China’s industrial robots for reference.
Overview of the Industrial Robot Industry ChainThe industrial robot industry chain consists of three parts: upstream, midstream, and downstream. The upstream includes core components such as controllers, servo motors, and reducers; the midstream includes the robots themselves, such as articulated robots, SCARA robots, and Cartesian robots; the downstream includes integrated applications and end applications, including system integration and end applications.
Production and Company Registration Overview of China’s Industrial RobotsIn 2022, China’s industrial robot sales accounted for more than half of the global market, maintaining the world’s top position for ten consecutive years. In the first half of 2023, China’s industrial robot production reached 222,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 5.4%. In 2022, the registration of industrial robots surged, with the number of related companies exceeding 70,000 for the first time. The latest data shows that from January to October 2023, 76,667 new companies were registered, reflecting a rapid growth rate.
Regional Distribution of the Industrial Robot IndustryThe listed companies in China’s industrial robot sector are mainly distributed in Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Zhejiang. Guangdong’s robot industry shows a strong development momentum, ranking first in the country, and is home to well-known companies such as Tuosida, Inovance Technology, Ruisheng Technology, Changying Precision, and Han’s Laser. Jiangsu gathers renowned companies like Estun, Keyuan, and Green Harmonic, while Zhejiang is home to Shuanghuan Transmission, Aisida, and Qianjiang.Representative Companies in the Industrial Robot Industry Chain
Most companies in China’s industrial robot industry chain are involved in both upstream and downstream. Upstream representative companies include Qinchuan Machine Tool, Inovance Technology, and New Times; midstream representatives include Estun, Keda Intelligent, and Effort; downstream representatives include New Times, Effort, and Boshi.
Introduction to Key CompaniesEstunAs a pioneer in the field of AC servo and motion control in China, Estun has built a complete solution for motion control, with a product range covering: information layer—control layer—drive layer—execution layer. Its rich product portfolio includes high-precision multi-axis motion controllers, 50W-200kW AC servo systems, variable frequency drives, PLCs, touch screens, machine vision, and sensors. Estun collaborates with a global team to create one of the world’s top ten motion control brands—TRIO (Trio). Estun adheres to the ALL Made by ESTUN strategy and insists on system-level forward research and development, achieving over 95% localization rate for core robot components. It has a full range of products covering loads from 3 to 700kg, with 76 models of industrial robots. In the Chinese market, Estun’s robot shipments have ranked first among domestic brands for many years, collaborating with industry-leading brands in various sectors, including automotive, photovoltaic, lithium batteries, metal processing, electronics manufacturing, building materials, logistics packaging, food and beverages, rail transit, construction machinery, special vehicles, marine engineering, and aerospace to create benchmark smart manufacturing production lines and factories. Notably, Estun’s “photovoltaic layout robot” won the 2023 National Single Champion honor.New TimesNew Times focuses on motion control technology, specializing in servo drives, variable frequency speed regulation, robots, and industrial controllers, developing digitalization and intelligence to provide customers with high-quality comprehensive solutions for intelligent manufacturing. New Times’ products and solutions are widely applied in sectors such as 3C electronics, lithium batteries, semiconductors, photovoltaics, logistics, food and beverage, medical, automotive, dispensing, laser, machine tools, elevators, pumps, HVAC, rubber and plastics, general energy-saving, engineering machinery, metal products, chemical products, and furniture, serving over 110 countries and regions globally. New Times emphasizes research and development, establishing R&D centers in Shanghai, Shenzhen, Xi’an, Hangzhou, Germany, and Japan, with a postdoctoral research workstation and a technical center laboratory accredited by the national CNAS. New Times has participated in the formulation and revision of over 40 national and industry technical standards. As of mid-2023, New Times has obtained 840 national authorized patents, including 343 invention patents and 277 software copyrights.Inovance TechnologyInovance Technology focuses on automation, digitalization, and intelligence in the industrial sector, specializing in core technologies of “information layer, control layer, drive layer, execution layer, and sensing layer,” concentrating on the R&D, production, and sales of industrial automation control products, positioning itself to serve high-end equipment manufacturers. Based on its proprietary industrial automation control technology, it aims to quickly provide personalized solutions to customers, continuously striving to advance industrial civilization with leading technology, and quickly offering smarter, more precise, and cutting-edge comprehensive products and solutions, making it a leader and publicly listed company in the domestic industrial automation control field, ranking 42nd in the “2022 Hurun China 500 Private Enterprises.” Inovance Technology has over 30 subsidiaries in Suzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Ningbo, Changchun, Hong Kong, and other locations.EffortEffort is a high-tech company focused on the industrial robot industry. Based on the R&D and manufacturing of general-purpose robots, Effort provides solutions in various application fields such as spraying, welding, stacking, handling, and loading/unloading, widely used in automotive and automotive parts, 3C electronics, photovoltaics, lithium batteries, metal products, furniture, home appliances, food and beverages, and many other industries. Effort’s robots and solutions are distributed nationwide and exported to multiple countries and regions in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.KailidaKailida focuses on the fields of industrial robots and industrial welding equipment, integrating independent R&D, design, production and sales, system integration, and technical services as a listed enterprise on the Sci-Tech Innovation Board. The company’s products are widely used in industries such as vehicles, ships, rail transit, construction machinery, petrochemicals, metal furniture, hardware products, medical devices, and fitness equipment. Kailida has outstanding technological innovation capabilities in the fields of industrial robots and industrial welding, developing rapidly. It has established provincial-level R&D institutions such as the “Kailida Robot Provincial Key Enterprise Research Institute” and the “Kailida Digital Intelligent Welding Technology Provincial High-tech Enterprise R&D Center,” leading several provincial and municipal key R&D projects including “Research and Industrialization of Arc Welding Robots,” “Key Technologies and Process Research of Robot Laser 3D Welding and Cutting Systems,” and “Research and Development of Fully Digital Controlled Gas Shielded Welding Machines with Droplet Flexible Transition.” After years of technological accumulation, Kailida has formed a complete set of technologies for welding robot applications and industrial welding equipment centered on industrial robot technology and industrial welding technology, with over 100 patents granted.