Qu Daokui is possessed. The founder and helmsman of China’s largest robotics company is consumed by a whirlwind of ideas about the future—a future dominated by intelligent machines and the empire he built, Siasun Robot & Automation, a China robot leader named in honor of his mentor. For over two hours, he speaks with relentless energy, dismissing the mundane intricacies or perceived drudgery of business as trivial. To him, it’s akin to a child enthralled by Lego, wholly dedicated to constructing a grander, more innovative castle.
Over the past 17 years, Qu Daokui has nurtured Siasun from inception into a national champion, propelling the China robot industry from non-existence onto the global stage and earning the trust of multinational giants like BMW, General Motors, and Ford. Yet, this success hasn’t led to complacency. There’s been no pause to savor the victory, no time to even pack his bags.
“My judgment is that the real golden age for robots is coming! This will be a trillion-dollar market!” declares Qu, gesturing emphatically as if hearing the call to battle. “For more than three years, Siasun has been expanding and laying out our strategy aggressively, precisely to seize this turning point, this window of opportunity, and fully advance into this domain!” Driven by an unfulfilled dream, a profound sense of urgency radiates from him.
1. The Battlefield at Home: Opportunity and Intensifying Competition
A fierce contest for robotics supremacy is underway, and its primary theater is right on Siasun’s doorstep—China. Since 2013, China has been the world’s largest buyer of industrial robots for four consecutive years, with purchases climbing steadily. In 2016, total sales of industrial robots in China reached 89,000 units, a 26.6% increase from 2015. Domestic China robot brands sold 29,000 units, marking a year-on-year growth of 30.9%. According to the “Robot Industry Development Plan (2016-2020)” jointly issued by three ministries, China aims to produce 100,000 units of its own-brand industrial robots annually by 2020, including over 50,000 six-axis and higher-level robots. This ambition solidifies China’s position as a veritable superpower in the China robot landscape, with immense inherent opportunities.
As the industry heats up, competition grows fiercer. In recent years, various robot industrial parks have sprung up across the country, and the number of enterprises related to robotics has reached a staggering 3,000-plus. Although, as Qu Daokui notes, “only about 10% of these robot companies are competitive,” that still leaves roughly 300 formidable domestic contenders. Moreover, beyond these new entrants, the global industrial robot leaders—the legendary “Big Four”—have long set their sights on the vast Chinese market and are honing their strategies.
“We have already carried out three capacity expansions in the past, but now it seems that is still not enough. Therefore, we are planning to double our industrial robot production capacity in China,” stated Gu Chunyuan, President of ABB Group for Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, in a September 2017 media interview, suggesting that demand for China robot solutions had yet to truly explode. On September 23, ABB signed a strategic cooperation memorandum with the Chongqing municipal government to promote its new generation of collaborative robots. ABB had established a robot R&D and production base in Shanghai as early as 2005 and later relocated its global robotics headquarters there. In November 2016, the 50,000th robot manufactured by ABB in China rolled off the production line.
Yaskawa Electric Corporation also feels business is booming. In March 2012, Yaskawa began constructing its only overseas robot factory outside Japan in Changzhou, China, which began mass production in June 2013. On July 14, 2017, the construction of Yaskawa (China) Robot’s third plant officially commenced. “In just four years, we have achieved a monthly production capacity of 1,000 units, significantly advancing our mid-term plan of 12,000 units annually,” said Yosuke Minami, Senior Executive Officer of Yaskawa Electric, happily at the groundbreaking ceremony. He anticipated that Yaskawa’s entire group would achieve unprecedented record performance for the 2017 fiscal year, largely driven by its China robot business.
Among the other “Big Four” members, Shanghai-FANUC signed a renewal agreement in July, with both joint venture partners, Shanghai Electric and FANUC, expressing satisfaction with their 20-year partnership and willing to extend it for another 30 years. Meanwhile, Germany’s KUKA was acquired by Midea Group, signaling this traditional automotive sector powerhouse’s intent to enter the consumer field.
Surrounded by formidable rivals on all sides—this is the reality Qu Daokui and Siasun face. Yet, Qu appears unperturbed, long accustomed to such an environment. In fact, it is a significant improvement from Siasun’s early days 17 years ago when people scarcely believed a China robot company could manufacture competitive robots, and the team often faced skepticism and ridicule while exploring the market.
“I have always emphasized that Siasun must be like a wolf, daring to strike and collide with others. A true warrior would rather die in a PK with a rival than be scared to death at home,” says Qu. Seventeen years of confronting multinational competition and leading Siasun’s growth from the cracks have forged his resilience. His focus isn’t on competitors but on judging industry trends and Siasun’s strategic layout, ready to draw his sword and act decisively at critical moments!
2. A New Starting Point: The Launch of Siasun Smart Park
On October 18, 2017, the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China convened in Beijing. On the same day, 800 kilometers away in Shenyang’s Hunnan New District, Siasun orchestrated a major event of its own: the grand launch ceremony of the Siasun Smart Park, themed “New Starting Point, New Journey, New Leap,” and the kickoff of its march toward the “Intelligence Era.”
As China’s largest robotics industry base, the Siasun Smart Park (completed phase) covers 170,000 square meters with a floor area of 140,000 square meters. It is divided into a headquarters office zone and an industrial zone, comprising the headquarters building, a robot exhibition center, R&D centers, a clean equipment manufacturing center, a digital equipment manufacturing center, a complete equipment manufacturing center, a flexible intelligent manufacturing center, and a large equipment manufacturing center.
For the occasion, Qu Daokui deliberately chose a burgundy tie. He believed that “holding a mere celebration is meaningless” in this era; instead, it should be “a novel expedition ceremony.”
“Today is not only the inauguration of the Siasun Smart Park but also a pledge rally declaring war on the future,” Qu stated in his speech. “Over the past seventeen years, Siasun has created a legend in China’s high-tech development and achieved high-end applications for domestic robots. However, yesterday’s glory does not guarantee future success. Standing at this new starting point, let us reset the past to zero and create a prosperous Intelligence Era together!” This rally prompted deep reflection from Qu. He chose to translate “New Journey” as “New Striving” rather than “New Journey,” as the latter implies a pleasant trip, whereas he wanted to convey struggle, endeavor, and a solemn, determined spirit.
3. The Siasun You Might Not Know: Beyond the Robotic Arm
On December 2, 2016, Siasun’s Shenyang headquarters welcomed a special delegation: over 40 executives from the BMW Group, including Christian Dunckern, Senior Vice President responsible for Process Planning. What prompted such a high-level visit from this renowned global luxury car brand?
Since 2008, Siasun has provided BMW with several large-scale key projects, including robot stamping lines, robot welding lines, automated sand core logistics systems, and building intelligent control systems, with cumulative contract values exceeding 200 million RMB. While exchanges had occurred before, this 40-person delegation clearly signaled deeper intentions. Months later, a post on Siasun’s website titled “When China Robot Meets BMW” shed some light. In May 2017, a robot automatic gluing system built around Siasun industrial robots was installed at a BMW Brilliance plant, automating the gluing process for car body parts.
“Behind me is the first project using Siasun robots at the BMW Brilliance body shop. Siasun realized our requirements in a very short time, and the system accuracy and gluing quality are satisfactory,” said Christian Vogl, Senior Manager for Control and Connection Technology at BMW Brilliance, in a project video. “The implementation of this project is very favorable for future cooperation between BMW Brilliance and Siasun. We are happy to cooperate with Siasun again and believe Siasun can achieve even better results.”
BMW is not alone. As early as 2007, Siasun won a global tender from General Motors, securing a one-time order for over 70 AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles), becoming a global cooperative supplier for GM. These mobile robots subsequently entered GM factories worldwide, including its core plants in Detroit, USA.
A closer look at Siasun’s official website reveals an astonishing breadth of products and services under its “Product Center” and “Solutions” sections. Beyond its core founding products—AGVs and welding robots that have penetrated industries like automotive, engineering machinery, energy, and electronics—the portfolio includes large-scale systems and integrations seemingly unrelated to robots. These encompass automated storage and retrieval systems (AS/RS), intelligent logistics management systems, digital smart factories, fiber laser technology, metro integrated monitoring systems, drilling rig technology, 3D printing systems, smart cities, and smart living solutions.
“Others might see little correlation, but many of our businesses have intrinsic connections. At first glance, many people are surprised, but it’s actually a natural progression,” Qu explains. “Robots are the carriers. To achieve digitalization and intelligence, powerful soft capabilities are needed, such as MIS systems and intelligent control systems.”
Siasun has invested heavily in independent R&D and innovation from the start—a bet that has paid off. Among its近百项发明专利及软件著作权, several relate to intelligent manufacturing and smart living, like the “automatic storage control device,” “AGV tracking and positioning detection device,” “automatic nursing bed human-computer interaction system,” and “Manufacturing Execution System (MES) software.” This dual focus on hardware and software innovation has accelerated the iteration of Siasun’s existing products. For instance, applying multi-robot coordination and navigation positioning technologies has made its mobile and industrial robots more precise and reliable. In 2016, Siasun launched a mobile robot based on its own laser navigation technology, already deployed in batch applications for projects like BMW Brilliance, BOE, and Yili. Meanwhile, service robots powered by AI, such as medical assistive robots and intelligent companion robots, have begun entering daily life in batches.
Siasun’s R&D in titanium alloy wire-based 3D printing technology and portable laser 3D printing robotic equipment finds applications in aerospace, petrochemical power, mining machinery, mold manufacturing, and medical education for printing high-strength titanium alloy components, online intelligent 3D printing/repair of giant hydraulic turbine blades, and localized 3D printing/repair of rail vehicles and tracks.
Another notable area is Siasun’s intelligent transportation systems and building intelligent control systems. In smart transportation, Siasun has not only secured multiple domestic metro projects in cities like Shenyang and Harbin, with contract values often reaching hundreds of millions, but also exported systems to Australia and South Africa. Its building intelligent control systems, as discussed during mutual visits, have gained recognition and orders from the BMW Group. While these may not seem directly related to robots at first glance, their core relies on comprehensive computer software system capabilities.
Back in 2012, Siasun Robot (stock code: 300024) announced it had obtained the top-level qualification for Computer Information System Integration Enterprises. This certification proved the company’s comprehensive strength in system integration had reached domestic leading levels, enabling it to bid for domestic metro integrated monitoring system projects as a qualified integrator. In 2016, Siasun’s self-developed MES software, the core software for digital factories, obtained computer software copyright, significantly enhancing its “soft power” in creating digital factories for clients.
“Many things Siasun does actually think outside the box. If you remain confined within your original business, you’ll find your path narrowing,” Qu remarks. By the time one grasps this philosophy, Qu has already steered Siasun toward an even grander strategic layout.
During the exchange with the 40-plus BMW delegation, Qu stated, “Siasun Robot is the manufacturer with the most complete robot product line globally. Currently, our market capitalization ranks among the top three worldwide, only after ABB and FANUC.” However, in terms of scale, Siasun still lags far behind ABB and FANUC. So, what does this “most complete product line” entail, and what resources does Qu intend to leverage to support its growth?
4. The Logic Behind the Growth: Seizing the Turning Point
“ABB and FANUC were indeed leaders in their era, but now the turning point has arrived!” asserted Qu Daokui during an exclusive interview on November 7, 2017, at Siasun’s Shanghai office. In a serene setting away from the city’s hustle, he elaborated on his understanding of the new industrial revolution, the present and future of the China robot industry, and Siasun’s strategic deployments for over two hours.
“For more than half a century, the concept of robots has been an absolute success—countless novels and movies have portrayed them as humanity’s saviors. But as an industry, robots score zero! After decades of development across so many countries, the global stock is only about 2 million units. Look at the automotive industry: China alone produces tens of millions of cars annually. Mobile phones? Hundreds of millions! We had all these beautiful visions and expectations for robots. Why weren’t they realized? Mainly because technology wasn’t ready. The earliest so-called robots were essentially mechanical arms, capable only of moving from point A to B through programming. Change the location slightly, and they’d miss! It’s like a person who can’t see, speak, or walk. What could such a person do in a factory? That was the pitiful state of robots in the past. For the first fifty years, robots were just machines, and unlike other machinery, they were dispensable in industrial settings—supporting actors, not leads.
“But now, the opportunity is here! My judgment is that the real golden age for robots is coming! Why? First, technology is finally enabling it. Advances and integration in perception systems, big data, cloud computing… are helping robots evolve from ‘machines’ toward ‘humans.’ It’s like a disabled person regaining sight and the ability to walk, capable of taking on increasingly complex tasks. Through IoT and the cloud, robots can even interact, accomplishing tasks previously impossible. Second, manufacturing paradigms are shifting. Mass customization has overturned traditional production models, rendering large-scale, batch-based rigid manufacturing unsustainable. Flexible, intelligent production is becoming the norm, demanding networking and digitalization—requirements traditional equipment cannot meet, leaving the stage for robots. Robots have leapt from being optional supporting actors to leading roles in the production factors. The market has arrived! Coupled with labor shortages and rising human costs, this process is accelerating. Over the past 50 years, the global average robot replacement rate was a mere 0.68%. In the next five to ten years, that rate is expected to reach 50%. Just imagine the scale of this market!”
This vision is why Siasun is comprehensively advancing into this domain. So, what’s next? In this era of new industrial revolution, digitalization, and networking, leading enterprises must “integrate external resources and build open platforms.” Clinging solely to one’s own turf will lead to a narrowing path and eventual demise. Guided by this philosophy, Siasun has executed two major strategic layouts.
4.1 The “3+N+M” Organizational Architecture
First, in organizational structure, we implemented a ‘3+N+M’ layout. The ‘3’ refers to three headquarters: Shenyang as the domestic headquarters, Shanghai as the international headquarters, and Beijing as the investment headquarters. ‘N’ represents n regional headquarters established across the country—Hangzhou, Qingdao, Xi’an, Wuhan, Chengdu, Guangzhou… Each regional headquarters essentially forms a small ecosystem, developing according to the integrated model of ‘Innovation, Finance, Industry, and Education.’ ‘M’ refers to various engineering application and service subsidiaries under each regional headquarters, forming business support points. The ‘N’ regional headquarters are mostly wholly-owned subsidiaries, while the ‘M’ entities involve控股 or参股, collaborating with partners to pull in resources for mutual benefit.
“China is vast. We must decentralize, stay close to the market, and respond swiftly. Only by being near the market can we integrate local resources—working with local governments at all levels to nurture emerging strategic industries in their regions. Otherwise, it’s merely a transactional process. The business model in the Industry 4.0 era cannot be purely sales-oriented; it must be a resource aggregation model—selling outward while also pulling resources inward. In its early days, Siasun was like the sun, radiating from Shenyang regardless of distance. But most of the China robot market is in the south, not the north! After these years of aggressive expansion, it’s fair to say that although Siasun was born in Northeast China, it has fully adapted to the southern climate.”
4.2 The “4+2” Business Architecture
Second, Siasun has streamlined its business structure into a ‘4+2’ layout. The ‘4’ refers to four major business segments, and the ‘2’ represents two supporting platforms: Finance and Innovation.
The four business segments are:
- Industry 4.0 Segment (Intelligent Manufacturing): This is fundamentally different from traditional mechanical manufacturing. Centered on industrial robots, mobile robots, and clean robots, supplemented by intelligent logistics, warehousing systems, MES, etc., it provides industry-specific solutions to enterprise clients, building digital workshops and digital factories. Siasun has打通 the entire industrial chain from hardware to software, from core components to core systems in the China robot domain.
- National Defense & Security Segment: A relatively new but high-potential growth area for Siasun. Coinciding with the global shift toward ‘unmanned’ defense systems—similar to Industry 4.0, requiring intelligence, networking, and digitalization, and even more urgent—this sector holds vast market potential. The U.S. primarily applies robots in defense and healthcare. Siasun has captured opportunities here, with its special-purpose robots already securing multiple orders worth hundreds of millions.
- Consumer & Service Segment: Encompassing healthcare, elderly care, assistive technology, household, and public service applications. “I often say service robots have no ceiling! This year’s demand might be zero, next year it could surge to millions of units! The year after, it might reset and start anew. Consumer demand is perpetually renewing, unlike industrial products,” Qu notes. With 220 million elderly and 100 million people with disabilities in China, and an accelerating aging society, elderly and disability care pose significant social challenges. In August 2017, Siasun launched the Songkang Bed-Chair Robot at the World Robot Conference, and in October, introduced a cloud-based, learning-enabled elderly care robot named Siasun Jiabao at the Shenyang Senior Care Expo. Once such products gain traction, their demand could far surpass that of the industrial sector, representing a massive frontier for the China robot industry.
- Education Segment: Siasun provides not just products and technology but also talent. To build this segment, Siasun acquired the century-old German educational institution TÜV Rheinland’s former training academy (a highly specialized institution for mechanical engineering continuing education). It established the Sino-German Siasun Education Group, partnering with domestic institutions to set up schools and training centers cultivating high-skilled talent for intelligent manufacturing and Industry 4.0. Qu points out that many current educational programs still train skills suited for pre-4.0 eras (e.g., lathe operators), whereas the 4.0 era demands new skills like intelligent logistics management and robot programming. Furthermore, as robots populate digital factories, many workers will face job displacement or transition. Siasun’s educational platforms can provide retraining for re-employment. “As I mentioned on the TV program ‘Let’s Talk,’ Siasun is like a warrior, wielding a sharp sword to clear the path with one hand, and carrying a medicine chest to heal wounds with the other,” Qu analogizes. Additionally, Siasun collaborated with Northeastern University to establish China’s first School of Robotics Science and Engineering, enrolling undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students to cultivate high-end R&D talent. Plans are underway to cooperate with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to establish a Robotics Graduate School in Shenyang.
To support these four segments, Siasun has built two key platforms:
- The Innovation Platform: Siasun’s organizational structure itself is an innovation. With over 2,000 R&D personnel, 75% of its employees are technical staff. Currently, Siasun operates a Central Research Institute in Shenyang, a High-end Research Institute in Shanghai, a Sino-Israel Joint Research Institute in Guangzhou, and plans to establish more. Some institutes are wholly-owned, while others are co-established with research academies and partners. “In this era, never rely solely on internal resources for development. Utilize all available talent—limiting yourself is too restrictive!” Qu emphasizes.
- The Financial Platform: “My understanding of the role of capital deepens continuously. Everything requires funding, substantial funding! Capital is one of the dominant factors in enterprise development,” Qu states. Therefore, Siasun aims to establish a financial platform to facilitate innovation R&D, industrial investment, mergers and acquisitions, and resource integration. It has already set up entities like Beijing Siasun Robot Investment Co., Ltd. and Shenyang Siasun Investment Management Co., Ltd., with plans to establish several investment companies and billion-yuan funds.
Complementing the investment funds is “Xingzhihui” (Star Intelligence Hub), China’s first robotics maker space created by Siasun—a startup service platform integrating technology, market, and capital for robot entrepreneurs. Its “Smart Creator Startup Competition” has been held annually since 2015. The 2017 edition, under the slogan “In Tech, Create Future,” collaborated with nearly 90 global industry associations, incubators, industrial parks, and investment institutions, attracting 546 smart tech projects from around the world. These spanned nearly 30 fields including AI, big data, cloud platforms, industrial and service robots, wearables, VR/AR, personal smart products, smart homes, and smart elderly care. By the season’s end in September, nearly 20 projects had received investment intentions from competition partners.
5. The New Striving: A Legacy and a Future
While Siasun’s entrepreneurial journey spans 17 years, Qu Daokui’s bond with robotics extends 34 years. In 1983, Qu was admitted to the Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, becoming a disciple of Jiang Xinsong, the pioneering scientist regarded as the “father of Chinese robotics,” thus forging an indissoluble bond with the field.
As an early student of Jiang Xinsong, Qu inherited not only authoritative, systematic knowledge in robotics but also a way of thinking, a approach to work, and a scientific spirit: pioneering in exploration, refusing to accept defeat, maintaining a broad perspective, and possessing tenacity. Through his research, Qu’s perspective transformed, elevating his personal interest into a sense of national responsibility, which later solidified into a strong belief in serving the country through industry when founding Siasun.
Time has passed, and the tides of commerce have shifted. In 1993, the ardent patriot—completing his research abroad—declined his German supervisor’s request to stay and returned to China. In 2000, he founded Siasun, a “blue-hat entrepreneur” venturing into the market, securing no substantial orders for over half a year. In 2007, Siasun won a GM global procurement bid, rewriting the history of China robot exports. In 2003 and 2007, two attempts to enter the capital market failed, but under immense pressure, Siasun successfully listed on the ChiNext board in 2009, becoming the first publicly traded China robot company. Scars are medals God bestows upon the brave. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
Back then, Qu Daokui, with a patriot’s heart, bore the era’s weight, steering Siasun from industry leadership to dominance. Today, appearing on “Times Square,” Siasun stands as a resounding national名片 for Chinese robotics面向 the world. Under Qu’s leadership, Siasun Robot is a model of China’s industrial patriotism, a key pillar for “Made in China 2025.” Yet, in media interactions, Qu rarely dwells on past glories. To him, all that is past is prologue. “The best achievements, for me and for Siasun, are in the present and the future,” Qu asserts confidently.
However, in 2017, on the 20th anniversary of his mentor’s passing, at the moment of leading Siasun into the Intelligence Era, Qu Daokui unexpectedly summarized the past:
A thousand miles returned, still the youth.
These brief, poetic seven words echo Qu’s inner voice:不忘初心, 壮志未酬 (Never forget why you started; the ambition remains unfulfilled). Yes, he and Siasun will continue charging forward. The march of the China robot giant is relentless, its eyes fixed firmly on the horizon of the golden age it seeks to define.