How will local manufacturers respond when collaborative robots enter the era of value competition?
At present, the population of eligible labor force in China continues to decrease, labor costs continue to rise, and the tendency of manufacturing enterprises to "replace people with machines" is becoming increasingly apparent. Compared to traditional industrial robots, collaborative robots have the characteristics of low cost, lightweight, and high safety, which can better meet the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises for automation upgrades.
Data shows that the overall market size of collaborative robots (six axis) in China will be about 30000 units in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 28%. From the market performance in the first half of 2025, it is expected that the market size will exceed 40000 units for the whole year of 2025, and the growth rate is expected to sprint to 50%. With the continuous expansion of the application of collaborative robots in various industries and the prominent scale effect, the sales scale of collaborative robots in China is expected to exceed 100000 units by 2028.
With the rapid expansion of the market size, the industry landscape of collaborative robots is also undergoing changes. As of the end of 2024, there are about 130 global collaborative robot manufacturers, and competition is fierce.
International giants such as FANUC, ABB, and KUKA rely on their profound technological accumulation and strong brand influence in the field of industrial robots to occupy an important share in the high-end market. These enterprises have a relatively complete product line and solutions, and have certain advantages in fields that require high reliability and accuracy.
Domestic enterprises such as Yuejiang, Jieka Robotics, Estun, and Efte rely on local advantages and rapid response mechanisms to quickly seize market share. Among them, the global production base of Yuejiang Robot has successfully produced its 100000th robot this year, becoming the first Chinese robot enterprise to exceed 100000 units in shipment volume.
Currently, the reshuffling process in the collaborative robot industry is accelerating. The number of new manufacturers has decreased, and market resources continue to concentrate on top enterprises. Although this reshuffle may bring competitive pressure in the short term, it is beneficial for the healthy development of the industry in the long run and promotes the transformation from price competition to value competition.
How will players in the collaborative robot industry chain break free from internal competition and create irreplaceable value for the industry on this high growth golden track, with soaring sales, expanding scenarios, giant competition, and high cost pressures? Industrial Control Network has specially planned a special article for this issue, inviting core enterprises in the industrial chain such as Buche, Yuejiang, Jieka Robot, and Jiebote to share their experience in breakthrough cases and scenario implementation of collaborative robot technology.
Technological breakthrough, unlocking high-value scenarios
The collaborative robot industry chain covers core components upstream, robot body manufacturing and system integration midstream, and wide applications in multiple downstream scenarios. Among them, the core components are the key elements that determine the accuracy, load, stability and other key performance of collaborative robots, mainly including precision reducers, servo systems, frameless torque motors, etc. At present, the production of core components for collaborative robots in China is mainly jointly participated by local component manufacturers and ontology manufacturers, presenting a highly localized feature overall.
Taking the frameless torque motor, which is the mainstream choice for collaborative robots, as an example, it has become a key component for improving robot performance due to its compact structure and fast response speed. For example, the FMK series frameless torque motor recently released by BuKe, as an iterative fourth generation product, not only fills in the gaps of previous incomplete sizes, but also achieves comprehensive optimization in motor length and production technology; The RD series hollow drive, which is compatible with this motor and launched at the same time, further enriches the module combination solution.
From the perspective of performance improvement, these two types of products can empower collaborative robots in three ways: firstly, simplifying the structure, reducing the axial length, and directly reducing the overall volume and weight of the robot; The second is to improve dynamic response, lightweight the body to reduce motion inertia, and make acceleration/deceleration speed faster; The third is to optimize power density by using electromagnetic design, structural upgrades, and other means to enable motors to output higher power at the same size, or significantly reduce their size while meeting power requirements, effectively breaking through the bottleneck of equipment power and space adaptation.
Collaborative robot manufacturers mainly include FANUC, ABB, KUKA, Yuejiang, Jieka Robot, Estun, Efte and other enterprises. In recent years, the market landscape of collaborative robot manufacturers has undergone significant changes, and the technological gap between Chinese collaborative robot manufacturers and international leaders has gradually narrowed. With the continuous development of force control technology, safety perception technology, and vision technology, collaborative robots are capable of increasingly complex tasks, and their application scenarios have expanded from simple handling, loading and unloading to high-precision operations such as assembly, polishing, and polishing.
Precision improvement is one of the core indicators for measuring robot performance, which directly determines the range of tasks that robots can perform. In recent years, collaborative robots have made significant progress in accuracy, mainly due to continuous innovation in force control and perception technology.
For example, the JAKA S series of Jieka robots adopts an integrated design with high-precision six axis force/torque sensors embedded at the end, with a force control accuracy of 0.1N level, effectively avoiding the problems of external sensor space occupation and susceptibility to interference, and can withstand 3000N/300Nm impact.
Yuejiang Robot has developed an advanced force control polishing solution and implemented a self-developed compliant force control algorithm to dynamically follow the surface changes of the workpiece, automatically adjust the position and posture, and ensure a constant pressure between the polishing head and the contact surface, thereby improving the quality and efficiency of polishing. It has been successfully applied in high demand scenarios such as Mercedes Benz body polishing.
Jabote's unique multi joint integrated closed-loop control Hyper Ring ®️ Technology can achieve high rigidity of robots under specified degrees of freedom, while other degrees of freedom have a certain degree of flexible control, which can realize drag teaching that requires spatial constraints, as well as motion that requires flexible assembly processes and precise force control, such as maintaining constant contact force when a capacitive pen is used to draw lines on a capacitive screen.
Security perception is the core prerequisite for human-machine collaboration. With the continuous expansion of collaborative robot application scenarios, the requirements for safety technology are also increasing. At present, mainstream collaborative robot manufacturers mainly perceive external forces through current loops, joint torque sensors, safety skins, etc., to achieve effective detection of "collisions".
It is worth noting that Yuejiang Technology has launched the world's only mass-produced wearable electronic flexible skin SafeSkin, which allows the robotic arm to actively detect human bodies and obstacles within a 15cm range, predict and stop before collisions, avoid collisions, and increase the human-machine safety speed to 1m/s.
The deep integration of visual fusion collaborative robots and visual systems endows robots with "eyes" and "brains", greatly enhancing their environmental perception ability and operational flexibility. This fusion not only improves the positioning accuracy of robots, but also enables them to adapt to more complex and changing environments.
Faced with the complex challenges of dynamic working environments for robots, Yuejiang has launched the VX500 intelligent camera with 2.5D vision capability, equipped with a 5-megapixel high-definition camera, built-in LED light source and advanced 2.5D vision algorithm, which can accurately capture the six dimensional pose information (x, y, z, rx, ry, rz) of target objects, completely solving the problem of inaccurate positioning caused by uneven and inclined ground during the movement and handling process of composite robots. The positioning accuracy is as high as ± 0.26mm. At the same time, the camera also supports recognition and measurement tasks, and is plug and play with Yuejiang robots, greatly reducing deployment costs and time, allowing users to efficiently and flexibly build various machine vision application solutions.
The JAKA AL series launched by Jieka Robot breaks through the limitations of traditional industrial robot split architecture. Through deep integration of software and hardware and innovative self-developed algorithms, it achieves high integration of the robot body, gigabit level vision system, and software ecology. At the hardware level, the body is embedded with a 10MP pixel industrial camera, high-speed focusing motor, and dynamic ROI technology to achieve millisecond level automatic focusing and multi-level pixel frame rate switching. The repeated positioning accuracy can reach ± 0.03mm. The software ecology is deeply integrated with the JAKA Cobo π platform, with a built-in visual process package and visual data directly connected to the control bus. Users can call the preset process package with zero code to complete 90% of visual scene tasks including positioning and detection. It is ready to use, greatly improving on-site deployment efficiency.
With the rapid development of AI technology, the integration of collaborative robots and AI has become a new trend. The introduction of AI technology enables collaborative robots to learn and optimize operational strategies from large amounts of data, adapt to uncertain environments, and even quickly master new skills through demonstration learning and other methods. This ability expands the application boundaries of robots, enabling them to cope with more complex and diverse task requirements.
Among collaborative robot manufacturers, Yuejiang Robotics has been developing humanoid robots since 2023, emphasizing "mass production and deployment", and possessing multimodal perception and task generalization capabilities that are compatible with large models such as VLA. This innovation not only enhances the intelligence level of collaborative robots, but also lays the foundation for their future applications in more complex scenarios.
Jabote combines visual, force sensing, and simulation technologies, integrates partners' understanding of application scenarios, and creates robot products that can quickly "go on duty" and continuously learn and improve. This method effectively reduces the deployment cost of collaborative robots, shortens on-site deployment time, reduces dependence on robot expertise during deployment, and makes tasks faster and simpler.
From industry to daily life, collaborative robots are ubiquitous
The downstream end users of collaborative robots cover both industrial and non industrial fields. In the industrial field, automobiles, 3C electronics, semiconductors, and new energy have become the main battlefields; Non industrial sectors such as healthcare, catering, education, and new retail are also rapidly emerging.
In the industrial field, the automotive industry is one of the earliest and most mature areas for the application of collaborative robots. From component production to vehicle manufacturing, collaborative robots play an important role in multiple processes such as welding, gluing, assembly, and inspection.
The 3C electronics industry has a strong demand for flexible automation due to rapid product updates and frequent adjustments to production lines. Collaborative robots have found broad application space in this field due to their ease of programming and flexible deployment.
The new energy industry, especially lithium battery manufacturing, has extremely high requirements for the cleanliness, accuracy, and consistency of the production environment. Collaborative robots have demonstrated unique value in this field.
The application of collaborative robots in semiconductor packaging and wafer processing is gradually deepening, and their high-precision and high cleanliness characteristics perfectly meet the special needs of semiconductor manufacturing.
At present, leading enterprises such as Yuejiang Robotics are highly adapted to the "flexible production" mode in industrial scenarios, covering more than 200 application scenarios such as picking, palletizing, handling, loading and unloading, testing, assembly, gluing, welding, polishing, etc., serving well-known enterprises such as Toyota, Mercedes Benz, Porsche, CATL, Xinwangda, Foxconn, Samsung, Xiaomi, etc; The Jieka robot has achieved breakthroughs in high-end technology scenarios such as operation and maintenance of the "FAST" (FAST), welding of automotive water-cooled plates, polishing of aircraft engine/gas turbine blades, assembly of aerospace equipment components, and semiconductor packaging and testing.
In non industrial scenarios, collaborative robots have also shown great potential for application, changing people's lifestyles and service experiences.
Against the backdrop of increasingly severe labor shortages, service robots have become an important means of maintaining service quality. For example, in the field of commercial services, Yuejiang collaborative robots have been deployed in intelligent milk tea and coffee workstations, supermarkets, catering and other scenarios, serving customers such as Yaduo Hotel, Kudi Coffee, airports/ports, etc., improving service efficiency and customer experience. In the field of healthcare, the application of collaborative robots is also rapidly expanding. Collaborative robots can play an important role in surgical assistance, rehabilitation training, laboratory automation, and other scenarios, improving the accuracy and accessibility of medical services. At present, Yuejiang robots have settled in the largest clinical laboratory in Europe, Labor Berlin, and multiple physical therapy and rehabilitation institutions. As of 2024, the number of surgical robot applications has exceeded 200.
Compared with traditional industrial robots, collaborative robots will further deepen their application in industrial segmentation scenarios such as semiconductor precision operation, new energy battery testing, and non industrial scenarios such as elderly care and education training in the future. However, at the same time, the industry still needs to address challenges such as the potential for further reduction in core technology costs, and continue to drive the healthy development of the industry through technological innovation and scenario expansion.
From the current industry situation, the core of cost pressure is concentrated in the core component link. In the cost structure of collaborative robots, key components such as precision reducers, servo systems, and frameless torque motors account for up to 70%.
Among them, precision reducers have long relied on imports. In the past, imported harmonic reducers accounted for as much as 40% of the cost of collaborative robots. Although local manufacturers have achieved technological breakthroughs in the mid to low end reducer field in recent years, the high-end market is still dominated by foreign brands.
The servo system directly affects the dynamic response and positioning accuracy of robots, and its performance optimization requires continuous investment in research and development; The frameless torque motor currently presents a competitive pattern of "overseas leaders leading and domestic enterprises catching up". Domestic enterprises such as BuKe are gradually narrowing the gap with international leaders through continuous technological research and development and product iteration. However, the core materials of frameless torque motors, such as high-performance permanent magnets and precision components, rely on imports and have large price fluctuations, coupled with complex manufacturing processes, resulting in significantly higher single machine costs than traditional servo motors.
To break through the cost bottleneck and promote the localization and cost optimization of core components, it requires the collaborative efforts of the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain. On the one hand, local component manufacturers and body manufacturers need to strengthen cooperation and jointly develop and overcome bottleneck technologies such as high-end reducers and servo systems to improve localization rates.
Faced with cost pressure, companies in the industry optimize their cost structure and enhance product competitiveness through multidimensional measures. For example, by optimizing the design of new generation products, improving the automation level of production lines, and refining supply chain management, BuKe can reduce the production cost of components while ensuring quality, achieving the goal of "increasing quantity without increasing price". This full chain cost control method not only reduces the procurement cost of components, but also provides high cost-effective core components for manufacturers, forming a win-win situation in the industrial chain.
On the other hand, the industry needs to break away from the misconception of "simply competing on price" and shift towards the track of "value competition". As emphasized by Jieka Robot, the core demand for users to choose collaborative robots is not "low price", but whether the technology can solve the pain points of the scene, whether the service system is perfect, whether the enterprise can operate sustainably in the long run, and whether it can create long-term value for customers.
At present, Jieka Robot has established a complete software and hardware product system, covering hundreds of application scenarios such as industrial and service industries through precise hardware adaptation and deep software optimization. Among them, the micrometer level repeated positioning accuracy of ± 0.02mm and the highest protection level of IP68 in the industry enable it to operate in precise and harsh environments. The perception series endows robots with precise "touch" and "vision", expanding their applications in medical, semiconductor and other scenarios. In the field of embodied intelligence, Jieka is also one of the earliest companies in the industry to launch humanoid dual arm robots, and has also launched the JAKA Lumi embodied intelligence platform, building a complete education system from basic training to artificial intelligence innovation. In terms of software ecology, as the first domestic manufacturer to obtain Siemens SRCI certification, Jieka Robot achieves seamless integration with international production lines. At the same time, independently developed welding, palletizing, and machining process packages, as well as Cobo π teaching software, enable products to combine "high-precision execution" and "intelligent decision-making" capabilities, truly realizing the value commitment of "easy to use, useful, and affordable".
Technical performance is the most fundamental threshold, such as hard indicators such as force control accuracy, repeat positioning accuracy, and environmental adaptability. At the same time, customers also value the brand's industry experience and case accumulation, as production lines in fields such as automotive and 3C have extremely high reliability requirements. In addition, full lifecycle service support is also crucial. Localized rapid response and zero code software ecosystem can significantly shorten deployment and maintenance time, and reduce long-term operating costs.
For users, it is important to pay attention to whether robots can effectively solve industry-specific problems. Local enterprises have explored the path of business differentiation in the "value competition". Taking Yuejiang as an example, its 0.5-30kg full range product matrix can cover the diverse needs of 15 industries such as automotive manufacturing, 3C electronics, and semiconductors. The ± 0.02mm repeat positioning accuracy meets the requirements of high-precision operations; At the same time, through self-developed full stack technology, the procurement cost of core components is reduced, and the return on investment cycle for customers is shortened. This not only solves the problem of scene adaptation, but also balances the relationship between cost and performance. This "scenario oriented, technology driven cost reduction" model is the key logic for collaborative robots to break through cost bottlenecks and open up non industrial market scenarios.
Overall, China's collaborative robot industry is at a critical stage of upgrading from "quantity" expansion to "quality". In the future, with the acceleration of the localization process of core components, the deep integration of AI and vision technology, and the continuous expansion of non industrial scenarios, collaborative robots are expected to achieve large-scale implementation in a wider range of fields.
However, to achieve true explosive growth, the industry still needs to overcome challenges such as cost optimization, technological standardization, and ecological synergy. Only through collaborative innovation between the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain, promoting technological breakthroughs and deepening scene cultivation, can Chinese collaborative robots continue to enhance their competitiveness in the global market and empower a new future of intelligent manufacturing and smart living.
