Four new robotics projects valued at 1.26 billion yuan ($203 million) started construction in Chongqing's Liangjiang New Area on June 19, contributing to further development of the robotics industrial cluster in the Area.

The four projects are the Chongqing branch of the National Robot Test and Assessment Center, Chongqing Liangjiang Robotics Application Center (Institute), Kawasaki Robot System Integration and Manufacture Base and Liangjiang Robotics Incubator Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Upon their completion, the annual output value is expected to reach 4.5 billion yuan.

The commencement ceremony for the projects was held in the Shuitu Industrial Development Zone in Liangjiang. Liangjiang's government officials and directors of the four projects were present at the ceremony.

"Robotic is a crown jewel in manufacturing industry," said Tang Zongwei, vice director of Liangjiang’s administrative committee at the ceremony. China's industry goes robotics in recent years and especially holds an important position in the field of the industrial robots. To conform to the developing trend, Liangjiang has listed robotic industry as one of its top ten emerging industries and decided to give it a priority to develop, Tang explained.

Wei Fangqiang, vice director of the Green and Intelligent Technology Research Institute of CAS and the leader of the CAS project in Liangjiang, said that the academic institutes and robotics companies in Chongqing enter into cooperation to integrate human resources and the most advanced technologies for the construction of the incubator center in Liangjiang. Their common goal, Wei announced, is to improve the quality and performance of "made-in-China" robots and build a good reputation for them in international market.

Head of the robots division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Yasuhiko Hashimoto, was assigned to take the helm in the manufacture base in Liangjiang. At the commencement ceremony, he explained the reasons why the Japanese industrial robot maker decided to invest here.

"Chongqing is a charming metropolis. It has a large labor force, variety of business sectors and industries and great geographical advantages. It is predictable that robots will be in great demands in Chongqing."

In addition to expanding market, Kawasaki also plans to attach importance to education on robotics technologies, with a view to promote Liangjiang’s overall competence as a robotics power center in West China.

Liangjiang’s government officials and directors of four new robotics projects attend the commencement ceremony in Liangjiang, Chongqing on June 19. [Photo/liangjiang.gov.cn]

Edited by Mevlut Katik