The development of industrial robotics is intricately linked to the entire manufacturing supply chain. While the United States is the birthplace of industrial robots, over time, as statistics from its states show, the highest employment sector has evolved from manufacturing to health care and social assistance. Consequently, the U.S. industrial robot本体 industry failed to expand significantly and was overtaken by Japan in the 1980s, with the latter becoming the “Robot Kingdom.” Reflecting on the past to understand the present, it is believed that the immense demand for transformation and upgrading in China’s manufacturing sector today will inject strong momentum into the rise of the China robot industry.
China’s cultivation of its robot industry must draw lessons from the experiences of the “Big Four” (ABB Group of Switzerland, KUKA of Germany, Yaskawa Electric of Japan, and FANUC of Japan) while also integrating with the realistic landscape of domestic and global manufacturing and incorporating new thinking with Chinese characteristics. To this end, several growth models for the China robot industry have been summarized.
1. Growth Models of the China Robot Industry
The evolution of the China robot industry can be categorized into distinct models, each contributing to the sector’s development.
- Gene Inheritance Type
The “Big Four” as pioneers of industrial robots offer an启示: manufacturing基因 is fertile ground for nurturing robot enterprises. In fact, China also has similar cases. Early examples include Shanghai STEP Electric Corporation (STEP) and Nanjing Estun Automation Co., Ltd. (Estun). Following the release of the “Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Development of the Industrial Robot Industry” and the “Robot Industry Development Plan (2016-2020),” companies like Foxconn Technology Group and Gree Electric Appliances Inc. of Zhuhai have joined. Before entering the robot field, these enterprises were large in scale, robust in strength, and had accumulated rich experience in manufacturing. Particularly Foxconn and Gree, with their strong determination, substantial investment, extensive experience, and rapid growth, have fully leveraged latecomer advantages, injecting vitality into the entire China robot industry chain. The strategic logic of the “Big Four” growth model is: first implement internal sales, achieving large-scale application within the parent company, then digest robot technology internally,分摊 development costs, improve quality and reliability, and gradually expand external sales. This type of robot company often has more sustainable development potential and a higher ceiling. - Research Institute Innovation Transformation Type
This refers to a model that relies on independently developed robot technology, which then grows into a robot host product supplier. Due to historical reasons, Chinese universities and research institutes have characteristics such as high intellectual density, sensitivity to new technologies, and strong innovation and R&D capabilities. Therefore, China’s early industrial robot R&D基本上 started from universities and research institutes, some of which later transformed into robot enterprises. These robot companies are not born from a parent company and do not possess inherent manufacturing基因, but by pooling years of achievements, they can independently develop robot products with intellectual property rights, growing into innovation-driven growth enterprises. Examples include Shenzhen DJI Innovations Technology Co., Ltd. (DJI), Shenyang SIASUN Robot & Automation Co., Ltd. (SIASUN), Guangzhou CNC Equipment Co., Ltd. (Guangzhou CNC), and Harbin Boshi Automation Co., Ltd. (Harbin Boshi). Among them, DJI, as a banner of innovation-driven growth companies, was founded in 2006 by three graduates of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and grew into an internationally recognized drone giant in over a decade. Of course, there are similar models of robot enterprises abroad, such as Boston Dynamics, but they are not typical cases of industrial robot industrialization. The aforementioned enterprises include one category of larger-scale, longer-established innovation-driven robot companies and another category of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)孕育 through independent innovation and R&D. Among these SMEs, some engage in industrial robot本体 business, some focus on研发 key components, some excel in system integration applications, and more sell service robots as mainstream products. Currently, such companies are numerous, with varying scales, usually not large in size, and most are still struggling on the breakeven line of annual sales of 500-1000 units. In recent years, encouraged by the “mass entrepreneurship and innovation” policy, cases of young people founding innovation-driven growth companies have increased, including many university graduates. Examples include Googol Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., Guangdong Dongguan李群 Automation Technology Co., Ltd. (李群 Automation), Turing Robot Company (Turing), Shenzhen Langchixinchuang Technology Co., Ltd., Guangdong Tianji Robot Co., Ltd., Suzhou Green Harmonic Drive Technology Co., Ltd., and Nantong Zhenkang Welding Electromechanical Co., Ltd. - Merger and Acquisition Reorganization Type
A group of well-funded Chinese industrial companies have seized the current opportunity of industrial transformation and upgrading, injecting huge capital to merge and reorganize some internationally significant robot companies. A typical case is Midea Group’s acquisition of KUKA, a move expected to change the competitive landscape of Chinese industrial robots in the international market. In fact, global robot giants achieved economies of scale also by relying on industry merger and acquisition integration tactics. For example, in 2003, two global multinational corporations, Japan’s Teijin Seiki Co., Ltd. and Nabco Co., Ltd.,联合组成 Nabtesco Corporation. The establishment of the new company greatly enhanced the monopoly position of the two enterprises in the减速器 field. In recent years, integration in China’s robot industry has begun to emerge. Some relatively large-scale robot companies, such as Estun, Efort Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. (Efort), and STEP, have started targeted merger and acquisition reorganization of foreign robot enterprises to gain improvements and互补 in technology, talent, market, etc. For China’s robot industry to scale up and enhance international competitiveness, it must bid farewell to the “small and scattered” pattern and achieve deep corporate mergers, integration, and互补. It is预计 that in the next few years, at least half of domestic robot enterprises will be integrated or eliminated. In June 2018, SIASUN, Estun, Harbin Boshi, and other 10 robot enterprises jointly held the “China Robot TOP10 Summit,” with the main议题 being “seeking ‘grouping’ to strengthen innovation and development,” aiming to increase industry重组整合力度 and strive to improve corporate competitiveness through merger and acquisition reorganization. Midea Group’s acquisition of KUKA is a典型事例 of achieving新旧动能转换 through merger and acquisition reorganization, while the robot plan carried out by Country Garden Group, which primarily focuses on real estate, belongs to an “异类” within the merger and acquisition reorganization type. In September 2018, Country Garden Group announced the establishment of Bozhilin Robot Company jointly with the Shunde District People’s Government of Foshan, Guangdong, planning to invest at least 80 billion yuan within 5 years to build a robot industry生态圈 and apply robots more widely in various scenarios such as construction, community services, and daily life. For this purpose, Bozhilin Robot Company,几乎从零起步, is globally seeking valuable companies to合作, invest, or merge with, striving to quickly build a high-level complete robot industry chain platform. - System Integration Application Type
Robot system integration refers to robot本体 + end-effector (fixture) + other supporting systems. Only by forming a system can the functions of the robot host be fully utilized to complete various specific engineering needs of end customers. According to a relevant report from the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, under government subsidies, currently most domestic robot本体 manufacturing enterprises are still on the edge of profitability, while robot system integration business promises profitability, with an average gross profit margin of around 30%. In recent years, the call for “机器换人” in various provinces and cities has grown louder. It is预计 that by 2020, the domestic robot system integration market could reach 200 billion yuan. Therefore, the number of domestic industrial robot system integrators has expanded rapidly, exceeding 3000 by the end of 2017 (less than 500 in 2014). The characteristics of robot system integration projects are non-standardization, with some differences between projects,无法 100% replication, making it difficult to scale up, and the scale is generally not large. Most enterprises have system integration business revenues not exceeding 30 million yuan, with less than 100 companies having business revenue规模 exceeding 100 million yuan, while “large enterprises” with business revenue规模 exceeding 300 million yuan are mainly concentrated in the automotive welding integration field. Currently, domestic industrial robot system integrators usually purchase robot本体 externally, focusing on system integration applications本身, with only a few enterprises using self-made robots for system integration applications.
2. Reflections on Robot Industry Investment
The robot industry is ushering in an era of vitality, also referred to as a “井喷期,” with many investment institutions eager to “go long on robots.” The aforementioned “Guiding Opinions” and “Development Plan” have made科学合理的顶层设计 for the development of China’s robot industry. At the execution level of营造 the entire robot industry’s良好的生态环境, investment is an important环节. It is believed that in recent years, capital界 has been overly “虚火” in investing in the robot industry, with issues such as exaggeration,盲目, seeking quick profits, and脱实向虚 recurring frequently. At present, local governments, investment circles, and industrial parks need to return to冷静和理性. After such a return, and referencing the aforementioned robot industry growth models, clarifying investment directions becomes水到渠成.
- Investing in Robot本体 Manufacturing Enterprises
Robot本体 (here including the robot as a whole) is a集大成者 of automation technology, the核心环节 that drives the entire robot industry chain, and plays a纽带 role in integrating upstream component enterprises and downstream system integrators. If the manufacturing capability of robot本体 is weak,智能制造便无从谈起. Robot本体 manufacturing enterprises, relying on a strong industrial background, bear the攻坚重任 in铸造 the international competitiveness of industrial robots. Therefore, robot本体 suppliers无一例外 need the支撑 of enterprise scale. Compared with the “Big Four,” the短板 of China’s top 5 industrial robot enterprises (SIASUN, Estun, Efort, STEP, Guangzhou CNC) is actually not in产能, but in technical capabilities, line integration experience, etc. For example, in the automotive industry,迄今 domestic system integrators have not yet用数十台至数百台国产机器人构建大型自动化生产线 (welding, painting, final assembly, etc.)的先例,除了 robot quality factors, integrators also lack familiarity with整车生产工艺流程, and the差距 in enterprise scale and performance is also很大. Improving the overall level of robot本体 suppliers requires both time and大量资金的注入. Given the characteristics of robot本体 investment being “三高一长” (high investment density, high technical level, high talent requirements, and long investment return周期), investors need large-scale operations, with stronger investment density, greater patience, and more conscious担当精神 to inject funds into robot本体 manufacturing enterprises, waiting for high returns in the long run. - Investing in Robot Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
There are three potential directions for investing in robot SMEs.- Lightweight Robot本体 Manufacturing
Compared with the automotive industry, the现实需求 for automation in China’s “low-end产能” is larger and more sustainable. In 2012, the combined output value of China’s five major industries—food manufacturing, rubber and plastic products, ceramic products manufacturing, metal products, and pharmaceutical manufacturing—was 8.8 trillion yuan, twice that of the automotive industry. In 2011, the fixed asset investment in the electronic components industry alone was about 230 billion yuan, also nearly twice that of the automotive industry (140 billion yuan). Figure 2 shows the对比 of industrial robot density in the automotive and non-automotive industries between China and developed countries in 2015. The ratios for Japan and China are approximately 3:1 and 15:1, respectively, indicating that the future demand for robots in “low-end产能” automation will definitely exceed that of the automotive industry. In 2016, China’s mobile phone shipments reached 465 million units, with 70% of global smartphone产能 already转移 to China. Currently, the assembly and testing工序 of mobile phones have较低 automation程度,占用人工比例高, becoming the main环节 for “机器换人.” Moreover, the实际情况 is that lightweight robots (or称为 economical, mid-to-low-end robots) continue to maintain an扩张势头 in China’s 3C industry. In 2017, sales of SCARA robots in China were 23,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 75.57%. “Low-end产能” automation requires a large number of lightweight robots. If some enterprises still执着地做 robot本体 suppliers, then engaging in the manufacturing of lightweight robot本体 related to industries such as 3C, home appliances, metals, plastics and chemicals, and food is a值得推荐的投资方向. In recent years, some medium-scale robot本体 manufacturing enterprises in China基本上 follow this route, with SCARA, parallel robots, desktop robots, lightweight 6-axis assembly robots, etc., becoming mainstream products for enterprises such as Shenzhen众为兴 Technology Co., Ltd., Delta Group, Turing,李群 Automation, Dongguan Zhiying Equipment Co., Ltd., Guangdong Tianji Industrial Intelligent System Co., Ltd., and Lux (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. China’s market advantage in “low-end产能” automation also lies in地利和人和. Downstream industry customers place more emphasis on the性价比 and本土化服务优势 of robots, providing opportunities for local SMEs to gain larger market shares. In contrast, the “Big Four” do not have obvious advantages in experience accumulation and customer base in the aforementioned industries. - User-customized Special-purpose Robots
Leading with technological innovation, focusing on special fields, implementing differentiated development, and customizing special-purpose robots for users is also an investment direction. If robots are introduced in industries such as substation inspection, textiles, electricity meter, construction, batteries, shopping guidance, and logistics handling, although these application fields are relatively单一, it follows a differentiated development path, avoiding the尴尬局面 of众多企业挤在相同领域,造成同质化、低水平竞争. An interesting case is cited: in 2015, Pree Walia, founder of American company Preemadonna, invented a small and精致的台式美甲机器人 “Nailbot.” Customers can choose patterns from a menu, and after selection, the robot can complete a manicure in less than 30 seconds. In the U.S., 92% of少女做美甲, with 14% considering it a daily消费. This is a典型例子 of robot差异化创意. Of course, such robot companies will not be large in scale, but as long as there is economic need引领 and products are追捧 by users, it不失为 a supplement to mainstream robot products. SMEs led by technological innovation凸显 the创新活力 of China, and the investment community can focus on giving attention to this type of SMEs. - Robot System Integration Applications
Robot本体 is the核心 of the entire robot industry chain, while downstream system integration completes二次开发 and large-scale application普及. Robot本体 has characteristics such as high technical barriers, strong垄断性, and relatively high毛利. In contrast, robot system integration has相对较低的技术门槛, weaker议价能力, and not high毛利水平, but the market规模 is far larger than robot本体. Typically, robot本体 accounts for 1/3 of the entire robot system value chain, and only by integrating the本体 with工艺, peripheral equipment can specific functions be赋予 to robots, completing相关 tasks, and ultimately meeting customer needs. Foreign professional system integrators such as Dürr Group, Reis Robotics Group, and Comau Group primarily围绕 the automotive industry, generally focusing on welding, painting, or final assembly line integration, with最大 sales规模可达约 100 billion yuan. Different large automotive enterprises通常绑定特定的集成商; for example, European automotive enterprises favor KUKA or ABB, while Japanese automotive enterprises侧重于 Yaskawa or FANUC. Robot system integration打通了上下游产业链. Domestic robot integrators have a短 history, small company规模, and少 experience,暂时竞争不过国外集成商 in large-scale robot automation lines, but China has多项比较优势 in small-scale robot system integration applications.- 服水土，通渠道: Small-scale system integration projects specifically correspond to the needs of downstream small enterprises, and the system布局,工艺规程,操作编程, etc., of small enterprises are often因地制宜,非标准化, with each project being a个案,无法 100% replication. Domestic system integrators have smooth人脉和渠道,游刃有余 in应对 non-standardized needs,传统工艺,灵活调整设计, etc., of small customers. In contrast, large robot system integrators currently have no暇理会 or暂时还不会理会 this market, giving domestic enterprises an opportunity to独步前行.
- 人力成本低，价格优势明显: In domestic robot system integrator projects, the cost ratio of本体 to system is 1:1.5 (internationally 1:3), indicating that domestic integrators have low人工费用, competitive prices, and system integration has轻资产,订单型,工程服务的属性. To overcome industry壁垒, they can only专门服务于某个领域, so规模不宜过大. The transformation and upgrading of大量中国中小企业期待 such SMEs to provide形形色色的 “机器换人” services, where small scale体现出了 “小”的优势. However, domestic system integrators also face一些风险, such as the need for垫资 in the project前期, posing certain流动资金压力.
Based on the above比较优势, although domestic robot system integrators are not large in规模, their盈利能力还不错,资金链的循环周期也较短,目前生存没有问题, making it a值得关注的方向 for中小型投资规模. Robots as “半成品”除了 can be sold as本体, a larger market lies in system integration. Facing increasingly激烈的竞争 in本体, foreign integrators have also begun觊觎 the Chinese system integration market. Japanese businesses recently started试水 the Chinese small-scale robot system integration application market, summarizing四条应对措施: first,摒弃传统集成理念, innovating from structure and technology integration to explore new ways to压缩成本,提高竞争力; second, coordinating among本国机器人集成商 to avoid恶性价格竞争; third,削减全生产流程成本; fourth,讲究洽商技巧 in business negotiations,入乡随俗,不墨守成规. For example, Chinese users often have unclear indicators,中途变更方案,新增条款 due to不了解 robots, requiring consideration of特有国情和商情,灵活应对, having忧患意识, and做到未雨绸缪.
- Lightweight Robot本体 Manufacturing
- Investing in Industrial Parks
Excellent industrial parks have made重要贡献 to China’s economic腾飞, serving as驱动器和示范区. Local governments are the主体 of most industrial park construction and investment. It can be肯定 said that优质产业园仍有巨大的获益潜力和投资价值. What constitutes a优质产业园? It should meet the following aspects.- Have周密的顶层设计.
- Have较强的制造业基础和较完整的机器人制造产业链.
- Possess特色的研发方向和主流产品, master the核心技术 of products,杜绝同质化和低水平的竞争. To be更具生命力, robot enterprises in industrial parks应优先考虑 serving the regional economic产业升级 of the local area, first benefiting the local economy, providing内生动力 for local优势产业集群; industrial parks还应鼓励和倡导园内的机器人企业为低端制造业产能自动化做贡献. This或许是当下发展国产机器人的一条优选路径.
- Have配套的人才平台、科研平台、市场交易平台.
- 最好 be外向型的,具有国际机器人市场运作经验.
Using the above standards to衡量 China’s existing robot industrial parks (including智能制造产业园), only 10%-20%符合标准. Whether in the past or future, the development of China’s robot industry肯定离不开投资商的积极参与. The心态 of China’s capital market in investing in the robot industry is复杂多样,主要表现为: “乱投,” “不愿投,” “不敢投.” Among them, “乱投” mainly occurs in robot parks, where各地赶风头,炒政绩,一哄而上; “不愿投” is reluctance facing the “三高一长” of robot investment, with a浮躁心态,一心 wanting to赚快钱, which助长中国经济脱实向虚, a tendency that is不好; investing in the robot industry requires both “只争朝夕” and “久久为功”; “不敢投” is many investors not understanding专业技术的,看不清投资标的前景,踌躇不前 before opportunities.
3. Rational Understanding of Unmanned Factories
While炒作 robot concepts, in recent years, some domestic media and专业人士 have also been热衷于炒作 unmanned factories. Now, “机器换人”似乎不再吸引眼球, and unmanned factories (also称为 “黑灯工厂,” “黑灯车间”) have begun备受关注. It has been reported that currently, Gree Electric Appliances Inc. has 8 production bases nationwide,基本实现了 unmanned factories, where robots entirely替代人来操作; Changying Precision Technology Co., Ltd. is building its first unmanned factory in Dongguan, also引起大众的关注; in Qinhuangdao City, Hebei, there is an unmanned factory producing dumplings, where robots operate 24/7 in a几千平方米的厂房里,全程看不到一个员工,等等.一谈智能制造,必提 unmanned factories. In fact, the concept of unmanned factories最早出现在 the 1980s and 1990s, when Japan’s TOTO Company already had unmanned factories producing ceramic products; Yaskawa Electric’s “机器人造机器人” production line also备受关注. In fact, unattended流水生产线 in manufacturing are屡见不鲜, but the无人化 of entire factories has not十分普及. After the喧嚣, people have gradually回归理性和务实 in their understanding of unmanned factories, reflecting on认知上存在的偏差. Considering China’s国情, the concept of “适度自动化” should be emphasized, avoiding盲目追求无人化,凡事掌握好 “度” is a明智的选择.
- Not轻易摒弃成熟的制造模式
In April 2018, Tesla CEO Elon Musk encountered trouble—Tesla Model3产能陷入困境, unable to deliver on time. For this, Tesla purchased 467 KUKA robots,期待摆脱产能困境, but faced new症结: Musk期望大幅度提高总装线的自动化生产程度,却在技术与成本选择上面临两难.就目前的实践而言, “人机混线仍然是效率最高的配置.” 实践证明, “在白车身冲压、焊接、整车喷涂等生产线上大量部署机器人是成功的,但在总装生产线上未必奏效.” Musk’s Nevada “GIGA” factory battery pack production line also encountered the same麻烦. The失误在于 “he摒弃了竞争对手那些一贯行之有效的、成熟的制造模式,即依靠人工来完成机器尚不适合的任务的方法,奢望由机器人构建一个 ‘制造机器的机器’的超级自动化的工厂,将人工的参与降至最低.” 应该说, “unmanned factory” or “黑灯工厂”的概念固然诱人, but achieving the “最后一公里” of automation may必须付出高昂的代价. - “适度自动化” is Rational Thinking
In the late 1990s, the Japanese回归理性 in their认知 of unmanned factories: some工序操作 are轻而易举 for灵巧的人手, but机器人代替人却必须花费昂贵的代价, and the效果还未必符合预期; therefore,不必硬性地追求完全自动化;人机混线仍然是流水线成本效率最高的配置, which is the思维 of “适度自动化.” In short, “适度自动化” is on a production line, robots and humans分别承担最适合自己的操作任务,彼此协同作业,把生产线的运营成本降至最低,把盈利最优作为企业经营的终极目标. After World War II, responding to the global economic environment at the time, the concept of “Low-Cost Automation (LCA)” or “简易自动化” emerged in the industry. In China, facing the自动化浪潮, there has always been no lack of呼声 for推行 “适度自动化.” - Fully Considering国情 to Achieve因地制宜
In June 2015, the China Modernization Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences released the “China Modernization Report 2015,” stating that based on an evaluation of industrial modernization in 131 countries from 1970 to 2010, in 2010, China’s industrial economic level lagged behind Germany and the UK by about 100 years, and behind Japan by about 60 years. After 2010, China’s industrial level has rapidly提升, and China has become a manufacturing大国, but the dream of becoming a manufacturing强国 is still in progress. The国情 we face仍然是:大量中小企业技术水平依然落后,资金与技术的短板无处不在. Therefore,客观地说, unmanned factories are a脱离实际的发烧现象 in the transformation and upgrading of China’s实体经济, hoping that media and entrepreneurs do not过度沉浸在 unmanned factories的幻觉美感和奢望之中. Another example:日本本田公司持续 20 余年投入巨资,用来研发双足机器人 “ASIMO,” its初衷不过是想向世人展示 “日本制造世界第一”的实力; China完全没有必要竞相效尤, otherwise索尼公司 “机器狗”的结局就是前车之鉴. 3D printing, virtual reality (VR), micro-nano, artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous driving, etc., although all当代突出的创新成果, have been鼓吹和炒作过头 by某些一知半解的媒体, and now又多了一个 unmanned factory的噱头; these炒作其实对我国制造业行稳致远和健康发展都很不利. Bernstein Research表示 that global large automotive manufacturers are感到痛苦 due to过度热衷自动化, and reasonable搭配 of humans and machines is currently the most effective automotive assembly mode.举一反三,重要的是因地制宜. - Learning from Others’ Experiences
John Krafcik, CEO of Waymo, a U.S. autonomous driving company, once坦言 that autonomous driving technology is真的很难, and in the coming几十年,自动驾驶技术还无法做到无处不在;无人驾驶汽车将一直受到限制. This article无意对全自动驾驶是否 “寒冬将至”加以评论, but this理性的自省希望能成为 unmanned factory的他山之石.
4. Is There a Concern About “China Core” in the Robot Industry?
In February 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum制裁针对中国 “经济侵略行为.” According to The New York Times: “The real purpose of this action is to打击 the high-tech products and industries in China’s ‘Made in China 2025’强国战略.” Industrial robots are listed on the制裁清单 of Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974 (service robots and consumer robots are not listed). After the制裁事件 of ZTE Corporation in April 2018, people cannot help but联想: is there a潜在威胁 of the U.S. using similar means to封杀 China’s robot industry? This involves全局性问题和实施的安全性问题 in the strategic planning of China’s robot industry, and相关的战略思考 were not mentioned in the aforementioned “Guiding Opinions” and “Development Plan” because the问题并未突显出 then, and it is a新问题 faced by China’s相关产业决策部门; now we必须有所警觉.
Some believe that the above顾虑暂时是否定的. China’s industrial robot industry is尚处于发展阶段, with relatively落后技术水平, and the market is limited to内需, so the总的判断 is: the impact of this U.S. tariff increase on China’s industrial robot industry制裁的影响甚微. Specific reasons are three.
- The U.S., although a全球的领先者 in AI and intelligent robots, the核心技术 of the industrial robot field is掌握在 “Big Four”手中, and the U.S.想要掌控四大家族力不从心;
- At this stage, China’s industrial robot industry并未对美国构成竞争威胁;
- The研发难度 of the核心芯片 used in robot drivers and controllers is not高, not on the same水准 as手机芯片, so不至于成为机器人发展的瓶颈.
However,暂时无虞并非可以高枕无忧. From the perspective of构建机器人生态链, the关键 lies in solving the problem of控制芯片核心技术之殇; it is hoped that China’s有关产业规划部门 can出台政策大力支持, domestic相关公司早做战略布局,加大自主研发能力,避免日后受制于人.
5. Summary
This article analyzes the走向 of China’s industrial robot industry from four aspects: industrial robot growth models, reflections on industry investment, rational understanding of unmanned factories, and the concern about “China core” in the robot industry, and由此得出结论: manufacturing基因乃是工业机器人企业成长强劲的内生动力和沃土, therefore培育工业机器人龙头企业应该更加关注这种模式;就投资机会而言, industrial robot方向仍然方兴未艾,经历了前一阶段机器人投资热的洗礼,资本逐渐回归冷静和理性,可以期待日后向更高效益和更高水平发展; for unmanned factories,企业的决策者要力戒人云亦云,高效益、适度的自动化是当下比较符合中国国情的 “机器换人”的技术路线; the robot industry虽暂时无中国芯之虞, but不可懈怠, from the perspective of构建机器人生态链, the关键 lies in solving控制芯片核心技术. Reflecting on the journey of China robot development,尽管有喜有忧, but可以肯定的是, the腾飞 of China’s robot industry is a时代命题, and we可以乐观地预期: by 2025, China’s robot industry will大大改观,必将重塑全球机器人产业的格局.
The China robot industry stands at a critical juncture, with diverse growth models paving the way for expansion. Investment in robot本体 manufacturing, SMEs, and industrial parks requires strategic focus, while a rational approach to automation—emphasizing “适度自动化”—aligns with China’s current manufacturing landscape. Although concerns about core technologies like chips are暂时无虞, proactive measures are essential to secure the future of the China robot ecosystem. As the industry evolves, the integration of manufacturing expertise, innovation, and savvy investment will drive the China robot sector toward global prominence, ultimately reshaping the worldwide robotics landscape by 2025 and beyond.