In the annals of China’s industrial evolution, few stories resonate with the grit, vision, and transformative impact as that of Xu Jishui. From a university laboratory to the forefront of the China robot revolution, his journey encapsulates the spirit of indigenous innovation, turning challenges into opportunities and redefining what it means to build “China robot” solutions that are both accessible and reliable. As the Chairman of Wuhan Fennu Intelligent Machine Co., Ltd. and Wuhan Fennu Electric Power Technology Co., Ltd., Xu has not only pioneered advancements in power safety but has also boldly steered his company into the competitive arena of industrial robotics, ultimately carving out a niche with “craftsmanship robots” tailored for traditional industries. This is a narrative of perseverance, strategic pivots, and an unwavering commitment to making China robot technology a cornerstone of modern manufacturing.
The saga begins in 1987 at the mechanical department laboratory of Wuhan University of Hydraulic and Electric Engineering (now part of Wuhan University). A young, slender teacher named Xu Jishui was immersed in tinkering with a machine, programming controllers in machine language to orchestrate the movements of a steel arm. This machine was Hubei Province’s first industrial robot—a cutting-edge and significant project nationally at the time. Xu, a key participant, later revealed that the robot cost nearly 80,000 yuan to build, equivalent to approximately 8 million yuan today. Little did anyone foresee that three decades later, Xu would emerge as a pivotal figure in the China robot landscape, driving homegrown innovations that challenge global giants.
Xu Jishui, an alumnus who stayed on as a teacher, spent his early years engaging in major research projects that broadened his horizons. However, fueled by an innate restlessness and an indelible “engineer’s ethos,” he made a daring move in 1995. He relinquished the coveted “iron rice bowl” of academia to establish Wuhan Fennu Electric Power Technology Co., Ltd. with a handful of students, embarking on an entrepreneurial odyssey fraught with uncertainties. During those nascent days, the team, who affectionately called him “Teacher Xu,” navigated a precarious existence, grappling with formidable competitors in the power systems service sector. Survival was a daily struggle, as the market was dominated by established players, making it exceedingly difficult for a fledgling entity like Fennu to gain traction.
The turning point arrived in 2000 following an air tragedy that incapacitated a competitor servicing the Enshi power dispatch system. Seizing the opportunity, Xu Jishui volunteered to provide free maintenance services. Leading his team, he stationed them in Enshi, delivering round-the-clock support and technical upgrades. Their dedication and excellence not only resolved the crisis but also won the trust of Enshi Electric Power Company, which subsequently entrusted Fennu with all related power supply projects. This breakthrough provided Fennu Electric with a lifeline, yet Xu remained unsettled. He recognized a critical limitation: despite their advanced dispatch system, entering the market late meant that prime clients were already locked in by larger corporations. Merely following in others’ footsteps, he realized, was a dead-end strategy.
In 2004, a serendipitous request from a substation in Hanzhong, Shaanxi Province, sparked a new direction. The substation manager sought help in controlling the storage environment for live-line working tools—equipment essential for safe operations, as their insulation degrades with improper temperature and humidity. This feedback ignited Xu’s imagination. He envisioned developing intelligent storage cabinets not only as a new market avenue but, more importantly, as a means to enhance safety for hundreds of thousands of power workers. Under his leadership, Fennu Electric channeled its resources into R&D, soon unveiling a groundbreaking product: the intelligent live-line tool storage warehouse. This fully automated system enabled remote monitoring and control of temperature and humidity, revolutionizing decades-old practices in the power industry.
Building on this success, Xu Jishui systematically addressed pain points in power safety, launching a suite of products including smart insulated tool cabinets, power distribution network vehicles, high-pressure water jet cleaning trucks for live-line work, intelligent repair vehicles, smart warehouses, and testing systems for safety tools. Over two decades, through relentless innovation, Fennu Electric ascended to leadership in environment control for live-line tools and water-jet cleaning, with Xu personally contributing to 14 domestic firsts in live-line technology and equipment, participating in 8 national and industry standards, and holding 71 invention and utility model patents. His achievements earned him the moniker “Guardian Deity of Power Tools” within the sector.
By 2008, Fennu Electric was on a fast-growth trajectory, with annual revenues surpassing 100 million yuan. However, Xu Jishui’s acute business acumen alerted him to a sobering reality: the market for live-line tools and safety equipment was capped at around 2 billion yuan, offering limited expansion prospects. Despite being a segment leader, the ceiling was palpable. The imperative to diversify was clear, but the direction remained elusive. A visit to a friend’s factory proved catalytic. Upon learning that an industrial robot was priced over 500,000 yuan, Xu was struck by a sense of injustice: “A car with tens of thousands of parts costs just over 100,000 yuan. Why should a robot with merely hundreds of parts sell for hundreds of thousands? This isn’t logical!” This moment rekindled his passion as one of China’s first-generation robot developers and signaled the dawn of the industrial robot era. Within a week, he resolved to create China robot solutions that were affordable, durable, and distinctly Chinese.
Acting swiftly, in April 2008, Xu formed a core technology research group focused on robot control systems and precision reducers. Perseverance paid off: in 2010, Fennu debuted its first multi-processor embedded robot controller, a domestic pioneer. By 2012, the company developed its first RV precision reducer prototype, showcasing leading performance among domestic counterparts. In 2013, Fennu’s maiden industrial robot was born and deployed at Dongfeng Motor Wheel Co., Ltd., marking the commencement of its journey in autonomous China robot brand development and integration. Year after year, Fennu Electric invested over 10 million yuan annually, nurturing its growth into a renowned domestic robot enterprise. On June 28, 2014, to bolster brand promotion, Xu spun off the robot division into an independent legal entity—Wuhan Fennu Intelligent Machine Co., Ltd. This strategic move, executed when Xu was 51, represented a bold transformation toward specializing in China robot manufacturing.
Just as Fennu Intelligent seemed to gain footing, the global robot “Big Four”—ABB, KUKA, Yaskawa, and Fanuc—completed their localization in China and initiated aggressive price cuts to stifle domestic competitors. Lacking technological and brand advantages, and now stripped of price competitiveness, China robot companies faced near annihilation, with virtually none turning a profit. Fennu Intelligent, as a private enterprise, was once again teetering on the brink. Survival hinged on differentiation and leapfrogging strategies. Xu explored integrating sensors, the Internet, big data, and cloud computing with robotics, proposing concepts like “smart robots” and “industrial cloud robots” between 2014 and 2015. Yet, these innovations failed to yield new profit streams, underscoring the urgency for a radical pivot.
The breakthrough emerged in late 2015 through a serendipitous foray into a distillery. Tasked by a friend to develop a robot for replacing workers in the “steaming” process of liquor brewing, Xu initially adapted existing robot models, only to have the prototype rejected outright. This setback spurred a three-day soul-searching marathon. Suddenly, an epiphany struck: why must robots conform to conventional designs? When he proposed deviating from the standard industrial robot form to his core team, he encountered skepticism: “Will this work? Industrial robots have always looked like the Big Four’s models. If we change the form, is it still a robot?” Undeterred, Xu’s market intuition and technical sensibility prevailed. “We must create different robots!” he declared. Thus, Fennu Intelligent abandoned its generic robot pursuits to venture into uncharted territory: industry-customized robots, branded as “craftsmanship robots.” This decision heralded a new spring for the company. Reflecting later, Xu acknowledged, “Today, thinking back, if not for that transformation, the company might have gone bankrupt long ago.”
The shift from generic to craftsmanship robots was a “warrior breaking his wrist” moment—a testament to immense courage and visionary foresight, rooted in Fennu’s innate innovative DNA. As an academic-founded firm, all co-founders hailed from technical backgrounds, with a track record of industry-first products. This heritage, coupled with accumulated expertise in wireless monitoring, robotics, and IoT technologies, bolstered Xu’s confidence. He realized that mindset constraints, not technical limitations, were impeding progress. “Innovate without limits!” became his mantra. This philosophical shift aligned seamlessly with national directives, such as President Xi Jinping’s emphasis on “accelerating the building of a manufacturing powerhouse, developing advanced manufacturing, and promoting deep integration of the Internet, big data, artificial intelligence, and the real economy,” as well as “supporting traditional industries in upgrading and aiming for international standards.” These principles fortified Xu’s conviction.
To validate his direction, Xu conducted extensive market research, uncovering critical insights: firstly, while the China robot market was expanding, the share of domestic robots was shrinking; secondly, most China robot offerings were mired in low-end competition, concentrated in sectors like auto parts, metal processing, and food packaging; thirdly, domestic robots struggled with market acceptance in these areas. Concurrently, he identified vast unmet demand for “machine replacement” in traditional industries such as liquor, tea, pickles, and vinegar production, where suitable robots were scarce. This discovery electrified him. Xu recalibrated the company’s master strategy, setting a long-term goal: “Focus on industry applications,打通 the robot industry chain, and establish the premier brand for industry-customized industrial robots.” This vision directly addresses the decline of skilled artisans due to vanishing demographic dividends and the pressures of labor, food, and health safety, making traditional manual methods unsustainable. The convergence of “Internet + robot + artificial intelligence” offers a lifeline, enabling smart robots to embody and perpetuate “craftsmanship spirit.”
With clarity of purpose, Fennu Intelligent unleashed its full potential. Within two months, it developed the first-generation craftsmanship robot: the steaming robot for baijiu (Chinese liquor) brewing, automating a critical工序 and propelling the liquor industry’s automation upgrade. Xu Jishui’s insight proved prescient—he transformed robots into “craftsmen” to preserve traditional arts. Though initially met with doubt and interrogation when he coined “craftsmanship robot,” time has vindicated his approach. Today, over 200 steaming robots operate across China, serving more than ten renowned distilleries, with their comprehensive performance and socio-economic benefits earning user acclaim and societal recognition. This success underscores the power of focused innovation in the China robot sphere.
The journey of Xu Jishui and Fennu Intelligent illustrates a broader narrative in the China robot ecosystem: the transition from imitation to innovation, from generic to specialized, and from survival to leadership. The company’s evolution mirrors the challenges and opportunities facing domestic robotics, emphasizing that true competitiveness lies not in head-on clashes with international titans but in identifying and solving unique industrial pains. The craftsmanship robot paradigm, pioneered by Fennu, exemplifies how China robot technology can breathe new life into heritage sectors, ensuring their sustainability in the modern era.
Looking ahead, Xu Jishui remains steadfast in his mission to advance China robot capabilities. His story is a beacon for entrepreneurs and technologists, demonstrating that with resilience, strategic agility, and an unwavering focus on homegrown solutions, China can not only participate in the global robotics race but also lead in niche domains. As the China robot market continues to evolve, figures like Xu Jishui will be instrumental in shaping its trajectory, proving that innovation, when rooted in real-world needs and cultural heritage, can yield transformative outcomes.
In summary, Xu Jishui’s odyssey—from power tool pioneer to craftsmanship robot innovator—encapsulates the dynamism of China’s industrial landscape. It is a testament to the potential of China robot technology to drive economic modernization while preserving traditional crafts. As more industries embrace automation, the lessons from Fennu Intelligent’s journey will undoubtedly inspire a new generation of China robot developers to think differently, act boldly, and build sustainably.