The Rise of A New Species

By+Deng+Yaqing

In warehouses， red automatic guided vehicles transport mechanical parts and components. Mechanical arms assemble these parts， while automatic spraying robots paint them. The result is a finished product. In the unmanned digital factory of Siasun Robot & Automation Co. Ltd.， located in Huzhou of east Chinas Zhejiang Province， all of these production processes are executed by robots.

“Robotic production is five to 10 times more efficient than manual operation，” said Ha Enjing， head of the Brand Promotion and Public Relations Department of Siasun.

The rapid expansion of industrial robots has been primarily spurred by rising labor costs in recent years. For many equipment manufacturing enterprises， industrial robots that have automation and intelligent identification capabilities can greatly relieve cost pressures on them.

According to the International Federation of Robotics （IFR）， 36，560 industrial robots were sold in China in 2013， making the country the worlds largest robot market in terms of annual sales. Statistics from the China Robot Industry Alliance also showed that in the first three quarters of 2014， sales of industrial robots in China continued experiencing high-speed growth， hitting 33，600 units， a year-on-year increase of 32.5 percent.

As the automation of automobile and electronics factories continues， IFR predicted that the number of robots employed by Chinese factories will be second to none in 2017. In China， every 10，000 workers have access to 30 robots， while in South Korea， Japan， Germany and the United States， every 10，000 workers use 437， 323， 282 and 152 robots in production respectively. That is to say， China is the largest potential market， but the density of robots in use is far lower than in developed countries.

As Wuhan Huazhong Numerical Control Co. Ltd.， a leading computer numerical control manufacturer， predicted， the demand for industrial robots in automobile manufacturing， the food and beverage industry， chemical engineering， plastics production， and rubber and metal products will amount to 1.08 million to 2.4 million in the next few years， accounting for 70 percent of the total demand.

“In the past， the utilization of industrial robots concentrated in the automobile industry. In recent years， however， it has expanded into metal processing， food and beverages， and so on，” said Dun Xiangming， a research fellow with the Robotics Institute of Shanghai Jiaotong University， in an interview with Oriental Outlook magazine.

Dun stated the electronics industry， especially home appliance and cellphone manufacturing， will be the largest potential market for industrial robots in the future. Moreover， industries such as photoelectrics manufacturing， iron and steel production and biochemical and pharmaceutical products will also witness a rise of industrial robots owing to the present limitations on their production environment.

Technological gridlock

Gao Junyao， Deputy Director of the Intelligent Robot Institute under the Beijing Institute of Technology （BIT）， noted that the industrialization of Chinese-made robots coincides with the surge of its domestic demand， which has greatly streamlined production.

According to statistics from the Shenzhenbased GaoGong Robotics Industry Institute， there exist a total of 428 robot-related enterprises in China as of September 2014. Of those， 175 were established in the first three quarters of 2014.

As a matter of fact， many Chinese enterprises in the robotics industry do not yet possess their own laboratories， research and development （R&D） teams or testing methods， said Luo Jun， President of the Beijing-based Asian Manufacturing Association.

Zhang Tianjiang， General Manager of Tianjin Easy-Robot Science & Technology Development Co. Ltd.， noted that most newly established enterprises are engaged in robotic assembling and copying. They gain knowledge of foreign-made robot structure by taking the models apart， then purchasing materials and components to assemble their own products.

“There has been an imbalance between R&D and application. In other words， some technologies may prove to be perfect in the laboratory but defective in practice，” said Gao， who concluded the weaknesses of domesticmade robots owe to the lagging development of application systems and the inability to develop core components and parts.

“In fact， robots cant go into service immediately after being purchased. Take welding robots for example. Before they can be put into operation， the factory has to develop a set of welding-related application systems，” said Wang Tianmiao， a professor from the Robotics Institute of Beihang University in Beijing.

He argued that， though capable of producing robots， many Chinese robot manufacturers are not sophisticated in complicated system development.

“Application systems represent not only technological strength， but also high profits，”said Wang.

Aside from the sluggish development of application systems， a complete robotic manufacturing chain has not yet come to fruition in China.

“Even leading Chinese robot manufacturers like Siasun have to buy core components and parts from foreign enterprises， such as reducers， electrical machines and bearings，” said Lu Jilian， a retired professor from the BITs Intelligent Robot Institute.

According to Wangs calculation， Chinese robot manufacturers purchase 80-90 percent of their reducers， 60-70 percent of electrical machines， and 40-50 percent of controllers from their foreign counterparts.

“That is to say， what Chinese enterprises can do is to produce robot shells， while foreign companies have absolute superiority in the exploration of core components and parts，” he said.

Now， Chinese manufacturers are heavily dependent on foreign-developed core technologies and are struggling to provide the auxiliary items for their robotic products， said Wang Weiming， Deputy Director of the Equipment Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology （MIIT）.

Government support

“Reviewing the 40-year trajectory of Chinas robotics industry， the government has played a decisive role. Without its policy support， the course could have been far more difficult，” he said.

Professor Lu echoes Wang Weimings viewpoint， believing that governmental support is indispensable when promoting Chinese-made robots in both the domestic and overseas markets. Since the Seventh Five-Year Plan （1986-90） period， for instance， the robotics industry has enjoyed preferential policies.

According to the guiding opinions on promoting the healthy development of Chinas robotics industry released by the MIIT in December 2013， by the year of 2020， a relatively complete robot industrial system will be put in place， which will be composed of three to five internationally competitive enterprises and eight to 10 supporting industrial clusters. In addition， the density of robots will be elevated to 100 per 10，000 workers

At a meeting of academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering held on June 9， 2014， Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the “robot revolution” will probably trigger the Third Industrial Revolution and its R&D， production and utilization are highly suggestive of a nations capacity for technological and scientific innovation and high-end manufacturing.

“We should not only enhance the quality and efficiency of robotic production， but also leave no stone unturned in seizing market share，” said Xi， expressing great determination to promote the rapid growth of the Chinese robotics industry.

In 2014， the National Science and Technology Major Project also put emphasis on industrial robots and their application in the automated workshops of sectors including the production of car engines and aviation， aerospace， shipbuilding and industrial explosive materials.

In November 2014， MIITs Vice Minister Su Bo made it plain that the MIIT will soon get down to formulating Chinas robotic technology roadmap and the 13th Five-Year Plan （2016-20） for the robotics industry.