Chinese humanoid robot manufacturer UBTech Robotics has opened a new factory in Liuzhou, Guangxi, targeting an annual production capacity of 10,000 units. This scale-up addresses growing industrial ambitions, though market demand currently remains cautious.
Production Capacity and Factory Automation at the Liuzhou Plant
The new 14,000-square-meter facility in Liuzhou focuses on the serial production of UBTech’s Walker S and Cruzr model series, according to coverage by boerse-express.com. UBTech designed the production lines in close cooperation with Siemens Digital Industries Software, utilizing simulation software and a digital twin of the factory to optimize automation rates. The plant implements the “Yanshee MOM” system to manage complex assembly workflows. Each Walker-series robot consists of more than 2,000 screws and undergoes a testing program lasting over four hours before completion.
The facility itself relies on robotic labor internally. An automated warehouse coordinates 112 humanoid units within a 65-square-meter footprint, increasing space utilization by more than 50 percent according to company data cited by boerse-express.com. In addition to bipedal Walker models, the plant builds rolling Cruzr S2 and Cruzr Y1 robots, which transport parts boxes dynamically across the factory floor.
Market Demand and Industry Scaling Challenges
Despite the push toward mass production, integrating humanoids into commercial operations moves slowly. According to International Federation of Robotics (IFR) figures cited by Reuters, global shipments of industrial humanoid robots reached only 7,000 units in 2025. This contrasts with broader automation markets, where approximately 540,000 traditional industrial robots were installed globally in 2024. Current deployments of humanoids concentrate primarily in research facilities and factory data collection initiatives.
UBTech supplies or tests robots with major industrial partners, including BYD, Geely, FAW Volkswagen, Dongfeng, Foxconn, and Texas Instruments. In Germany, drugstore chain Rossmann tests the Walker S2 model to reduce physical strain on employees. Airbus also explored testing the Walker S2, though the aerospace company stated to ingenieur.de that it remained in a very early concept-checking phase with no subsequent updates.
Financial pressures accompany the industrial scaling. UBTech reported a net loss of 339 million yuan (approximately 48 million US dollars) on revenues of 1,27 billion yuan (approximately 179 million US dollars) after shipping 921 humanoid robots in the first half of 2026, according to corporate financial disclosures covered by boerse-express.com. On the international regulatory front, the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published a “Covered List” classifying advanced robotic devices from China as national security concerns, which creates hurdles for foreign market access.
Global Growth Projections and Competitive Landscape
Investment bank Goldman Sachs adjusted its long-term outlook, forecasting global shipments of 6,48 million units by 2035—up significantly from a previous estimate of 1,38 million units—though those numbers include non-industrial service applications. China’s broader robotic sector expands rapidly, with industrial robot production rising 28.5 percent year-over-year in the first seven months of the period to exceed 635,000 units, according to industry metrics reported by boerse-express.com. Alongside UBTech, domestic competitors such as AgiBot and Unitree Robotics lead global shipment volumes, while European startups like Neura Robotics and Agile Robots manufacture humanoids within Germany.
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