Industrial robots' research, development, manufacturing, and application are key indicators of a nation's technological innovation and advanced manufacturing capabilities.
According to customs export statistics for May 2026, China exported 20,090 units of industrial robots that month, a year-on-year increase of 51.2%. From January to May, cumulative exports reached 86,597 units, up 39.5% year-on-year, indicating sustained and growing overseas demand for domestically produced industrial robots. China's industrial robotics sector is evolving from being a component supplier for the "world's factory" to becoming a global exporter of smart manufacturing solutions.
Building Core Competence
The transition is from basic manufacturing capability to producing high-quality products.
Customs data shows that in 2025, China's industrial robot exports grew by 48.7% year-on-year, with the export scale surpassing imports for the first time, achieving a historic breakthrough in net exports. This marks the industry's shift from import dependence to export-driven growth, accelerating its "going global" pace. Domestic enterprises can now not only meet domestic market demand but also possess the capability to compete in the global market.
The impressive figures are the result of years of foundational work and accumulated strength across the industrial chain. From a policy perspective, initiatives have consistently focused on application scenarios, from the multi-ministry "Robot+" Application Action Implementation Plan in 2023 to the eight-department "Artificial Intelligence + Manufacturing" Special Action Implementation Opinions in 2026. These policies aim to accelerate the intelligent, green, and integrated development of manufacturing, fostering mutual empowerment between AI technology and manufacturing applications.
While robotics technology continues to advance, the industry is also entering a period of accelerated capital market activity. Since the beginning of the year, several robotics companies have initiated IPO processes, and the capital market has attracted numerous players from across the industrial chain.
On the components front, companies like Suzhou Harmonic Drive System Co., Ltd. and Shenzhen Inovance Technology Co., Ltd. are active in the servo motor field, while firms such as Suzhou Memsensing Microsystems Co., Ltd. are deepening their expertise in sensors. The localization rate of core robot components is rapidly increasing. In whole-machine manufacturing, a cluster of companies including Unitree Robotics Co., Ltd. and Nanjing Estun Automation Co., Ltd. has formed. They are translating years of technical accumulation into new product forms and accelerating penetration into more application scenarios.
The Pearl River Delta and Yangtze River Delta regions have developed highly concentrated robotics industry clusters. Wang Tao, Deputy General Manager of Shanghai Zhangjiang Embodied AI Robotics Co., Ltd., noted that within the Zhangjiang Robot Valley, companies are neighbors along the supply chain, creating an ecosystem covering R&D, testing, and manufacturing. The park also features a dedicated robot product display and matching center, allowing firms to focus more intently on R&D and production.
"Approximately 95% of our key raw materials and components are sourced domestically, achieving higher cost efficiency while ensuring product technical performance. This enables us to offer overseas clients a value proposition of 'international quality + superior TCO (Total Cost of Ownership),'" said Deng Shihai, Deputy General Manager of Chengdu CRP Robot Technology Co., Ltd. He emphasized that cost advantage is merely an entry point, while technical capability and reliable service form the foundation for long-term cooperation.
This philosophy of "competing on value, not just low price" is becoming a consensus among Chinese industrial robot companies expanding overseas, driving the industry's upgrade from being "able to manufacture" to "manufacturing well."
Zhou Jin, Associate Professor at Tsinghua University's Fundamental Industry Training Center, stated that the strong growth in industrial robot exports reflects systemic competitiveness achieved through whole-chain collaboration, evident in four dimensions: domestic substitution of key components has reshaped the cost foundation; mass production and lean management have significantly reduced manufacturing costs; the "engineer dividend" and localized service have created unique service value; and the products offer significant appeal to customers in terms of total lifecycle utility.
Systemic Global Expansion
The strategy combines technology, comprehensive solutions, and service.
In the process of manufacturing upgrades, industrial robots are key equipment for achieving automation and intelligent transformation. By replacing humans in repetitive, high-intensity, high-precision, and high-risk tasks, they drive a shift in production models from human-led to machine-led operations.
In regions like Europe, the US, and the Asia-Pacific, where e-commerce, retail, and third-party logistics have developed over many years with solid digital foundations, rising labor costs have turned warehouse automation from an option into a necessity. Clients in these markets exhibit strong willingness and high capacity to pay for technology. In emerging markets like Southeast Asia and the Middle East, automation infrastructure is gradually improving, placing them in a critical window for industrial upgrading. Compared to products from other countries, Chinese industrial robots offer a distinct price-performance advantage, making them a preferred choice for local companies' automation investments.
"In the industrial robotics arena, competition has never been about the output of a single product, but a comprehensive contest of technical solutions and service standards," said Gao Di, Party Committee Member of Hunan ZN Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. and Chairman of Changsha Changtai Robot Co., Ltd.. He noted that technological uniqueness is a hallmark of Chinese industrial robots. For example, ZN Intelligent's embodied AI welding robots, equipped with an embodied AI system, can provide optimal welding suggestions and automatically adapt to production needs without frequent production line debugging. This differentiates them from traditional industrial robots and represents a distinctive feature of Chinese offerings.
Gao Di indicated that a significant portion of their exported robots are embodied AI robots, and their export model has transformed into a comprehensive output of "technology + solution + service." As global robotics competition shifts its focus from traditional automation efficiency to intelligent collaboration and multi-scenario applications, ZN Intelligent's embodied AI robot products have seen rapid volume growth, establishing a firm foothold in overseas markets.
Deng Shihai pointed out that overseas clients are more concerned with weld seam consistency, trajectory accuracy, equipment stability, and long-term operational reliability, rather than focusing solely on purchase price. The biggest difference between the industrial robotics industry and the consumer electronics industry is that clients are not buying just a piece of equipment, but a productivity system intended to operate continuously for over a decade. Relying on a "local partner + technology empowerment" model, CRP Robot is adapting to the process requirements and industrial characteristics of different regions through a full-process service system encompassing "pre-sales planning – project delivery – process optimization – lifecycle operation and maintenance."
Against the backdrop of global manufacturing's green and intelligent upgrade, Chinese industrial robot companies are continuously advancing technological innovation and new product development, constantly improving their full-process service capabilities. While consolidating the foundation for long-term, stable domestic market development, they are actively expanding into overseas markets, gradually building a second growth curve.
Evolving Role in the Market
The focus is shifting towards mid-to-high-end segments.
Industry observers believe that with continuous iteration of Chinese robotics technology and ongoing refinement of full-chain service capabilities, there remains significant room to increase global market share. In particular, the proportion of high-value-added comprehensive solutions in industrial robotics is expected to rise, propelling the Chinese robotics industry further up the global value chain towards mid-to-high-end positions.
However, this process faces bottlenecks. Some robotics companies indicate that reliance on imports for high-end chips and certain core components persists. This not only increases product costs but also creates pressure in R&D design and mass production.
Yan Yang, Vice President of the Beijing Internet of Things Intelligent Technology Application Association, stated that in the international industrial robot market, overseas companies like ABB Group and Germany's KUKA AG hold advantages in product precision, stability, and service life. Some domestic Chinese enterprises, through independent R&D and industrial chain integration, have acquired mass production capabilities for six-axis robots, with product performance approaching international leading levels.
Additionally, brand perception gaps still exist. For instance, some Chinese brands lack sufficient pricing power. The long construction cycle and high investment required for overseas after-sales service systems also remain constraints on the internationalization of Chinese brands.
The head of overseas business at Beijing Yuanli Lingji Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. stated: "One of our tasks is to continuously integrate high-quality suppliers domestically, avoiding the impact of low-price competition on product quality, and transforming the 'Made in China' label into a quality label. Yuanli Lingji is advancing the construction of regionalized delivery capabilities. Through local partner and integrator networks, we are positioning service touchpoints closer to the client's market, reducing the impact of cross-border logistics and policy fluctuations on delivery."
Currently, the industry generally aims to avoid low-price competition during overseas expansion. Chen Xiaohua, Executive Dean of the Education and Science & Technology Research Institute at the China Mobile Communications Association, emphasized that the industry needs to build collective competitive advantages, packaging and exporting equipment, algorithms, system integration, and operation and maintenance services. Shifting the profit space from one-time sales to continuous service revenue is key to enhancing customer stickiness and project gross margins.
Achieving this transformation离不开 policy guidance and support. "It is necessary to encourage enterprises to focus on specific industries and application scenarios, develop personalized, customized products, and promote product upgrades towards the high-end. Particularly, supporting companies to increase R&D investment, enhance product technological content and added value, is crucial for transitioning China's industrial robotics industry from scale expansion to quality improvement," Chen Xiaohua said.
China's industrial robotics sector has developed the systemic capability to shift from "selling products" to "selling solutions." However, such a "role transformation" never happens overnight. Shortcomings in core component supply, gaps in brand perception, and risks of homogeneous competition all serve as reminders to companies that to truly establish a firm footing in overseas markets, the fundamental reliance must be on core technology and systemic service capabilities.
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