China has unveiled a five-year plan to achieve its ambition to become a global innovation hub in robotics by 2025. It hopes to achieve this by focusing on improving key components such as servo motors and control panels.
Releasing its five-year roadmap, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said on Tuesday that the operating income of the country’s robotics industry is expected to increase by 20% on average between 2021 and 2025.
This industry grew at an average annual growth rate of 15% between 2016 and 2020, with operating income topping 100 billion yuan ($ 15.69 billion) for the first time last year.
The density of manufacturing robots in China reached 246 units per 10,000 people last year, nearly double the global average, according to the ministry. This parameter is used to measure the level of automation in a country.
Wang Weiming, spokesperson for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, is quoted in a report by the state newspaper China Daily.
Concerted efforts will be made to achieve breakthroughs in basic robot components, such as speed reducers, servo motors and controls, which are considered the building blocks of automated machines, Wang said.
“The goal is that by 2025 the performance and reliability of these components made in China can reach the level of advanced foreign products,” he said.
The Chinese government expects high-end robots to be adopted in more industries, including automotive, aerospace, railways, logistics and mining.
Citing figures from the National Bureau of Statistics, the report said cumulative production of industrial robots in China reached 330,000 units in the first 11 months of this year, an increase of 49% year-on-year.
According to the 2021 World Robot Report, the global density of industrial robots reached an average of 126 robots per 10,000 employees last year. This figure was 66 units in 2015. The three most automated countries were in Asia-Pacific: South Korea with 932 units for 10,000 employees, Singapore with 605 units, and Japan with 390 units. Germany was in fourth position, followed by Sweden in fifth position. France only takes 16th place in the ranking, with 194 industrial robots for 10,000 employees.
Asia / Australia recorded the highest average robot density by region at 134 units, while Europe recorded 123 units and the Americas 111 units.
The report points out that China’s robot density growth is “the most dynamic” in the world, fueled by a significant increase in facilities. The country’s density rate was just 49 units in 2015, up from 246 units last year. China currently ranks ninth in robot density, down from 25th in 2015.
Japan is the world’s largest manufacturer of industrial robots, providing 45% of the world’s robot supply. The country recorded a production capacity of 174,000 units last year.
Source: “ZDNet.com”