ABB has announced a major expansion of its industrial robotics portfolio in China, with a particular focus on the fast-growing market segment of small and medium-sized enterprises. The Swiss company introduced three new robot families—Lite+, PoWa, and an updated version of the IRB 1200—all designed to meet the increasing automation needs in industries such as electronics, food and beverage, and general manufacturing.
The revamped IRB 1200 stands out thanks to its more compact and lightweight design, making it approximately 20% lighter than its predecessor. This reduction not only improves energy efficiency, but also makes installation easier in tight or constrained spaces. The robot is optimized for high-speed, precision tasks like assembly, polishing, and dispensing, offering path accuracy of up to 0.6 mm and positional repeatability of 0.011 mm.
The Lite+ model aims to make automation accessible to SMEs. It’s designed for straightforward material handling and pick-and-place operations. Thanks to its compact build and user-friendly interface, it’s ideal for businesses looking to embrace automation without facing major technical hurdles. Its compatibility with other ABB robots enables fully flexible and scalable production solutions.
PoWa is ABB’s collaborative robot, or cobot, combining industrial-level speed with safe, human-friendly interaction. Capable of reaching speeds up to 5.8 m/s, it’s well-suited for rapid pick-and-place tasks, palletizing, and machine tending. With no-code programming and plug-and-play functionality, it can be up and running in under an hour—making it a strong option for companies with limited technical expertise.
All three robot families run on ABB’s OmniCore™ control platform, which ensures smooth integration with AI technologies, sensor systems, cloud computing and workplace infrastructure. This unified platform helps companies build advanced, autonomous robotic applications tailored to their evolving industrial needs.
ABB has reinforced its commitment to the Chinese market by manufacturing these robots locally in its state-of-the-art Shanghai plant, in line with its “local for local” strategy. This approach not only shortens delivery times and lowers costs, but also meets the rising demand from Chinese manufacturers—who accounted for around 30% of ABB’s robotics business in 2023.
Through these innovations, ABB aims to strengthen its leadership in China’s industrial robotics sector, delivering automation solutions specifically tailored to smaller enterprises while fostering the adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies.
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