When it comes to industrial robots worldwide, we cannot ignore the four major families represented by FANUC, KUKA, ABB, and Yaskawa, which also play a significant role in the Asian market, holding over 70% of China’s robot industry market share.
So, what are the characteristics and pros and cons of the products from these four major robot families?
Each of the four families has its strengths in various technical fields. ABB’s core area lies in control systems, KUKA focuses on system integration applications and manufacturing, FANUC specializes in CNC systems, and Yaskawa excels in servo motors and motion controllers.
01Switzerland’s ABBABB is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Its business covers five major areas: power products, discrete automation, motion control, process automation, and low-voltage products, renowned for its power and automation technologies. ABB emphasizes the overall integrity of the robot itself; for its six-axis robots, the single-axis speed may not be the fastest, but the accuracy when all six axes operate together is very high.
Core AreasABB’s core technology is motion control systems, which poses the greatest challenge for the robot itself. Mastering motion control technology allows ABB to easily achieve path accuracy, motion speed, cycle time, and programmability, significantly improving production quality, efficiency, and reliability.Technology: Best Algorithms but Slightly ExpensiveABB started with variable frequency drives; in China, most power stations and variable frequency stations are built by ABB. The biggest challenge for robots is the motion control system, and ABB’s core advantage is in motion control. It can be said that ABB’s robot algorithms are the best among the four major brands, not only providing comprehensive motion control solutions but also having highly professional and specific technical documentation for product usage.It is reported that ABB’s control cabinets come with Robot Studio software, allowing for 3D operation simulation and online functionality. Connections with external devices support various common industrial bus interfaces and can communicate with various brands of welding power supplies, cutting power supplies, and PLCs through labeled input and output interfaces. In addition, ABB’s control cabinets can freely set parameters such as current, voltage, speed, and swing for starting arcs, heating, welding, and ending arcs, allowing for various complex swing trajectories to be achieved.ABB also emphasizes the overall characteristics of the robot, valuing quality while focusing on design, but it is well-known that ABB robots equipped with high-standard control systems are quite expensive. Additionally, many enterprises report that among the four major brands, ABB has the longest delivery times.Domestic Market AnalysisABB adopts a high-profile strategy in China, focusing on cooperation with major Chinese clients. Huawei, Changhong, and Tuosida are leaders in the 3C appliance industry application and integration, serving as benchmarks in the industry, indicating ABB’s high regard for the 3C sector. Future products will integrate more advanced technologies such as intelligence, interconnectivity, and big data. The main body enterprises are beginning to move towards the application end, and their relationship with system integrators will become closer; at the same time, the main body enterprises themselves are also starting to focus on the development of integrated applications.02Germany’s KUKAKUKA was established in 1898 in Augsburg, Germany, initially focusing on indoor and urban lighting, soon branching into other fields.KUKA’s main clients come from the automotive manufacturing sector and also focus on providing advanced automation solutions for industrial production processes, extending into neurosurgery and radiography in hospitals.
Core AreasKUKA robots can be used for material handling, processing, spot welding, and arc welding, involving automation, metal processing, food, and plastics industries.Technology: Easy to Operate but Higher Failure RateThe acquisition of KUKA by Midea has significantly raised KUKA’s profile. If ABB is the Mercedes-Benz of cars, then KUKA is the BMW; although both are high-end cars, BMW has a higher repair rate than Mercedes-Benz.It is reported that compared to ABB, FANUC, and other robots, KUKA robots have a higher return repair rate. Insiders have reported that those who have used KUKA robots experience almost daily failures with one robot.KUKA’s advantage in the domestic market lies in its strong secondary development capabilities, allowing even those with no technical background to operate the robots within a day; the human-machine interface has been simplified to cater to Chinese habits, making it as user-friendly as a game console, whereas Japanese brands often have complex control system keyboards that are more complicated to operate.Notably, KUKA performs well in the heavy-load robot sector, holding a significant market share among robots weighing over 120KG, and KUKA has the highest sales in heavy-load robots weighing 400KG and 600KG.Domestic Market AnalysisKUKA is currently accelerating its localization services in the Chinese market, expanding into new territories in the southwest, and will continue to focus on the automotive equipment sector in the future. The Midea-KUKA acquisition has been recorded in history, significantly impacting the influence and market response of both brands, and the joint effect of Midea and KUKA in the future is also worth looking forward to.03Japan’s FANUCFANUC was founded in 1956, and three years later, it launched its first electro-hydraulic stepping motor. In the 1970s, benefiting from the rapid development of microelectronics, power electronics, and especially computing technology, FANUC decisively abandoned the CNC products that had made it famous and began to transform.In 1976, FANUC successfully developed CNC systems, and later collaborated with Siemens to develop high-level CNC systems, gradually becoming one of the world’s strongest companies in CNC system design and manufacturing.
Core AreasFANUC is a global leader in CNC system production, and its industrial robots are unique compared to other companies in that they feature more convenient process control, smaller base sizes for similar robots, and a unique arm design.Technology: Very High Precision but Poor Overload CapacityFANUC’s research into CNC systems dates back to 1956, with forward-thinking Japanese technology experts anticipating the arrival of the 3C era and forming a research team. The advantages of CNC systems have been applied to robots, with FANUC’s industrial robots achieving high precision; it is reported that the repeat positioning accuracy of FANUC’s multifunctional six-axis small robots can reach ±0.02mm.Additionally, FANUC’s industrial robots are unique compared to other companies in that they provide more convenient process control, smaller base sizes for similar robots, and a unique arm design.Notably, FANUC has also applied the blade compensation function from precision machining of CNC machine tools to robots, embedding the function algorithmically, allowing robots to move inward in circles during precision cutting, whereas Yaskawa’s robots do not possess this function natively and require secondary development for function compensation, which has been cited as inconvenient by some customers.However, FANUC’s stability in robots is not the best; during full-load operation, when the speed reaches 80%, FANUC robots will trigger alarms, indicating that their overload capacity is not very good. Thus, FANUC’s advantages lie in light-load, high-precision applications, which is why their small robots (under 24KG) are popular.Domestic Market AnalysisFANUC’s strategy differs slightly from others, focusing on finding and entering high-demand markets, targeting the rapidly growing Chinese market. In the Chinese market, 55% of FANUC’s industrial robot sales are used in general manufacturing, with the top three industries being home appliances, logistics, and electronics. FANUC is currently the largest robot brand by total market sales, not relying on large customers, and adopting an open market strategy.04Yaskawa ElectricFounded in 1915, Yaskawa is Japan’s largest industrial robot company, headquartered in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture.In 1977, Yaskawa developed Japan’s first fully electric industrial robot using its motion control technology, subsequently developing various automation robots for welding, assembly, painting, and handling, leading the global industrial robot market.
Core AreasYaskawa primarily produces servo and motion controllers, which are key components in manufacturing robots, and has developed various automation robots for welding, assembly, painting, and handling, including core industrial robot products such as spot welding and arc welding robots, painting and handling robots, LCD glass panel transfer robots, and semiconductor chip transfer robots, being one of the earliest vendors to apply industrial robots in semiconductor production.Technology: Good Stability but Slightly Lower PrecisionWith nearly a century of legacy in electrical motor technology, Yaskawa’s AC servos and frequency converters hold the world’s largest market share. As early as 1977, Yaskawa developed Japan’s first fully electric industrial robot.Starting from motors, Yaskawa maximizes the inertia of the motors; thus, the biggest feature of Yaskawa robots is their large load capacity and high stability, which do not trigger alarms during full-load and full-speed operations and can even operate under overload. Therefore, Yaskawa has a relatively large market in heavy-load robot applications, such as the automotive industry.Compared to FANUC robots, Yaskawa robots do not have as high precision, and if customers require higher precision at the same price point, they often choose FANUC robots. However, Yaskawa robots have a clear price advantage, making them the most affordable among the four major brands, with a high cost-performance ratio; for example, Yaskawa’s welding robots, including welding packages, are priced at 130,000 to 140,000 RMB, which is comparatively lower than Panasonic’s welding robots, as Yaskawa follows a mass production strategy.Domestic Market AnalysisIn recent years, Yaskawa has made significant moves in the domestic market: establishing new robot centers, increasing factory investments, and forming joint ventures with Midea, aiming to accelerate localization services. China is a demand-driven market, and Midea, being a home appliance giant, has a huge demand for robots, which can help Yaskawa increase sales.Yaskawa has also been researching service robots, particularly in the medical robot field, but has faced challenges in the Japanese market; the domestic service robot market may bring new growth points. Currently, major robot manufacturers tend to seek partnerships with larger application enterprises, and as market competition intensifies, such strategic collaborations will become more frequent.05ConclusionThe best industrial robots are European products, with KUKA being the top-tier brand.However, after the four major families entered the Asian market, the quality of ABB robots’ localization has declined, while Japan’s Yaskawa and FANUC offer a better cost-performance ratio compared to European and American products, more aligned with the needs of customers in China.Nowadays, robot manufacturers often prefer to partner with well-known automotive brands, such as Volkswagen only using KUKA, General Motors mainly utilizing FANUC, and European brands favoring ABB, which is closely related to the strategic adjustments of the four major families.All four families started from businesses related to the robot industry chain, such as ABB and Yaskawa engaging in power equipment and motor businesses, FANUC researching CNC systems, and KUKA initially dealing with welding equipment. Ultimately, they became globally leading comprehensive industrial automation enterprises by mastering the technology of robots and their core components and committing to research for integrated development.Whether due to historical reasons or cultural influences, we can see different development paths chosen by these four major robot enterprises in response to market changes, and who can go further will ultimately be determined by the market.
Reprinted from：Quality Life Quality Lecture
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