Domestic robots, don't think about "eat a fat man in one bite"

5 years ago, Wang Tingyou and several "comrades" co-founded Beijing Saibite Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Saibaiite").

Wang Tingyou has more than 20 years of experience in enterprise management, and the other founders have professional research in control technology, intelligence, and the Internet of Things. Two of the initiators are professors of Beihang University, one of them is Chen Youdong, who is also the dean of the Saibaite Research Institute. He has long been devoted to the research of industrial robot motion controllers and servo drives, and has participated in and presided over a number of national projects such as the National 863 Major Program and the "High-end CNC Machine Tool and Basic Manufacturing Equipment" major project.

In the early days of the business, they established two directions, one is the Internet of Things, and the other is robots, aiming at palletizing robots in industrial robots. The industrial robot industry that Saibaite has entered is facing multiple pressures such as weak domestic core technology, late start compared to foreign countries, and import monopoly. Saibaite is also facing the test of creating something from nothing.

Stand up from palletizing

At present, industrial robot technology is basically concentrated in a few companies in Japan and Europe, such as servo motors, reducers, control systems and other core components are mostly used in Switzerland. ABB, Germany's KUKA, Japan's Fanuc and Yaskawa Electric are controlled by the "Four Families".

Because the core components of robots rely on imports, it is still difficult for domestic enterprises to compete with foreign enterprises in the high-end field. Most of my country's domestic robots are used in handling, loading and unloading, brazing and other fields. Robots such as welding and spraying, which are widely used in the automotive industry, are basically monopolized by the "four families".

It is also difficult for a newly established company to compete with these giants. Therefore, in 2012, Wang Tingyou and "comrades in arms" chose the palletizing robot. First, their team itself has a certain amount of technical precipitation. Among the founders, Chen Youdong is an expert in the field of robotics. He has professional research on the control system, and he controls the technology; The prototype is being tested and has a good operating record of more than 6 years. Secondly, the threshold in the field of palletizing robots is relatively low and it is easier to enter. "The palletizing market is relatively fragmented, the customer's purchase demand is small, and the amount of a single order is not large, so it was not the market that several foreign giants mainly attacked at that time. There was a time difference, which gave Saibaite a good deal. The expansion time." Wang Tingyou, general manager of Saibaite, recalled to "CEConline".

In 2012, an imported palletizing robot sold for RMB 500,000 to RMB 600,000. At that time, the price of Saibaite was nearly half of that in foreign countries, which was basically more than RMB 300,000. "As a user, the price factor must be considered, and at the same time, Saibite can provide good after-sales service. Compared with foreign countries, Saibite has advantages in terms of product performance and price, so It quickly opened up the market in the field of palletizing." Wang Tingyou said.

However, in the past two years, foreign robot companies have realized that the palletizing market is also very large, and they have paid more and more attention to the field of palletizing, and continuously increased their investment in the field of palletizing. Due to the pressure of market competition, the prices of foreign products are also falling sharply, and they are basically at the same price level as domestic products

. However, due to the constraints of cost, it is impossible to lower it, otherwise it will be a price war.

With less "time lag" and price advantage, Saibaite began to devote more power to the improvement of performance. At present, the user's pursuit of speed is endless, the faster the better, but the increase in speed will also increase the hidden dangers of safety, so while the speed is improved, the safety must also be improved simultaneously, which is also one of the current robotics fields. technical challenges. Wang Tingyou is also confident now, "It's not that the price of foreign products is close to ours, and consumers will not recognize it." He said that the grasping speed of Cybetter's palletizing robots is basically the same as that of foreign countries, and the work efficiency is not inferior to foreign countries; In addition, customers need to have a matching production line when they buy a robot, and the matching production line is also developed and manufactured by Saibite, and the two can be perfectly matched. Foreign robot companies often only sell robot bodies and do not directly face domestic users. The supporting lines basically cooperate with customers through domestic manufacturers or agents. These manufacturers or agents are often mixed.

In addition, as a user, if there is a problem with the product, it is hoped that it can be quickly resolved without delaying production. This is the first appeal. Wang Tingyou told "CEConline": "Sabaite has advantages over foreign companies in terms of service speed and solution capabilities. If there is a problem with the supporting line of foreign robots, the manufacturer may be able to solve it by himself, but if there is a problem with the robot body, the manufacturer has At that time, we did not have the ability to repair, and if we had to hire experts from the robot company, it would involve expensive costs. Some problems even had to be returned to the factory for repairs, which would delay production.”

After 5 years of development, Saibaite has In the field of palletizing, it has gradually established its own brand awareness. "Customers have developed strong recognition and trust in Saibaite through the experience and use of domestic robots in the past few years. From the perspective of customers, the gap between domestic and imported palletizing robots has become smaller and smaller." Wang Tingyou Say.

Technical upgrades for user needs

Since 2013, China has become the world's largest consumer market for industrial robots.

Preliminary statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology show that by 2016, there are more than 800 robot companies in the country, of which more than 200 are robot body manufacturing enterprises, and more than 50 companies are involved in robot business. .

Saibaite grew up in the tide of robot development in recent years, and the emerging companies developed in these years are constantly breaking the existing pattern of the industrial robot market. Like the price shock mentioned above, the emergence of a large number of robot companies has greatly reduced the cost of using robots. However, in the current highly competitive industrial robot industry, it is not easy for enterprises to form a unique and superior competitive advantage, and unique technologies or products are rare in this industry. Especially for emerging robotics companies like Saibetter, they will not only have to deal with the offensive of foreign companies in the future, but also strive to catch up with domestic companies with strong capital and strong technology accumulation.

In recent years, the country has also continuously introduced various policies to support the development of robots, and robots are also one of the ten major areas supported by "Made in China 2025". However, it cannot only rely on the promotion of national policies. In the future, it will also depend on the efforts of enterprises themselves, and on breakthroughs and innovations in key technologies. Wang Tingyou said: "The state is also continuously investing in financial support, but most enterprises themselves started late, and the gap cannot be made up at once. The technological progress of enterprises is bit by bit, and it is based on the past to improve and innovate. It's hard to say that a unique new technology is suddenly born. Don't think of 'eat a fat man in one bite', but catch up bit by bit."

"Or it is business model innovation, which does not directly compete with products. , like the shared bicycles that became popular last year. However, there are still very few companies that can achieve model innovation in the field of robotics. This industry is more about products and technologies, and based on previous accumulation, it is constantly close to customers to find solutions. "Wang Tingyou said.

For the field of robotics, the strength of technology is undoubtedly the core competitiveness, which is also the basis for enterprises to gain a foothold and even develop rapidly, but simply talking about technological advantages is too general conceptualization. Cybetter is also continuously investing in talents and funds to do a lot of research and development in technology, but they first focus on user needs. In Wang Tingyou's view, a lot of technological progress now depends on the needs of users, and the technology of enterprises in need of users is valuable. "Enterprises must survive first, they must have a certain market share, and they must find ways to meet the needs of users. Based on this, we continue to improve our products and improve the solution capabilities, work efficiency, and stability of the entire product system. We A lot of progress is in the actual communication with customers, problems are discovered through the early application of products, gradually solved, and naturally avoided in future products, so that the overall performance of the product continues to improve." Wang Tingyou said to "CEConline" .

In Wang Tingyou's view, the advancement of technology is only one of the points. As an enterprise, it does not mean that having technology means everything. An enterprise is a manifestation of comprehensive strength. The technical direction established in the direction of customer demand often has more practical application significance, and it can also be recognized by the market quickly, and continuously improve the reputation of the enterprise in the industry, and the product market share will become larger and larger, which is for enterprises. It is also a key point that the main measurement indicator of the "Fortune 500" is sales. The continuous increase in market share can ultimately in turn promote the development of enterprises and enhance the company's research and development capabilities.

Last year, Saibaite also made a small adjustment in its operation. In addition to the high-speed and heavy-duty robots it is currently doing, it will also be involved in light-duty robots in the future, such as sorting robots, to expand its categories and keep expanding. On the service side, from a palletizing robot and supporting line to an integrator of system solutions. "While enterprise products are diversified, they must be more in line with user needs and provide users with personalized solutions." Wang Tingyou said.

This year, Saibaite has also introduced more funds. The China Agricultural University Alumni Fund has invested 20 million in them, which has solved its financial guarantee for a period of time in the future, "because expanding the market share of products depends on The amount of capital is prepared, and the capital turnover of the robot market is relatively slow. To make 100 million yuan, you must have an investment of 50 million yuan. To make 1 billion yuan, you must prepare at least 300 million yuan of funds. Therefore, in order to increase the market share At the same time, the premise is that there must be a certain amount of capital reserves." Wang Tingyou said.

Last year, Saibaite achieved sales of about 80 million yuan, and this year's goal is 120 million yuan. Wang Tingyou hopes to reach 200 million to 250 million by 2018, doubling this year's basis, and to 500 million in 2019, so as to obtain more sources of funds in the capital market. "This can better promote the development of enterprises, such as greater investment in product innovation, and better market services." He finally said.

My Dream of Made in China

CEConline: How do you see the future of China's manufacturing industry?

Wang Tingyou: China is known as a manufacturing power rather than a manufacturing power, because the overall performance and quality of the products are still not outstanding. It is often mentioned that Japan is the electronic product, and Italy is the clothing design. Therefore, China will definitely transform into a manufacturing powerhouse in the future, that is, to produce more sophisticated and more value-added products. China has also been going in this direction in recent years. For example, color TVs, refrigerators, and washing machines used to use Japanese brands. Now basically Chinese brands can keep pace with Japanese brands. "Made in China 2025" is to solve the problem that the manufacturing industry is too big but not strong.

"CEConline": Please predict what will happen to Cyberspace in 10 years?

Wang Tingyou: I definitely hope that the company will be big and strong, be a century-old store and a century-old brand. In terms of products, I hope to have more and more intelligent products. I hope that in 10 years, Saibaite will become a respected enterprise and can provide better services to customers. This is a direction we insist on; in 10 years, Saibaite will have an annual output value of 5 billion, and the entire manufacturing process will reach 5 billion. The field can enter the first camp.

"CEConline": What will your personal life and work situation be like 10 years from now?

Wang Tingyou: Saibaite currently has a group of core talents like Liu Guoliang, Zhang Fangjie, Wang Hao, etc. which are growing rapidly. On the one hand, I will spare no effort to assist them in sticking to our original dream and make Cyberspace bigger and stronger in the next ten years.

Picture/ Cyberspace