On October 13th, the European Trade Commission approved Midea Group's acquisition offer for German industrial robot giant KUKA Group, marking the removal of major administrative obstacles in the KUKA acquisition case. On the same day, it was reported that a Chinese enterprise led by Shanghai Electric intends to acquire the robot business of Comau, a subsidiary of the famous Italian automaker Fiat Group. And another major Italian robotics company, Gimatic, was just acquired by Hande Capital in June this year. European robotics companies have become the hottest acquisition targets for Chinese companies.
Why do Chinese companies have a special preference for European robotics companies? On the one hand, this is because China has become the largest and fastest-growing market for industrial robots in the world, and domestic industrial robots can currently only meet a small and medium-sized part of its demand. On the other hand, Europe has strong capabilities in the manufacturing and application of industrial robots. Five of the top ten industrial robot application countries in the world are located in Europe. Among the world's four major industrial robot manufacturing companies, Europe has two, including KUKA and the Swedish Swiss joint venture ABB. Overall, Europe's overall level in the field of industrial robots is comparable to that of Japan, both in the first camp and ahead of the United States and South Korea.
As is well known, in 1959, American inventors Frank DeVor and Joseph Ingeborg teamed up to create the first industrial robot. Subsequently, the world's first robot manufacturing company was established. Most of the theoretical and technological breakthroughs related to robots have also occurred in the United States. Why did the European industrial robot industry catch up from behind? This is not unrelated to the unique population structure and legal environment in Europe, as well as the encouragement from governments around the world.
After World War II, Western Europe has been facing the problem of insufficient labor force in the process of industrial revival, and its legislation on labor environment and conditions has always been known for its strictness. At the same time, in order to compete with American large-scale industry, Western Europe has always had an urgent demand for industrial upgrading. These factors not only promote the prosperity of the European industrial robot industry, but also encourage European countries to encourage the emerging industrial robot industry in their policies. Taking Germany as an example, in the 1970s, the German government made mandatory regulations on the use of robots in the "Improvement of Labor Conditions Plan": some toxic and hazardous jobs must use robots, which truly pushed robots to the market as an administrative measure. The plan proposed in 1985 to advance into the field of intelligent robots led to the application of robots in various industries in Germany. In 2012, Germany launched the "Industry 4.0" plan, which focuses on building "smart factories" and aims to improve the flexibility and personalization of industrial robots. It is expected to push the level of German industrial robots to a new height. Under the influence of Germany, Britain and France have also launched their respective national robot industry plans.
Although the overall level of the European industrial robot industry is at the forefront of the world, it still faces problems and challenges. Firstly, there is a huge gap in the equipment level of industrial robots among countries. Germany, Italy, Sweden, and Finland are relatively developed, while France and the United Kingdom are relatively backward. Germany has 323 industrial robots per 10000 workers, while the UK has only 71. Secondly, there is an imbalance in the application field of industrial robots. Except for Germany, most European countries' industrial robots are concentrated in the fields of automobile manufacturing and electrical equipment manufacturing, which has led to insufficient utilization of the industrial advantages of European industrial robots.
In order to consolidate Europe's advantage in the robotics industry, the EU launched the "Spark" program in 2014, investing 2.8 billion euros in robot research and development. The focus of this plan is to promote the application of new generation information technologies (big data, Internet of Things, cloud computing, etc.) in industrial robots, enhance their learning and collaboration abilities, and promote robots to more industrial production fields. The EU has multiple considerations for choosing the field of robotics as a breakthrough point for future industry. Firstly, the global demand for industrial robots will experience explosive growth in the coming decades. Secondly, industrial robots are in line with the overall trend of labor shortage in Europe's aging society. At the same time, they can leverage the advantage of high labor education and training levels in Europe and avoid its disadvantage of high costs. Finally, according to the relevant departments of the European Union, the large-scale use of industrial robots will not only not cause new unemployment, but will also create new job opportunities, which will help curb the trend of European factories relocating and strengthen the competitiveness of European industry.
It is worth mentioning that the EU's promotion of the "Spark" program adopts a decision-making model that combines professional associations and governments. The European Robotics Association is the main body of the program and can better reflect market demand and corporate voices, while the EU plays a role in promoting and supervising. In addition, the investment of funds also adopts a public-private partnership model, with the EU investing a quarter of it and the rest being invested by association enterprises, ensuring the efficiency of fund utilization.
China's transformation into a manufacturing powerhouse relies heavily on the assistance of industrial robots. Apart from acquiring leading international robotics companies such as KUKA, can our government and industry learn from successful experiences in foreign industrial policies and cultivate China's KUKA?
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