In the future, robot applications will be combined with AI technology to achieve one-click debugging and layout, and KUKA China is also cooperating with a number of AI companies such as Deepseek.
In the Kuka Intelligent Manufacturing Science and Technology Park of Shunde Midea, the amazing scene of "robot production robot" is staged every day.
On February 11, the first financial reporter saw a row of orange KUKA robots working together on the assembly automation production line of the science and technology park, some screwing and some installing core components...... In just 30 minutes, a new robot is ready to roll off the assembly line.
These new members also need to be carefully adjusted manually before they officially take up their posts. Behind this is a vivid portrayal of the broad application prospects of the robot industry and the gradual improvement of domestic parts. At present, 85% of the parts and components of the science and technology park have been localized.
Chen Feng, director of operations and human resources of KUKA China, told the first financial reporter that the future robot application will be combined with artificial intelligence (AI) technology to improve the efficiency of tuning. It would have taken one or two hours or a day or two to adjust, but after importing a specific data model, the same type of intelligent manufacturing production line will be able to realize one-click robot debugging and layout.
"Producing a robot in 30 minutes is not very fast. If the market needs it, KUKA China can produce a robot in 20 minutes, and it is possible to produce a robot in a few minutes or a minute in the future." Chen Feng said.
Robots are widely used in various industries
The German KUKA Group is one of the world's four largest robot companies, and launched the first generation of six-axis robots in 1973. Midea Group officially acquired KUKA Group in 2017, Midea KUKA Intelligent Manufacturing Technology Park was put into use in 2019, and KUKA East China production base (mainly logistics automation business) will be put into operation in Kunshan in 2023.
In the exhibition hall, the first financial reporter saw that KUKA robots have been applied to the production, logistics and other links of different customers in more than 10 replicated scenarios. According to the staff, a well-known car company has used more than 200 sets of KUKA robot injection molding unmanned workstations, which are expected to reach more than 300 sets in 2025.
It can be seen at the scene that the robot automatically installs the seat into the cabin of the car, the robot handles the precision silicon wafer semiconductor materials, and the robot can pick up 800 kg of heavy objects at a time, the robot palletizes, and the robot welds.
In addition to industrial robots, KUKA also has automated warehouse systems. The staff said that the three-dimensional warehouse system can achieve a maximum of 48 meters, in addition to room temperature storage, -25 °C, -30 °C deep freezing can also be used, has been used by a number of retail and logistics enterprises.
KUKA's collaborative robot IIWA was localized in Shunde last year. It is mainly used in joint replacement surgery, surgical orthopedic surgery and other medical fields, and the output value of a single unit is very high.
"KUKA robot applications cover a wide range of industries." Chen Feng told reporters that first of all, the automotive industry, new energy vehicles are booming in China, and KUKA robots can be seen on the production lines of many car companies; It is followed by lithium battery, new energy, photovoltaic, aerospace, 3C electronics, consumer goods, dairy products, retail channels and other industries.
This year, KUKA China will further promote diversification. Chen Feng revealed that KUKA China not only makes robots, but also makes all-round solutions, and expands its business such as three-dimensional warehouses and medical logistics solutions while developing industrial robots.
Domestic parts and components have gradually become large-scale
Behind the diversified application of robots, the supporting capacity of domestic parts is also developing.
At present, the annual output of Shunde Midea's KUKA Intelligent Manufacturing Science and Technology Park is about 30,000 units, which is the largest robot production base in China, and has the R&D and manufacturing capabilities of the whole industry chain, which can develop and manufacture core components of robots such as reducers, motors, controllers, etc., and can also develop and manufacture light-load, heavy-load, collaborative and other types of robots; Its laboratory focuses on the research and development of core components, robot bodies, heavy-duty robot application fields, etc.
Chen Feng revealed that KUKA China has achieved autonomous and controllable robot ontology technology, and has also made great progress in core components. The motor began to realize the technical autonomy and controllability last year, and the reducer has been independently controllable in some small models, and other components such as castings, balance cylinders, cables and other aspects have also been independently controllable. "Except for some large reducers that have not yet been localized in batches, other components have basically been localized."
In the Shunde Park, in addition to KUKA China, there are 7-8 supporting suppliers, which have formed an industrial ecology of robots. In the past, most of the domestic robot industry chain was laid out in East China, but since KUKA China settled in Shunde in 2019, a large number of suppliers have been introduced to support the surrounding areas, and 80%-90% of its parts and components are currently purchased in South China. In the next step, it will further work with peers to improve the level of localization.
With the improvement of the localization of parts and components, coupled with the proximity to customers and the saving of logistics costs, KUKA robots have saved about one-third of their production costs in Shunde compared with before, and the delivery cycle is also shortening, from two or three months to two or three weeks. "After the customer places an order, we have to put the robot in the hands of the customer within a month." Chen Feng said.
Humanoid robots are the direction of robotics. Chen Feng said that humanoid robots, like industrial robots, also need to use core components such as motors, controllers, and reducers. At present, KUKA China is also making technical reserves in humanoid robots. When will the humanoid robot be introduced to the market, there are still some technical difficulties being developed and discussed.
AI+ robots are just around the corner
KUKA China's strategy for 2025 is to promote localization, internationalization and intelligence. Chen Feng revealed that the robots that KUKA used to develop and manufacture abroad will also be developed and manufactured in China in the future. With the improvement of production efficiency in China, it can help KUKA expand its market share overseas. KUKA will also apply AI technology to robot control, making robots easier to use and more convenient to operate, so that everyone can afford to buy robots, use robots, and use robots well.
For example, he said, for example, let the robot palletize different boxes, using traditional algorithms, to enter the volume, weight, length, width, and height of the boxes in advance, so that it can calculate the best ranking scheme. If AI technology is applied, after the robot performs a visual scan, the AI will automatically calculate how it handles the palletizing more efficiently. In other words, after all the previous programming is turned into an algorithm of one or a few seconds, the robot can automatically complete the instructions.
"We now want to apply AI technology in every process and every link, which is our goal." Chen Feng said that at present, the algorithm involving visual control will be implanted first, and then the algorithm of force control will be implanted, and finally it may be in the absence of vision and force control sensing, so that the robot can operate autonomously.
Following the direction of Chen Feng's finger, the reporter saw that there was no deviation in the arm collaboration and welding trajectory of the two KUKA robots. "At present, we use intelligent programming technology, and if we use AI technology in the future, such as replacing the intermediate welded sign from 'Midea' to 'kuka', it can be achieved within a few seconds, and we still need to do some detail control and programming, so that there is no need to program in advance in the future, which can save a lot of labor and costs."
In addition, in the future, if the robot is networked and monitored online, AI can be used to predict which parts may fail in the future, and the factory can send the parts to customers in advance, which greatly improves the operation and maintenance efficiency of the robot and saves the manpower and cost of debugging and installation. Last year, KUKA China began to invest in this area, hoping to realize the application of intelligent control technology in the next three years, and is also cooperating with a number of AI companies such as Deepseek.
"AI is a tool, and in the future, it is necessary to integrate the data models accumulated by the market and customers into KUKA's AI platform, and in turn use AI algorithms and models to control the robot, making the debugging and installation of the robot easier." Chen Feng said.
Lu Hanchen, director of the High-tech Robot Industry Research Institute (GGII), predicted to the first financial reporter that China's industrial robot market in 2025 is expected to be more optimistic than in 2024, with a growth rate of about 5%-10%, and the demand for automobiles, 3C, lithium batteries and other industries will be slightly better than in 2024. This year, the sales share of domestic robots will continue to increase, and it is expected to exceed 60%. "To a certain extent, it is imminent for foreign brands of industrial robots to accelerate the strategic layout of China's localization."
Chen Feng revealed that in January this year, KUKA China's orders were good, on the one hand, the overseas layout of new energy vehicle companies increased, and on the other hand, the demand for intelligent production in industries such as 3C electronics was also increasing. "We will grasp this year's opportunities from three aspects: products, customer service and market channels." Kuka's revenue exceeded 30 billion yuan last year, with China accounting for a quarter, and this proportion will increase in the future. Domestic robots will make breakthroughs in accuracy and load, and make efforts in the mid-to-high-end market.
"This year, the competition in the robot industry will continue to be fierce. Foreign robot manufacturers have built factories in China, and domestic robot manufacturers have set up R&D centers and production bases overseas", GGII predicts that from the competitive pattern of the domestic industrial robot market, the share of TOP 10 manufacturers is expected to increase, and the number of domestic manufacturers among the TOP 10 is also expected to increase, and the industry will be more differentiated.