"China is not yet a leader in innovation in robotics, but it is only a matter of time before Chinese robotics companies catch up with the leaders," according to the Washington-based Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF).
Replacing humans with robots is often to save on labor costs. Accordingly, developed countries with high wages will have higher robot penetration rates than countries with lower wages.
However, ITIF found that China is using more automation than would be expected based on worker wages in manufacturing, with 12.5 times more robots than expected. In contrast, the US is only using 70% of the robots it should be using.
China's pace of robot production and deployment in manufacturing is growing faster than other countries. (Photo: SCMP)
ITIF's analysis of China's robotics industry is based on research of major companies and consultation with global experts.
Research shows that the pace of robot production and deployment in China is accelerating faster than any other country. The Chinese government has made the development of the robotics industry a priority, suggesting that the country’s robotics companies are likely to soon become leading innovators.
“China is now the world’s largest industrial robot market. By 2022, 52% of the world’s total industrial robots will be installed in China, up from 14% a decade earlier,” said ITIF President Robert D. Atkinson, author of the report.
China's booming robot market can be attributed to strong domestic demand and strong policy support. The world's second-largest economy has a good manufacturing base and a complete industrial chain. The country is capable of providing technical support for robot development and has a wide range of applications.
Robots are now used in a wide range of sectors of the Chinese economy, including manufacturing, logistics, hospitality, healthcare and construction. “China’s automotive industry is now the world’s largest, which is also a benefit driving China’s adoption of robots, as the automotive industry is a major customer for industrial robots,” said Atkinson.
Despite being a pioneer in the field of robotics, the United States lags behind the world in robot exports due to a lack of long-term investment. The leading companies today are from Germany, Japan and Switzerland. China dominates the production and use of robots.
“China has been the world's largest industrial robot market for eight consecutive years,” said Mr. Atkinson.
According to ITIF, China's booming robotics market has been supported by large subsidies from various levels of government, which have encouraged the adoption of robots and other automation technologies.
The huge and rapidly growing demand for industrial automation has spawned a plethora of robotics startups, many of which are based in Dongguan city (Guangdong province, southern China), an area known for its large-scale robotics industry.
The rise of these startups signals significant advantages and cost efficiencies.
“Companies in Dongguan can develop a new technology product five to 10 times faster than in Silicon Valley or Europe, at only one-fifth or one-quarter of the cost,” said Professor Li Zexiang at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
The ITIF report also pointed out that China's robot industry is still heavily dependent on foreign technology, with many components imported mainly from companies in Japan, Germany and Switzerland.
Despite the positive growth, the report notes two areas where China still lags. First, software, which accounts for about 80% of a robot’s value and is key to its quality and flexibility, remains a weakness for Chinese companies.
Adding to the software shortcomings is a lack of innovation. Many Chinese automation products look similar to those from Fanuc in Japan or Boston Robotics in the US, suggesting a tendency toward copying rather than originality.
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