South Korean media: China leads the industrial robot market, South Korea is struggling!
On September 22, the South Korean media "Seoul Economic Daily" published an article stating that last year, the global industrial robot market declined, while China was the only country that maintained continuous growth. Some are concerned that South Korean companies may be squeezed out of the robot market by China, just as they were in the drone market.
According to industry insiders, Ito Takayuki, president of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), announced at the recent "2025 World Robot Conference (WRC)" that the number of new industrial robots installed globally last year was 523,000, a decrease of 3% compared to the previous year.
Looking at the regions, all three major global markets saw negative growth, with Asia declining by 2%, Europe by 6%, and America by 9%. However, China was the only country that maintained growth, with a 5% increase in industrial robot installations.
Accordingly, China's share in the global industrial robot market will rise from 51% in 2023 to 54% last year. It is expected that China will add about 290,000 industrial robots this year, ranking first in the world.
As China becomes the leading global industrial robot market, South Korean companies are also seeking development opportunities. However, they are struggling to compete with their domestic rivals.
Looking at the performance of HD Hyundai's subsidiary, HD Hyundai Robotics, the net loss of its Shanghai sales subsidiary increased compared to the previous year, and the Jiangsu production subsidiary also recorded a net loss.
DaeWoong Robotics is also struggling in the Chinese market. The company entered the collaborative robot market in 2018 through a partnership with the largest Chinese industrial automation solution provider, Bosun Group. However, since 2020, the company has been continuously losing money, with an operating loss of 1.57 billion won in the second quarter of this year.
Industry insiders in South Korea unanimously believe that it is difficult to survive if they are at a disadvantage in price competition with Chinese companies, unless they adopt a differentiated strategy, such as using advanced artificial intelligence (AI). Just as in other areas where China is expanding its influence, South Korean companies are also struggling in the robotics sector due to aggressive pricing strategies.
An industry insider said, "The technical strength of Chinese companies has now reached a level comparable to global companies, and their price competitiveness is astonishing. In recent years, Chinese companies have also made a strong emergence in the high-end product market. We need to widen the gap with Chinese companies through technological strength."
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1843930396938251/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author."