As industrial and service robots become increasingly widespread, automation and digital transformation have become essential needs in the manufacturing industry. Against the backdrop of the emerging smart manufacturing environment, the production of industrial robots has reached record highs, while the "14th Five-Year Plan" is expected to accelerate the development of the smart manufacturing industry chain.
With domestic companies making technological advancements, robot technology has gradually matured, leading to the application of robotic products across various industries and scenarios. Robots can be categorized based on their application environment into industrial robots and service robots. Industrial robots primarily include cutting and welding robots, assembly robots, painting robots, transport robots, and sorting robots. Service robots are classified into three major categories: personal/home robots, professional service robots, and specialized robots.
Service robots are commonly seen in daily life, such as vacuum cleaning robots, food delivery robots, and field robots.
Industrial robots are widely used in the industrial sector, typically as multi-joint mechanical arms or multi-degree-of-freedom robotic devices with a certain level of autonomy. These robots can rely on their own power sources and control capabilities to perform various industrial processing and manufacturing functions. Industrial robots are extensively utilized in industries such as automotive, 3C (computers, communications, and consumer electronics), logistics, and chemicals. They consist of three main components and six subsystems. The three main components are the mechanical part, sensing part, and control part. The six subsystems include the mechanical structure system, drive system, perception system, robot-environment interaction system, human-machine interaction system, and control system. The cost of industrial robots is typically only one-quarter of the cost of human labor, with improvements in work quality and efficiency.
**Manufacturing PMI Remains Above the Boom-Bust Line, Downstream Manufacturing Industry Recovering**
In the early stages of the 2020 pandemic, the global Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) suffered a significant decline, reaching a near ten-year low. After the initial outbreak in early 2020, China's Manufacturing PMI fell to a multi-year low of 35.7% in February 2020, but rebounded in March and remained above the boom-bust line for 13 consecutive months. By March 2021, it had increased by 1.3 percentage points to 51.9%. China's Manufacturing PMI indicates that the domestic economy is maintaining a recovery trend, the manufacturing sector is in good shape, and the industry remains in an expansion phase.
Manufacturing PMI Indicator (Source: National Bureau of Statistics)
Additionally, at the beginning of 2020, the industrial added value indicator for manufacturing hit a low of -1.8%, with the industrial added value indicators for general equipment manufacturing and specialized equipment manufacturing at -5.4% and -2.2%, respectively. Following this, there was an upward trend, and by March 2021, the industrial added value for manufacturing had risen to 15.2%. The industrial added value for general equipment manufacturing and specialized equipment manufacturing exceeded the industry average, reaching 20.2% and 17.9%, respectively, clearly indicating a recovery in the manufacturing sector.
Manufacturing, General Equipment Manufacturing, and Specialized Equipment Manufacturing Industrial Added Value (Source: National Bureau of Statistics)
The State Actively Promotes Smart Development and Fosters Innovation in Industrial Robotics Technology
China's manufacturing transformation not only requires leading enterprises to drive reform and innovation but also necessitates the support of national policies to accelerate the process. In order to implement the "Made in China 2025" initiative, robots play a crucial role in the development of smart manufacturing. To promote the healthy development of the industrial robotics sector, the government has introduced a series of policies to support and encourage technological innovation and the growth of the industrial robotics industry.
（数据来源：公开资料整理）
Industrial Robots as Key Equipment for Manufacturing Automation Upgrades: Enormous Industry Potential
Industrial robots are crucial for the automation upgrade of the manufacturing sector, offering significant industry potential. By introducing a standard system, the industry aims to raise entry barriers and promote technological innovation among enterprises, thereby increasing technical barriers. The development of industrial robots in China has spanned several decades, with an initial standard system already in place. In recent years, the robotics industry has seen rapid growth. The "14th Five-Year Plan" and the 2035 Vision Outline, proposed in 2021, emphasize the continued encouragement and promotion of smart industry development, from which the industrial robotics sector will benefit. Specific initiatives include fostering innovation in robotics and implementing the "machine replacement" plan, with domestic substitution becoming a key theme in the future.
Digital Upgrades and Automated Production Become Essential
In recent years, the aging population and rising labor costs have weakened China's manufacturing competitiveness and impacted labor-intensive industries. The manufacturing sector is under increasing pressure, heightening the uncertainty of the industry's future. This situation has brought about a new turning point for industry transformation, where breaking the status quo to fully implement automated and digitalized production is expected to become widespread. As a result, industrial robots are gradually becoming essential equipment for manufacturing enterprises.
