Spike in China's exports of factory robots as global supply chains shift

Shipments of made-in-China robots triple in value from 2020 to reach $1.45b in 2024

- Joyce ZK Lim

SHENZHEN/SINGAPORE/BEIJING As new factories spring up in South-east Asia and elsewhere in a global rejig of supply chains, made-in-China robots that staff production lines and handle logistics are rolling out with them.

Shipments of factory robots from China — including robots produced there by foreign manufacturers — have risen every year since the Covid-19 pandemic, nearly tripling in value from 2020 to reach US$1.13 billion (S$1.45 billion) in 2024.

Exports for the first half of 2025 hit US$746 million, a year-on-year growth of almost 60 per cent, according to figures from China's General Administration of Customs. The top three destinations were Vietnam, Mexico and Thailand, The Straits Times' calculations show.

"The sharp rise in shipments (to these countries) underscores the ongoing shift of manufacturing capacity away from the mainland," said Dr Dan Wang, China director at consultancy Eurasia Group in Singapore. She added that the bulk of such exports were lower-end models for the automotive and electronics sectors.

Trade tensions, rising costs and a pursuit of supply chain resilience have prompted Chinese and foreign firms to diversify production from the "factory of the world".

The relocation of supply chains represents a business opportunity for Chinese industrial robot-makers in a market dominated by Japanese and European incumbents, said Mr Su Lian Jye, chief analyst at Singapore-based technology research firm Omdia.

"If a Chinese company is expanding overseas, they will bring their local supplier (of factory robots) along as well," he said.