Foreign robot-makers seek market share at CIIF  

Shanghai (CNS) -- Foreign robot manufacturers are eager to grab a larger share of China's massive market, a reporter from CNS learned Wednesday at the ongoing 14th China International Industry Fair (CIIF) in Shanghai.

"Our robot can smartly handle operations in factories and also dance to the recently popular Gangnam Style music," said an exhibitor from Japan's Mitsubishi Electric Corp.

Labor costs are soaring for the manufacturing sector in China, said a manager from Japan's Denso Corp. Industrial robots only need the proper programming, and they will never leave, so more and more factories are favoring them, he said.

Robot manufacturing is among the few sectors with rapid growth internationally, said Dai Haibo, an officer from the CIIF committee. About 166,000 robots were sold on the international market in 2011, up 38 percent from 2010; sales hit US$8.5 billion, up 46 percent, Dai added.

According to data from the International Federation of Robotics, the number of installed industrial robots increased by 136 percent from 2008 to 2011, and growth of another 15 percent is expected in 2012.

The fair, scheduled from November 6 to 10, covers an exhibition area of 140,000 square meters. Altogether 1,648 companies are attending, including more than 60 firms specializing in industrial robotics.