Robot maker plans expansion

Midea's robotic unit doubles production capacity to increase presence in China

Midea Group's robotic arm, in Germany, KUKA AG, will expand production capacity of robots and robotics systems in China, as the country's demand for the machines has been booming recently, according to a senior manager of the company.

"KUKA is working closely with Midea to look for business opportunities," said Wilfried Eberhardt, chief marketing officer of the company. "We will soon double the production capacity in China as the demand for robotics is increasing in the country."

The company's expansion plan was a move in accordance with a strategy of its parent company, which aims to promote the use of robotics in industrial and smart home appliances.

According to Eberhardt, the firm has started an expansion project in Shanghai, helping to double its capacity for robots and big systems.

In addition, the company will also increase its production capacity of a plant in Kunshan, Jiangsu province, for larger production of smaller systems.

Eberhardt said that KUKA's robots can be widely used in automotive, electronics, logistics, e-commerce, metal manufacturing and healthcare industries.

"Our robots are designed to make humans' life easier," he said.

On Thursday, KUKA displayed a number of medical robots at the Appliance and Electronics World Expo in Shanghai.

KUKA's KBR Med robot components provide precision, flexibility, safety, responsiveness and other features that can be effectively applied in orthopedic surgery, ultrasonic diagnosis and minimally invasive surgery by integrating the capabilities of the most acclaimed robots in the field of medical technology.

"Collaborative robots will be handy for home use by Chinese families," Eberhardt said.

According to Olaf Gehrels, general manager of Midea Robotics Company, the robotic industry will reach a scale of 100 million units by 2025, of which the Chinese manufacturers are predicted to take 50 percent.

"We are bringing together sensors, vision and voice, navigation, grasping, force control and more into one single user experience that bridges all our product areas－we call this the new era of the human-robot interface," Gehrels said.

"We believe that robotics and motion control are the future－robots will become (an) important part of logistics, medical and healthcare and even smart home appliances," he added.