Yaskawa Electric announced that it would provide local manufacturers with robot control technology and drive control units for servo motor of robot, which are the core technology for Chinese robot manufacturers. Although the company size of Yaskawa and the Chinese manufacturers differ, such transmission of technology may enable these manufacturers to become its business rival in the future, said Mr. Masahiro Ogawa, Executive Officer at Yaskawa Electric Corporation in an interview.

What do you think about the transmission of this technology to Chinese manufacturers?
“The “Made in China 2025” business plan is projected to see an increase in the number of technological products from China in the market such as electric vehicles (EV) and semiconductors. It is estimated that the Chinese robotics industry would also be likely to grow at the same rate. Currently, Yaskawa, which is considered one of the four major companies, occupies more than 70% of the market shares in China and will expand our business in the Chinese market. However, in the years to come, the Chinese local manufacturers are likely to have more than half of the market shares.”

What is the purpose of providing China with technological support?
“We have provided China with the robotics technology that our company had developed so that Chinese manufacturers can save cost and produce more high-quality and reliable products. Simultaneously, our technology can be more prevalent in China. In other words, it is for us to build a win-win business relationship with China.”

What is then the purpose of supplying the drive control units for Servo Motor to China?
“Our robotics technology department has supplied the drive control units to Chinese manufacturers to provide them with technological support as well as opportunities to perform better in the market and enhance our collaboration in the future. We will also supply our vertical articulated robots to them in order to establish business partnership rather than us being competitors.”

What is your future plan?
“While the robotic technology in China is growing, we aim for an increase in our sales target as well. We will also provide Taiwanese manufacturers with our drive control units, which is considered “our heart and soul” as their demands for such technology is growing. In addition, the expanding IoT will enable us to get into the Chinese market for control and sensor units more extensively, which will elevate our competitiveness and expand our market in additional products apart from servo motor.”