Kaierda Invests Billions to Accelerate Transformation and Enter Humanoid Robotics Industry

Recently, Hangzhou Kaierda Welding Robot Co., Ltd. (referred to as “Kaierda”) announced that it successfully raised 924 million yuan through its initial public offering (IPO). After deducting underwriting fees, the actual net amount raised is 835 million yuan.

Notably, the company has adjusted the use of part of the raised funds: the original “Assembly and Testing Laboratory Construction Project” has been split into three sub-projects: “Collaborative Robot R&D and Industrialization Project,” “Industrial Robot Intelligent Production Line Upgrade and Expansion Project,” and “Supplementary Working Capital.” The intended use of the raised funds is 81.35 million yuan, 44.58 million yuan, and 28.34 million yuan, respectively. In other words, 154 million yuan will be fully allocated to new fields.

After the adjustment, the total amount of funds used for the project remains 317 million yuan, with the total investment in the intelligent welding robot production line remaining unchanged, while the proportion of working capital has increased. Kaierda is investing approximately 200 million yuan (excluding working capital) in robot-related projects.

By splitting the original project into three, Kaierda has significantly enhanced its robot technology R&D and industrialization capabilities, marking the beginning of a new era of “technology R&D + industrial ecosystem collaboration.”

As a leader in the domestic welding robot industry, Kaierda has made frequent moves in the field of humanoid robots in recent years. In December last year, Kaierda, the leader in domestic welding robots, announced its plan to invest 200 million yuan of its own funds to establish a wholly-owned subsidiary—Hangzhou Kaierda Humanoid Robot Co., Ltd. (referred to as "Kaierda Humanoid Robot"). This subsidiary focuses on the R&D and sales of intelligent robots and is also involved in the manufacturing and sales of service robots for consumers.

As the investment and operational platform for Kaierda's humanoid robot industry, Kaierda Humanoid Robot will further increase its investment in humanoid robot systems, core components, sensors, and embodied intelligence.

Subsequently, in January this year, Kaierda Humanoid Robot completed a controlling investment in Hangzhou Kaiwei Force Sensing Technology Co., Ltd. (referred to as “Kaiwei Force”), further consolidating its position in the robot industry chain.

Kaiwei Force is a six-degree-of-freedom force sensor company, focusing on the R&D of core components for humanoid robots—multi-dimensional force/torque sensors. Its core products are six-dimensional force/torque sensors based on MEMS processing technology and sensing structures.

The company’s founder, Professor Dong Linxi, has over 15 years of sensor R&D experience and leads a project aimed at solving the “bottleneck” problem of multi-dimensional force sensors. The goal is to ensure the security of the humanoid robot industry chain and supply chain, and to achieve large-scale production and demonstration applications of sensors.

The six-dimensional force sensor is the core component of the humanoid robot's perception system, akin to the human "sense of touch," enabling the robot to perceive external forces in real-time. It plays a crucial role in motion control, balance adjustment, human-robot collaboration, and fine manipulation. It helps the robot maintain a stable posture in dynamic environments, enables precise force control when grasping objects, and optimizes human-robot interaction through force feedback. It is an essential component for achieving embodied intelligence.

In the robot industry chain, comprehensive development has become an industry consensus. This is driven by the intensified competition among leading companies, new players, and the rapid full-chain layout. It is clear that Kaierda's “ambition” extends beyond just the robot body.

Furthermore, in June last year, Kaierda invested in the emerging general-purpose quadruped robot company Jingshi Technology. After the investment, Kaierda holds 19.8% of Jingshi Technology's total shares. Jingshi Technology is a company dedicated to advancing embodied intelligence technology and leading the innovation in both consumer-grade and industrial-grade robot technologies.

In January this year, the Zhejiang University Hangzhou International Innovation Center for Humanoid Robot Innovation collaborated with Jingshi Technology and Kaierda to release the quadruped robot "Black Panther 2.0," which is the fastest quadruped robot in the world, reaching speeds of up to 10 meters per second.

Kaierda focuses on industrial robots and industrial welding equipment and is one of the few domestic companies that simultaneously masters the core technologies of robot welding equipment, robot arms, and controllers. After years of development, the company has established a complete technology system based on industrial robot technology and industrial welding technology.

This industrial welding giant is achieving a transition from traditional industries to emerging technological sectors through core technological breakthroughs and vertical integration of the industry chain. The future development remains to be seen.