Nov 15, 2017

The Robot Report November 14, 2017 Huachangda Intelligent Equipment , a Chinese industrial robot integrator primarily servicing China’s auto industry, has acquired Swedish  Robot System Products (RSP) , a 2003 spin-off from ABB with 70 employees in Sweden, Germany and China, for an undisclosed amount. RSP manufactures grippers, welding equipment, tool changers and other peripheral products for robots. China is in the midst of a national program to develop or acquire its own technology to rival similar technologies in the West, particularly in futuristic industries such as robotics, electric cars, self-driving vehicles and artificial intelligence. China’s Made in China 2025 program will “support state capital in becoming stronger, doing better, and growing bigger, turning Chinese enterprises into world-class, globally competitive firms,” said President Xi at the recent party congress meeting in Beijing. Made in China 2025 has specific targets and quotas. It envisions China domestically supplying 3/4 of its own industrial robots and more than 1/3 of its demand for smartphone chips by 2025, for example. These goals are backed with money: $45 billion in low-cost loans, $3 billion for advanced manufacturing efforts and billions more in other types of financial incentives and support. Over the last two years there have been many targeted acquisitions by Chinese companies, of robotic companies in the EU and US. Following are the major ones: Huachangda Intelligent Equipment , a Chinese industrial robot integrator primarily servicing China’s auto industry, has acquired Swedish  Robot System Products (RSP) , for an undisclosed amount. HTI Cybernetics , a Michigan industrial robotics integrator and contract manufacturer, has been acquired by  Chongqing Nanshang Investment Group  for around $50 million. HTI provides robotic welding systems to the auto industry and also has a contract welding services facility in Mexico. Midea Group , for around $4.5 billion, last year acquired the world’s 4th largest robot manufacturer, Germany-based Kuka AG . The Kion Group , a predominately Chinese-funded warehousing systems and equipment conglomerate, acquired Dematic , a large European AGV and material handling systems company. Kion also acquired Egemin Automation , Retrotech and Linde Material Handling . KraussMaffei , a big German industrial robots integrator, was acquired by  ChemChina . Paslin , a US-based industrial robot integrator, was acquired by  Zhejiang Wanfeng Technology , a Chinese industrial robot integrator. Baidu  acquired Silicon Valley vision systems startup  Xperception   for an undisclosed amount. Servotronix , an Israeli motion control and automation systems company, was acquired by  Midea Group  for $170 million. Servotronix, founded in 1987, develops and manufactures comprehensive and high performance motion control solutions.