ABB expands robot line-up for China to tap mid-sized customers

By John Revill

ZURICH (Reuters) -ABB is launching three new families of factory robots designed specially for China, the Swiss engineering company said on Wednesday, as it aims to benefit from rising demand for automation among mid-sized companies.

The machines will work in sectors like electronics, food and beverage, and metals, handling tasks like polishing and placing products around production lines, the Zurich-based company said.

Sales in China's so-called mid-market section — where robots perform less complex tasks, such as pick-and-place operations, packaging, or basic inspection — are expected to grow at 8% per year over the next three years when measured by value, ABB said, much faster than the global industry in recent years.

China's mid-market robotics segment has been increasing its levels of automation to tackle labour shortages and as the technology becomes easier to operate.

"With artificial intelligence, the robots are easier to use and therefore more appealing to customers who did not have them in the past," Sami Atiya, president of ABB's robotics & discrete automation business area, said.

ABB's new family of robots includes the Lite+, PoWa and IRB1200 robots, whose arms can carry different load sizes and work at different speeds according to customers' needs.

One of the robots can be operational within 60 minutes of being unpacked, the company said. It can be programmed by speaking to them or by watching the tasks they are due to perform. The robots will cost from around $20,000 to over $100,000, it added.

China is the world's biggest robotics market, installing 51% of new robots worldwide in 2023 according to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

China is ABB's biggest robots market, representing around 30% of its robots business.

Atiya did not think the threat of U.S. tariffs on China would affect demand for robots because of both the strength of its internal market and labour shortages.

The robots will be made at ABB's new factory in Shanghai.

The Swiss company earlier this year announced its plan to spin off its robotics division, which competes with Japan's FANUC Corp, Yaskawa and Germany's Kuka.

Atiya said the spin-off was still on track to conclude by the second quarter of 2026, but declined to comment on its potential valuation, or if ABB had been approached by buyers.

"We have to entertain anyone who is interested in a sale, but clearly our target is the spin-off," he added.

(Reporting by John Revill; Editing by Harikrishnan Nair)