China’s Industrial Robotics Market in 2025

In 2024, China’s industrial robotics market navigated a period of adjustment, with annual sales reaching approximately 340,000 units amid moderated growth. This slowdown, influenced by subdued demand in traditional sectors and overcapacity in new energy industries, belies a significant underlying shift: the rapid rise of domestic manufacturers is fundamentally reshaping the competitive landscape.

I. Market Overview: Diverging Growth Trajectories

The market is transitioning from past high-speed growth to a more mature, stable phase:

• • Past Boom (2019-2022): Fueled by policy support and explosive demand from sectors like EVs, lithium batteries, and photovoltaics.

• • Recent Slowdown (2023-2024): Characterized by economic headwinds and slowed investment in previously hot sectors.

• • Outlook (2024-2027): A projected 8% CAGR is expected, driven by economic recovery, resilient consumer demand, and a growing export market.

Product Segment Performance Varies:

• • 6-Axis Robots (64% share): Sales slightly contracted, impacted by cooling investment in PV and lithium battery sectors, though large-payload models for automotive remained stable.

• • SCARA Robots (24% share): Saw steady growth, buoyed by a cyclical upturn in the 3C electronics industry.

• • Collaborative Robots (7% share): The standout performer with over 20% growth in 2024, driven by broader industry adoption and increasing international sales.

• • Delta Robots (3% share): Maintained stable, modest growth in established niches like food and pharmaceuticals.

II. Competitive Dynamics: The Domestic Decade

The balance of power is shifting decisively towards local champions.

• • Domestic Brands on the Offensive: Leaders like Estun and Inovance are gaining significant share in automotive, electronics, and metalworking through competitive pricing and rapid innovation. The collective share of Chinese brands has surged from 28% in 2020 to a projected 55% in 2025.

• • Foreign Brands Under Pressure: Established international players retain a stronghold in high-end applications (e.g., automotive welding) but face a dual challenge of market softness and intense domestic competition, leading to declining sales.

• • Intensifying Price Competition: The market, particularly in segments like collaborative robots, is becoming increasingly price-sensitive, squeezing profit margins across the board.

Robot Brand	Sales Growth Rate in 2024	Analysis
FANUC	-40.0%	Demand for new energy vehicles and electronics businesses declined, while domestic substitution accelerated.
ESTUN	20.0%	Benefiting from the domestic substitution trend, high-speed growth was achieved in automotive, electronics, metal processing, and other sectors.
Yaskawa	-4.0%	Demand in industries such as photovoltaic and lithium batteries declined, influenced by domestic substitution.
KUKA	11.0%	By the end of 2024, the company launched multiple new products for niche segments, further improving its product portfolio and achieving rapid growth in industries such as new energy vehicles, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and semiconductors.
INOVANCE	40.0%	Leveraging its customer base in the automation field, the company quickly entered the industrial robotics sector, with its SCARA robots ranking first in market share due to their high cost-effectiveness.
ABB	-11.0%	Reduced investment in the automotive and electronics industries led to a decline in demand.
Epson	-5.0%	The Chinese market experienced sluggish demand, a slow recovery, and the accelerated rise of domestic brands.
EFFORT	32.9%	Adjusted prices, compressed profit margins, and enhanced product competitiveness.
Yamaha	-4.0%	Impact of domestic substitution and insufficient domestic demand in the consumer market.
Kawasaki	-2.0%	Reduced investment in the automotive and electronics industries led to a decline in demand, coupled with the rapid development of domestic brands.
Others	–

III. Application Landscape: Core Drivers and New Frontiers

Automotive (27% share) and Electronics (21% share) continue to be the primary growth engines. The EV revolution, in particular, is fueling demand for large-payload 6-axis robots in welding and assembly.

Emerging application areas like semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods are becoming key growth vectors, especially for collaborative robots.

In terms of tasks, Material Handling (39% share) and Welding (22% share) dominate current robot deployments.

Приложение	Sales Growth Rate in 2024	2024 Market Change Analysis
Automotive Manufacturing	10.0%	In 2024, the new energy vehicle industry continued its rapid growth, driving increased demand for industrial robots.
3C Electronics	11.3%	Cyclical recovery in the electronics industry in 2024 stimulated demand growth.
Metal Processing	1.6%	Driven by downstream demand from sectors like new energy vehicles and aerospace, the metal processing industry maintained steady growth in 2024.
Lithium Battery	-9.5%	Overcapacity in the lithium battery industry led to a continued decline in its performance throughout 2024.
Food and Beverages	1.9%	The food and beverage industry maintained stable growth in 2024, leading to steady increases in demand for industrial robots.
Solar Energy	-17.6%	Overcapacity in the photovoltaic industry became prominent in 2024, intensifying market competition and causing continuous price declines, resulting in a significant drop in demand within the PV sector.
Household Appliances	1.7%	The national “trade-in” policy boosted demand in the home appliance industry in 2024.
Medicine	4.6%	Affected by factors such as expanded centralized procurement and market competition, the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry generally experienced low-to-mid-speed growth in 2024.
Logistics	2.5%	The logistics industry demonstrated robust growth momentum in 2024 and is accelerating its intelligent transformation.
Daily Chemicals	5.0%	The daily chemical industry overall showed a stable growth trend in 2024.
Others	–

IV. Company in Focus: Estun Automation – A Blueprint for Local Success

Estun exemplifies the strategy driving the success of China’s top industrial robotics firms.

• • Integrated Value Chain: The company controls over 90% of its core component technology, including controllers and servo systems, providing a critical cost and supply chain advantage.

• • Financial Resilience: It reported revenue of ~¥4 billion in 2024, with a substantial 34% derived from overseas markets, highlighting its global reach.

• • Strategic Foresight: Strategic acquisitions (e.g., Trio in motion control, Cloos in welding) provided core technology and global channels. The company is now investing in next-generation frontiers, including humanoid robots.

V. Future Outlook: Smarter, More Globalized

1. 1. Domestication Goes Upmarket: The focus of import substitution will shift from volume to value, with domestic players increasingly competing in high-margin, complex application segments.

1. 1. The Intelligence Imperative: Convergence with AI, 5G, and edge computing will be key to developing robots capable of working in unstructured, dynamic environments.

1. 1. Borderless Expansion: Chinese robotics companies are aggressively building global sales, service, and manufacturing footprints, signaling their evolution into truly global competitors.

Conclusion: China’s industrial robotics market is at an inflection point. The era of broad, volume-driven growth is giving way to a new chapter defined by technological sophistication, strategic globalization, and the undeniable ascent of domestic leaders who are set to play an increasingly prominent role on the world stage.

Data source: Wintelligence