Through unremitting efforts, we have finally achieved certain results. The Beijing Lifting and Transportation Machinery Research Institute, Tsinghua University, China Academy of Postal Sciences Postal Science Research and Planning Institute, Shenyang Institute of Automation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian Combined Machine Tool Research Institute, National University of Defense Technology and East China Institute of Technology are all developing different types of AGVs and putting them into small-batch production.
Research on AGVs in China started relatively late. In 1976, the Beijing Lifting Machinery Research Institute developed the first AGV and built the first AGV ball bearing processing demonstration system. Subsequently, it developed a unidirectional AGV with a load capacity of 500 kg, and bidirectional AGVs with load capacities of 500 kg, 1000 kg, and 2000 kg. It also developed several relatively simple AGV application systems.
In 1988 , the Beijing Postal Science and Technology Research Institute of the former Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications developed the AGV for postal hubs.
Starting in 1991, the Shenyang Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences/Siasun Robot & Automation Co., Ltd. developed and produced six AGVs for buses for use in the Shenyang Jinbei Automobile Factory. This can be considered a relatively successful example in the automotive industry, and it won the third prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award in 1996.
In 1992 , Tianjin University of Technology developed an optically guided AGV for nuclear power plants.
In 1995 , China exported its AGV technology to South Korea, marking the first time that China's independently developed robot technology entered the international market.
With the rise of e-commerce and the development of the logistics industry, my country's AGV research and manufacturing has made significant progress. Newcomers and established players alike, such as Hy Robotics, Siasun, Quicktron, and Geek+, have entered the market. Currently, according to incomplete statistics, there are more than 50 warehouse AGV companies in China. Several leading domestic companies in AGV research and manufacturing have already reached or surpassed international standards in certain aspects of the AGV field.
In 2001 , China joined the World Trade Organization and returned to the world economic stage, which was a huge opportunity for China's manufacturing industry and indirectly promoted the development of domestically produced AGVs.
Openness is a two-way street. On the one hand, China's manufacturing industry faces a broader market; on the other hand, it faces fiercer competition. Multiple factors are driving the manufacturing industry towards large-scale and high-efficiency development, leading to an increased demand for automated equipment, which in turn provides a foundation for the application of AGVs.
During this period, some AGV companies from Europe, America, and Japan also began to enter the Chinese market. Foreign AGV technology further promoted the development of domestic AGVs. On the one hand, the entry of software vendors such as NDC brought new technologies to domestic companies. On the other hand, some of the early manufacturers that acted as agents for foreign products subsequently embarked on the path of independent development.
The first decade of the 21st century was a period of steady development for the domestic AGV industry. Beyond the automotive sector, traditional manufacturing industries such as tobacco, fiberglass, chemicals, food, and light industry began to gradually introduce AGV applications, extending their reach into various sectors of the national economy. Representative companies also began exporting their AGVs and AGVS to developed countries and regions, expanding their reach overseas.
After 2010, my country's demographic dividend began to decline from its peak, and the costs of traditional factors such as land and energy continued to rise, leading to a significant decrease in the rate of return on capital. At the same time, demand for high-end industrial products continued to grow. Specifically, after 2012, my country's equipment manufacturing industry developed rapidly; the output value of automobile manufacturing and computer, communication, and other electronic equipment manufacturing increased significantly, becoming the two largest industrial sectors.
With the demographic dividend gradually disappearing and manufacturing development accelerating, the country is also focusing on promoting the overall upgrading of the manufacturing industry. In 2015, "Made in China 2025" was officially issued. This is a major strategic deployment made by the Chinese government based on the general trend of international industrial transformation, aiming to comprehensively improve the quality and level of China's manufacturing development. As a result, a wave of automation upgrading in the domestic manufacturing industry has begun to emerge.
Besides the manufacturing industry, the rapid development of China's e-commerce industry is also a key factor driving the development of domestically produced AGVs.
From 2010 to 2020, the rapid growth of China's e-commerce industry led to a surge in the volume of express delivery business, placing new demands on the efficiency of e-commerce logistics. The emergence of warehouse robots not only alleviated the difficulty of improving the efficiency of e-commerce logistics but also further boosted the development of the entire AGV industry in China.
Since 2015, Kiva-like warehouse robots have been officially applied in China. Seeing the potential of this application, many companies have entered the market, and capital has also begun to pay attention to this industry.
Around 2015, the number of market players increased from over ten to nearly 60. Currently, there are over 200 active AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) manufacturers. In the past five years, the market size of industrial mobile robots (AGV/AMR) in China has also climbed from over 1 billion yuan to over 7 billion yuan, with annual output value growth exceeding 20% for five consecutive years. It is expected to continue its high-speed growth model in the future.
The influx of new capital and investment has propelled the rapid development of domestically produced AGVs, resulting in increased market vitality and accelerated technological innovation. Xinguang Technology, also known as Jiangsu Xinguang CNC Technology Co., Ltd., is a high-tech enterprise engaged in the R&D, manufacturing, sales, and service of automated intelligent equipment. The company boasts a strong automation technology design team with twenty years of experience, possessing industry-leading core technologies in intelligent robot applications and loading/unloading gantry manipulators, as well as extensive experience in other complete production line automation upgrades. For more information on Xinguang Technology's products, please contact us.
