As a home appliance manufacturer, Midea itself is also a user of industrial robots. Currently, there are more than 1,000 Midea robots in use. As a robot and solution supplier, KUKA can supply products to Midea and help Midea improve its manufacturing level. In addition, KUKA's subsidiary Suisse can provide warehousing, sorting, transportation, material handling and other automated solutions, which has a synergistic effect with the logistics business of Midea's subsidiary Ande, which is also one of the driving forces for Midea's acquisition. However, the acquisition of KUKA also faces hidden dangers.
Midea’s acquisition of KUKA may have a relatively large impact on domestic robots.
Because Midea’s “acquisition” of KUKA can only be regarded as an investment. KUKA is still KUKA, and it is still a foreign company. It has not become China's KUKA because of Midea's investment. Midea has not obtained KUKA's technology and patents. On the contrary, it not only contributes to its own market, but also seizes the domestic market of Chinese robot companies. However, KUKA has realized using Chinese money to make Chinese people's money, and also attacked Chinese robot companies.
Of course, if Chinese robot companies are strong, such competition can be appropriately introduced to promote the stronger development of Chinese robots.
However, the reality is that China’s robot industry has just begun to become a major robot country after many years of hard work by the Chinese people. Midea’s current investment can only be called “bringing the wolf into the house”, and the foreign sheep are almost gone. , it is understandable that Midea has its own sheep and is willing to feed them to anyone, but KUKA is starting to use Midea to eat China's sheep, which is not good and will severely damage China's robot industry. Behind Midea’s acquisition of KUKA/2016-05/ART-310058-12002-29100305.html