From a 30-billion-euro gamble to China's robotics flagship

In 2016 Midea (美的) launched a tender offer for Germany's KUKA (库卡) worth RMB 29.2 billion, and with later top-ups the total bill passed RMB 30 billion. German politicians openly called it the fall of a 'German industrial crown jewel'; the economy minister tried to assemble a European bidding alliance to block it. The first two years looked like a mistake — revenue and profit fell in 2017–2019 and KUKA took close to €1 billion in goodwill impairments. Then 2025 told a different story: KUKA China's revenue grew 36% year on year, topped 30% of the group total, and China became KUKA's single largest market; its robot localization rate crossed 90%, and a China-led R&D center began pushing technology back to Germany.

What you actually see at the Foshan (Shunde) site

KUKA China runs about 3,600 staff, with R&D centers in Shunde and Shanghai and production bases in Shunde, Kunshan and elsewhere; its South China robot-body base alone has annual capacity above 100,000 units. On a China Innovation Visits delegation, the headline is the 'robots building robots' line — a smart-manufacturing system built on lean production and tight quality control. You also see products now defined in China rather than copied from Germany: the KR SCARA series, led by the China team, cut cycle time by 20% and price by 30% versus the German original, and won thousands of units in orders from BYD and Luxshare.

KUKA was founded in Augsburg, Germany in 1898 and is one of the 'Big Four' global industrial-robot makers; Volkswagen and Airbus are among its customers. After Midea took full ownership in 2022, the German century of know-how was coupled with China's massive demand — a '1+1>2' effect the numbers now back up: in 2025 KUKA China shipped over 32,000 units (up 30%+), took a 9.6% China market share, and held 47.4% of the domestic market for robots above 300 kg payload.

Three things you see on the floor

1 — The 'robots building robots' line: a smart-manufacturing cell where robot bodies are assembled by robots, run on lean production and tight quality control.

2 — China-defined hardware: the KR SCARA series, led by the China team, cut cycle time by 20% and price by 30% against the German original, and has taken thousands of units in orders from BYD and Luxshare.

3 — The base itself: the South China robot-body site with annual capacity above 100,000 units, part of the Shunde and Kunshan production footprint that KUKA agreed with Guangdong province in 2024 to grow into the group's largest robot base.

Why it matters for your business

For executives benchmarking automation, KUKA is a live case in cross-border M&A and industrial synergy. Core-component self-sufficiency exceeds 85%; the China R&D team is over 500 people and files more than 40% of KUKA's global patents; overseas sales crossed 20% of China revenue for the first time in 2025, exporting back to Germany and Southeast Asia. In 2024 KUKA China signed a strategic agreement with Guangdong province to build the group's largest robot base in Foshan. The lesson is not conquest but integration — letting a century-old technology find a new growth curve in China's market.

Sample visit format (1 day, Foshan Shunde)

The standard study-tour format runs as a single day at Foshan Shunde: a facility tour, a tech experience, a themed seminar and a business exchange, often with direct dialogue with KUKA executives. It is a compact, high-signal stop for robotics, automotive, electronics and smart-manufacturing delegations — and pairs naturally with the Guangzhou tech tour's XPeng smart-EV factory visit and autonomous-driving programs.

You don't understand China's robotics rise by reading a valuation. You understand it by watching a robot build a robot on a Foshan line.

Questions delegations ask before they go

Do we have to be a robotics company? No. The format suits robotics, automotive, electronics and smart-manufacturing teams. Tell us your angle and the seminar is shaped around it.

Is English interpretation provided? Yes. English interpretation on site is part of how the day is run.

How long does it take? A single day at Foshan Shunde. Many delegations pair it with the Guangzhou tech tour's EV and autonomous-driving programs.

Can we meet KUKA executives? Direct dialogue is part of the standard format. We confirm what can be arranged once we know your dates, your delegation size and what you want to see.

Arranging your KUKA factory visit

We arrange the visit for you end to end: the introduction to the host, the scheduling on the Chinese side and English interpretation on site. Tell us your dates, your delegation size and what you want to see, and we will confirm what can be arranged. Start at chinatechvisits.com/company-visits.