Innovation brings rewards for Siasun

An increasing number of Chinese companies are emerging on the world stage as they strive to establish their brands outside the country. This report, the fifth in the series, is by Liu Ce in Shenyang.

A worker tests an industrial robot at a Siasun Robot & Automation Co Ltd plant in Shenyang, Liaoning province. The China Robot Industry Alliance said 37,000 industrial robots were sold in China in 2013. [Photo / Xinhua]

Baymax, the personal healthcare robot in the movie Big Hero 6, managed to strike an immediate chord with audiences with his charm and humor and ability to help people. While Baymax is still a fictional character, it may not be too long before personal robots for healthcare become a reality in China.

Siasun Robot & Automation Co Ltd, a robot manufacturer based in Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, has already developed robot nurses and started testing them from last year. The robot can talk, e-mail, text, detect gas leaks, and run around on its two wheels for eight hours on a single two-hour charge in test conditions.

"What we want to do is not just produce robots, but solve some social problems, such as the aging population challenge, by developing intelligent robots," said Qu Daokui, president of Siasun.

"That also presents our brand's core value－responsibility, beyond and share," he said.

Set up in 2000, Siasun is a pioneer in Chinese robot technology and equipment for manufacturing, storage and logistics automation. Its products have been widely used in the automobile, motorcycle, electrical appliance, tobacco, chemicals, food and finance industries.

The company, listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 2009, has a market value of nearly 28 billion yuan ($4.56 billion), and ranks among the top three robot makers in the world.

Qu said that the company's biggest asset has been its innovation.