Beijing preparing action plan for robotic industry

The capital is drafting an action plan to map out further development in Beijing's robotic industry and form a complete industrial development framework, a senior official said on Wednesday.

"We will promote robotic development in advanced manufacturing, medical health, as well as storage logistics, to create a more suitable environment for the industry's development in Beijing," said Wang Gang, director of the Beijing Economy and Information Technology Bureau, at a forum of the World Robot Conference 2019 held at Beijing's Daxing district. The conference will run through Sunday.

In recent years, authorities in Beijing have formulated several policies to support the development of robots in innovation and entrepreneurship.

There were more than 400 robot companies in Beijing last year, including more than 50 manufacturing enterprises, Wang said, adding that the total industry revenue in the capital reached 10 billion yuan ($1.42 billion) by the end of 2018.

"Beijing owns complete industry chain in robotic development, starting from robotic system integration, core products to the key components setup," he said.

A batch of innovative companies and unicorn enterprises is also clustered around the Zhongguancun Science Park in Beijing's Haidian district, he added.

Due to the rising labor costs, the demand for robots in service and manufacture sectors will be huge in the future, said Qu Daokui, president of the China Robot Industry Alliance and CEO of Shenyang-based Siasun Robot and Automation Co.

"China's robot industry growth recorded decline for the first time in six years last year since some traditional industries, such as automobiles and 3C, saw slower growth recently," he said. "But we should also see new opportunities in potential markets."

A wider application of robots, in service and firefighting, will feature more non-standard products in the future, he added.

Wang, the bureau's director, said: "Robots for special use and coordinated development will become key points in Beijing's robotic industrial development."

The capital will also support some major robotic enterprises to form a chain of cooperation, as a way to promote the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, he said.