Robot industry is expected to continue high in the future

Rooted in China as a manufacturing giant, the growth of China's industrial manufacturing industry is a huge space for intelligent transformation and upgrading. The booming of the robotics industry is expected to continue at a high level in the coming years. The turning point of China’s demographic dividend and the acceleration of the “Industry 4.0” era make the intelligent equipment industry represented by robots usher in an unprecedented development opportunity.

Assisting "Industrie 4.0"

“In the fine mechanical sector of all mechanical sectors, the troika that have the largest industrial space and can cross the economic cycle of the downturn are the robots, aviation equipment and people's livelihood equipment manufacturing industry.” A related analyst from Guohai Securities told the China Securities Journal, especially Under the background that China's traditional manufacturing industry is facing an intelligent transformation and upgrading, the robot industry has the broadest space for development because of its rich manufacturing industry.

The rapid development of China's robotics industry is inextricably linked to the increase in labor costs on the one hand, and it is an inevitable result of the development of industrialization to a certain level on the other. After more than 30 years of industrialization in China, China’s industrial supporting capabilities have been significantly enhanced and its industrial base is very strong. Driven by industries such as robots, accelerating the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries will bring about a new industrial revolution. An academician of the National Robotics Program at Tsinghua University analyzed with a reporter from the China Securities Journal that in the era of “Industry 4.0”, one of the keys to the Chinese manufacturing industry’s realizing overtaking is to use intelligent development represented by robots.

The core of the “Industry 4.0” strategy is to realize the real-time communication, mutual recognition and effective communication of people, equipment and products, so as to build a highly flexible, personalized and digital intelligent manufacturing model. Under this model, production will shift from centralized to decentralized, products will shift from convergence to individualization, and users will also be transformed from participatory participation to full participation, industry sources said.

Support policy increase

Under the “Industry 4.0” background, the application of industrial robots in China is quietly turning a corner.

The personage inside course of study introduces, before this, the industrial robot is most widely used in the automotive industry; today, robot manufacturers are trying to expand into other fields. Previously, industrial robots mainly replaced heavy manual labor and complex labor to solve the problem of manpower being carried out in harsh environments; now, they are turning to simple and repetitive labor-intensive places. "Now after the 80s and 90s, they are reluctant to engage in simple repeated labor, so machine substitution has become an important trend in the future."

The relevant departments have clearly noticed the changes in manufacturing brought about by intelligence, and the country’s policy on smart manufacturing continues to increase. At present, the ministries and commissions that vigorously promote the industrialization of robots are mainly the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. In 2013, they introduced guidance to promote the development of the robot industry, and kept brewing the New Deal to support the accelerated development of intelligent industries.

The China Securities Journal reporter learned from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology that the country is currently planning to further improve the standard system and steadily push forward the establishment of standards for the robot industry in accordance with the requirements of the strategic emerging industry standardization development plan. The relevant departments will also increase financial support for the robot industry, strengthen policy support for the robot industry, explore the establishment of a robot industry access system, and at the same time focus on building a docking platform for production and demand, and promote the promotion and application of industrial robots.

The roadmap for the robot industry in China and the 13th Five-Year Plan for the robot industry are also steadily advancing. Before the planning was released, relevant departments did a good job in supporting R&D, industrialization, and demonstration applications of industrial robots and key components used in key industries.

In addition, next year's industrial transformation project is expected to set up a special special fund for robots to support the research and development of key robot parts and components to encourage the innovation and development of domestic brands and industrial robots and key components.

According to related experts, the robot industry is now not a matter of paying attention or not paying attention to it, but what kind of perspective it takes to look at the industry and what kind of thinking to cultivate and develop the industry. Judging from the trend of future policies, the government’s supporting policies for the industry are expected to be refined in terms of the market demand, technology sources, and industrial characteristics of the robot industry.

Industrialization ability continues to increase

Driven by the encouragement of industrial policies and market demand, the industrialization capabilities of leading robotics companies have been continuously improved in recent years, and more and more new companies are also actively involved in the robotics industry.

Luo Jun, secretary-general of the International Robotics and Intelligent Equipment Industry Alliance, pointed out that China's robotics industry is still in its infancy as a whole, and it also relies heavily on imports for its core components such as reducers, controllers and servo motors. At present, domestic robotics companies have less than 30% market share in China. However, the industry expects that after 3-5 years, the strength of more than 10 Chinese companies such as Shenyang Xinsong, Dalian Guangyang, Guangzhou CNC, etc. will be further enhanced, and it is expected to occupy more than 50% of the domestic market share.

In the two major arrays in the robotics industry, industrial robots are mainly used in industrial manufacturing to complete welding, handling, and painting; while service robots are mainly used in individuals and households, and can complete cleaning, nursing, monitoring, and other aspects . These two areas are not completely separated, and even companies actively seek the integration between the two. Take the A-share listed company robot as an example. The company previously engaged in the production and sales of industrial robots. According to company sources, smart service robots are currently being developed to provide demonstration applications in nursing homes, government agencies, science and technology museums, and restaurants. “We will continue to increase human and material resources to enrich the product line of intelligent service robots and speed up the process of market launch. We will extend advanced robotics technology to the civilian sector.”