Under the wave of intelligent manufacturing and industrial automation, the collaborative robot (Cobot) market has become an important growth point in China's industrial automation field. According to the latest report "China Collaborative Robot Market Share, 2023" released by the International Data Corporation (IDC), the size of China's collaborative robot market will exceed 1.48 billion yuan in 2023, with shipments reaching 30,000 units. This trend reflects the increasingly indispensable role of cobots in industrial manufacturing and intelligent transformation, while demonstrating the enormous potential of this field.
Market Landscape & Key Players
In the competitive landscape of the market, several domestic and foreign companies dominate, especially in terms of technological innovation, product diversification and market expansion. Enterprises such as AUBO Intelligence, JAKA Robot, DOBOT, Universal Robots, ELITE, Han's Robot and REALMAN have firmly occupied the forefront of the market with their technological advantages and diversified products.
These vendors continue to push the boundaries of collaborative robotics and increase market penetration through the widespread adoption of their products. Universal Robots, for example, is a global leader in collaborative robotics and has quickly gained a large market share by continuously improving its technology and expanding its network of collaborations after entering the Chinese market. Domestic companies such as JAKA and AUBO have captured the specific needs of local customers through customized solutions and localized services.
Chart: IDC: Market share of major manufacturers in China's collaborative robot market
Industry applications and market trends
The use of cobots in various industries is becoming more and more widespread, especially in the industrial sector. According to IDC's report, the industrial market accounts for 74.5% of the cobot market, with typical applications in industries such as automotive manufacturing, 3C electronics, and metal processing. These industries primarily use cobots to perform operations such as welding, assembly, handling, and quality inspection, helping companies to dramatically improve productivity.
In addition to the industrial sector, the market for non-industrial applications is also rising rapidly. Industries such as healthcare, education and scientific research, and new retail have a growing demand for collaborative robot technology, especially in scenarios such as medical surgery assistance, STEAM education, and logistics sorting, where collaborative robots have demonstrated their unique value. In 2023, the scale of cobot applications in the non-industrial market has reached 380 million yuan, and this number is expected to grow steadily in the future.
Technological innovation and cost reduction
The rapid growth of the cobot market is inextricably linked to technological advancements. As technology continues to break through, cobots have made significant progress in terms of precision, safety, flexibility, and ease of use. These advancements have not only improved the overall performance of robots, but also driven down their prices, making the use of cobots in small and medium-sized businesses more popular.
In this process, the deep integration of collaborative robots with cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) is also an important driving force for the development of the industry. For example, by integrating vision sensors and AI algorithms, cobots are able to more intelligently adapt to complex work environments and make adjustments based on real-time data, further improving productivity and accuracy. Li Junlan, research manager at IDC, pointed out that the continuous advancement of technological innovation and the continuous reduction of total cost of ownership (TCO) will make the application of collaborative robots wider and deeper in the future.
Overseas expansion and international markets
With the saturation of the domestic market and the increase in global demand, Chinese collaborative robot companies are also accelerating the layout of the international market. By participating in international exhibitions, cooperating with overseas distributors, and establishing overseas R&D centers, many Chinese manufacturers are actively expanding their international business. For example, AUBO and JAKA Robot have successfully sold their products to Europe, North America and Southeast Asia markets by cooperating with distributors in many regions around the world. The international layout not only helps enterprises expand their market share, but also enhances technical exchanges and cooperation with international counterparts, and promotes the common progress of global collaborative robot technology.
This kind of globalization strategy is crucial for the future development of Chinese cobot companies. With the acceleration of global automation, there is a surge in demand for flexible, efficient, and relatively low-cost collaborative robots in the international market. With their cost-effective advantages and fast-response technical services, Chinese manufacturers are gradually establishing competitiveness in the international market.
User needs and future prospects
According to a survey conducted by IDC in 2024 on Chinese industrial robot users, collaborative robots are the type of robots that enterprises are most willing to purchase in the next three years, and 57% of surveyed enterprises plan to purchase collaborative robots. This not only reflects the strong growth potential of the cobot market, but also shows the trust that users have in the technology and their expectations for its future applications.
Figure: IDC: Collaborative robots are the robot products that users plan to purchase with the highest willingness in the next three years
The main advantage of cobots is that they can work safely alongside human workers and are easy to program and redeploy. This flexibility makes them particularly suitable for small and medium-sized businesses, especially in industries where production tasks change frequently or flexible production lines are required. With the rise of labor costs and the intensification of the trend of "machine substitution", the advantages of collaborative robots in improving production efficiency and reducing labor costs will become more prominent.
Policy support and industry innovation
In recent years, the Chinese government has been actively promoting intelligent manufacturing and industrial automation, and has issued a series of supportive policies. These policies not only provide a good development environment for the collaborative robot market, but also encourage more enterprises and scientific research institutions to increase investment in this field. For example, the "Made in China 2025" strategy clearly proposes to enhance China's international competitiveness in the field of intelligent manufacturing, and collaborative robots, as an important part of it, will play a more important role in the future development.
At the same time, technological innovation in the industry is also driving the progress of the collaborative robot market. Domestic and foreign enterprises have invested heavily in R&D in the flexibility, accuracy, and safety of robots, so that collaborative robots can be competent for more complex tasks. In the future, with the popularization of 5G technology, the real-time communication and remote operation capabilities of collaborative robots will be further improved, bringing greater application potential to more industries.
conclusion
Overall, the rapid growth of China's collaborative robot market is due to technological innovation, market demand and policy support. With the continuous advancement of intelligent manufacturing and digital transformation, collaborative robots will play an increasingly important role in industrial and non-industrial fields. Looking forward to the future, collaborative robots will continue to expand their application scope in the fields of automobile manufacturing, 3C electronics, medical health, education, etc., and exert greater influence in the global market. The future collaborative robot market, both in China and on the international stage, will be full of opportunities and challenges.
