How China’s Industrial Robot Makers Won a Majority of the Home Market

Chinese industrial-robot brands now sell a majority of the robots shipped into their home market. MIR Databank figures cited by Estun put their share at under 29% in 2020 and about 55% in 2025. That is a substantial change in sales volume, but it does not mean domestic suppliers have taken the lead in every factory application.9

How much of the market is domestic?

The International Federation of Robotics reports that Chinese manufacturers supplied 57% of new industrial-robot installations in China in 2024, up from 47% in 2023—the first time they exceeded foreign suppliers on that measure.2 MIR-based reporting puts domestic brands at about 55% of shipments in 2025.9 Installations and shipments are different measures, so the two percentages should not be read as consecutive points in a single series.

Estun and Inovance: two routes to scale

Estun ranked first among all brands for Chinese-market industrial-robot shipments in 2025, according to MIR-based reporting. It shipped roughly 33,400 units, for about 10% of the market. Inovance ranked third overall and second among domestic brands, with approximately 9.2%; its share of the SCARA segment was about 25%.937

Both companies bring automation capabilities to the contest, not just robot arms. Estun offers motion-control products including servo drives, servo motors and controllers alongside its robots.26 Inovance’s established position in AC servos and drives likewise gives it a broader motion-control business to draw on.621 These capabilities can help suppliers develop integrated offerings, but vertical integration is not the same as making every part of every robot locally.

Component localization has advanced—but remains uneven

Controllers, servo systems and precision reducers are central to industrial robots. Industry disclosures describe accelerating Chinese localization across all three, while other reporting notes continued reliance on foreign suppliers for some high-precision reducers and premium motion components.1821 The distinction matters: gaining a domestic source for a component does not, by itself, establish that it meets every customer’s requirements for accuracy, durability and performance.

Where can local brands compete—and what comes next?

Domestic suppliers have gained ground in electronics and cost-sensitive automation, including handling and assembly work suited to SCARA robots. Battery and photovoltaic production are also important markets for Chinese automation suppliers. Their success in those settings should not be taken to mean they have displaced foreign platforms throughout automotive or semiconductor manufacturing.3834

Fanuc, ABB, Yaskawa and Kuka remain established competitors where customers place a premium on proven precision, reliability and production know-how.330 Kuka is owned by China’s Midea, but it is generally discussed with those incumbent robot brands rather than as a newly developed domestic platform.6

The harder contest is over the production system around the arm. In demanding applications, buyers must consider process software, offline programming and integration with an existing line—not simply the robot’s purchase price. Changing platforms may entail reworking programs, retraining operators and validating a process again. For Chinese suppliers to expand further into high-end automotive and semiconductor cells, they will need to show that the complete system performs reliably enough to justify those switching costs.338