A major surge in industrial robot output was recorded in the first three quarters in China, driven by unlocked capacity following manufacturing upgrades and key technological breakthroughs.
China's industrial robot output reached 595,000 units in the first nine months this year, surpassing last year's total, according to data from the China Machinery Industry Federation. This sector stands as a powerful symbol of the evolution from "made in China" to "intelligent manufacturing in China".
With its mature industrial chain, south China's Guangdong Province is home to a large share of the country's industrial robot production.
At a smart manufacturing base of China's multinational technology company Lenovo, located in the tech hub of Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, engineers are busy debugging robots every day, conducting final tests before customer delivery.
Over the past two months, according to staff members of the base, a steady stream of tested robots has been packed into space capsule-style packing boxes almost every day and dispatched to various parts of the country.
The assembly and pre-delivery testing processes for robots at this base are highly streamlined and efficient.
"Our current orders have exceeded 200 units. The entire process -- from material preparation and product assembly to comprehensive testing of the finished products, and finally to packaging and rollout -- takes about just one hour," said Liu Chuchun, head of the base.
The rapid growth in robot production is underpinned by robust demand from downstream manufacturing sectors. As key industries in China including automotive, electronics, and new energy products accelerate their automation upgrades, market demand for industrial robots continues to expand.
"China is now the world's largest manufacturer and consumer of robots. The global robotics market is projected to exceed 400 billion U.S. dollars by 2029, with embodied intelligent robots emerging as a key segment, expected to account for over 30 percent of the market share," said Chen Luping, director of the Electronic Information Institute at the China Center for Information Industry Development.
China sees surge in industrial robot output in first three quarters
