China's robotic prowess continues to grow

Chinese robot makers outperformed foreign brands by recording faster growth in industrial robot output last year, according to industry players.

"A total of 88,992 industrial robots were sold in China in 2016, representing a 26.6 percent year-on-year growth, among which, domestic suppliers installed 29,144 units, up 30.9 percent from that of 2015," said Qu Daokui, president of the China Robot Industry Alliance and CEO of Shenyang-based Siasun Robot and Automation Co.

Qu added that Chinese suppliers have also expanded their market share in China to 33 percent, compared to 32 percent in 2015.

Andreas Bauer, chairman of the International Federation of Robotics Robot Suppliers Committee, also noted in his Global Market of Industrial Robots report that about 290,000 industrial robots were installed globally in 2016, up 14 percent year-on-year.

China has since 2013 been the world's largest industrial robot market and its domestic suppliers have been moving up the supply chain by offering more high-end products such as articulated robots, or robots with rotary joints, in recent years.

In 2016, 61.5 percent of the robots sold in China were articulated robots, a 35.4 percent year-on-year increase. Meanwhile, about 40.4 percent of robots sold by domestic suppliers were articulated units, a rise of 92.7 percent from sales in 2015.

Industry experts also said that the market share of domestic robots in the automotive and 3C (computer, communication and consumer electronics) sectors has been growing. Foreign robots currently have an 85 percent stake in the automotive sector and a 60 percent stake in the 3C industry.

Bauer said there is still great potential in the Chinese market as robot density, defined as the number of robots per 10,000 persons in the manufacturing industry, is just 49, below the global average of 69. Major robot markets such as South Korea, Japan and the United States have density figures of 531, 305 and 176 respectively.

According to the robotics industry development plan issued by the central government, China is aiming to hit a robot density of 150 and achieve an annual output of more than 100,000 industrial robots, with more than half of them being articulated units, by 2020.