THE BACK PAGE by Editor Andy Pye
THE RED DRAGON’S ROBOTS TAKE SHAPE
China will lay claim to 40 per cent of total worldwide robotic sales by 2019, an increase from 27 per cent in 2015. China is currently the biggest shareholder of the robotic global market at a net worth of $30 billion (£21.4bn). Back in 2015, China’s government devised a
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massive tech plan to become the leader in several industry sectors, including medical, aerospace, energy, and robotics. Along with this initiative, it developed the Robotics Industry Development Plan. Within five years, China wants, not just to buy, but to be able to manufacture at least 100,000 industrial robots a year by 2020, instead of importing from foreign companies. The country is also investing heavily into
accompanying technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence. All of this is to construct a highly developed automated workforce. A year ago, Chinese appliances giant Midea
acquired the German robot-maker, Kuka, for €4.5 billion (£4bn), and also the Israeli motion control specialist Servotronix Motion Control in a transaction reported to value Servotronix at $170m. The Servotronix portfolio includes motion controls, encoders, servodrives, stepper motors, servomotors, and linear and rotary direct-drive motors. But Kuka needs to lower costs and win
48 /// Environmental Engineering /// March 2018
hina’s Made in China 2025 industrial initiative is positioning the country to become a sector leader – especially in the field of robotics. According to the International Federation of Robots (IFR),
government recognition as a local brand to become the number one supplier in the Chinese market, according to an executive. “Kuka has a reputation for reliability, but as you know, as a German company, they are not really well-known for low- cost products,” said Midea vice-president Andy Gu. “We need to really work very hard to figure out
how we can really reduce these costs. In the meantime, Japanese competitors are very aggressive in terms of grabbing market share.” But ahead of the takeover, Midea agreed to protect jobs and plants in Germany until the end of 2023 and not to pursue a domination agreement or delisting of the company’s shares. “China can manufacture simple robots, but
nothing complicated like the six-axis ones by Japan, Germany, and the USA,” said Zi Yang, a China analyst from the Jamestown Foundation in Washington, DC. Meanwhile in Europe, according to IFR, the UK,
despite being the only G7 country, has a robot density below the world average, and behind all its significant European counterparts (Germany, France, Spain, Italy. Sweden, Slovakia and Slovenia). General industry is highly in need of necessary
investment in order to modernise and increase productivity. There are currently many suggested investment plans for capacity expansion and modernisation of foreign and local automotive companies. But it is not evident whether companies will hold back investments due to Brexit uncertainties. EE
❱❱ China wants to be able to manufacture 100,000 industrial robots a year by 2020
❱❱ To read more on robotics, scan the QR code or visit
http://goo.gl/PaiTpY
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