Image Courtesy: UBTECH
China’s humanoid robotics industry has taken a major step toward mass production after UBTECH officially began operations at a new industrial humanoid robot factory in Liuzhou, Guangxi, on September 12.
The facility is designed to produce more than 10,000 humanoid robots each year, signaling a move beyond prototypes and small production runs toward continuous industrial manufacturing. UBTECH shares also climbed more than 3% in early trading on September 14 following the launch.
The 14,000-square-meter factory, with a building height of 13.8 meters, will primarily manufacture UBTECH’s Walker S Series and Cruzr Series embodied-intelligence industrial humanoids.
Its production line is designed to complete one humanoid every 10 minutes. A flexible mixed-line system allows multiple robot models to be manufactured on the same production line, reducing the need for extensive reconfiguration as products and production requirements change.
The factory itself also makes extensive use of robots. Humanoids handle tasks including depalletizing, palletizing and material loading, while collaborative robotic arms work alongside rotating assembly stations to tighten screws.
Each completed humanoid contains more than 2,000 screws in different specifications. Automated guided vehicles and unmanned forklifts move components throughout the facility, while finished robots are transferred to an automated three-dimensional warehouse.
UBTECH has also built traceability into the manufacturing process. Every robot receives a unique serial number that links its component sources, assembly parameters and inspection records, allowing the company to track individual machines for maintenance and troubleshooting.
The factory was developed with Siemens Digital Industries Software as part of a broader digital manufacturing initiative. Siemens’ Plant Simulation platform creates a 1:1 digital model of the facility, allowing engineers to simulate production flows, material movement and automated vehicle routes before making physical changes.
The companies also developed the Yanshee MOM manufacturing operations management system, which uses Siemens’ Intelligence Center X platform to coordinate production scheduling and factory operations.
The launch comes as competition in humanoid robotics intensifies, with Tesla developing Optimus and Figure AI pursuing large-scale manufacturing. UBTECH’s planned annual capacity gives it a substantial production base, although the company’s long-term success will depend on actual shipments, customer demand and the economics of manufacturing humanoid robots at scale.
