ABB Strengthens China's Robotics Leadership with Three New AI-Powered Robot Families

Tags

CC-PUIO31 51454220-176 330180-12-00 16710-13 CI840A 3BSE041882R1 T9451 330103-02-06-10-02-05 DSQC663 3HAC029818-001 SPW481-13 S1

Nov 29, 2025

ABB Expands Robotics Portfolio to Support China's Advanced Manufacturing Growth
ABB is accelerating its presence in China with the launch of three new robot families designed to support the country's rapidly growing advanced manufacturing sector. With more than 30 years of robotics leadership in China, ABB continues to play a pivotal role in enabling industries to automate smarter, faster, and more efficiently.
Manufactured in ABB's state-of-the-art Shanghai Mega Factory, these new robot families are engineered for high-growth sectors such as electronics, consumer goods, and general industries — areas that increasingly rely on advanced robotics and industrial automation parts for productivity and reliability.
This expansion comes as China's mid-market robotics segment grew at a remarkable 24% CAGR from 2021 to 2024, and projections show sustained growth through 2028.

Three New Robot Families Designed for Versatility and Efficiency
Lite+: Compact Automation for Essential Material Handling
Lite+ is ABB's new compact robot built specifically to lower automation barriers for smaller operators and SMEs. Ideal for essential material handling, inspection, and pick-and-place tasks, Lite+ provides a simple, efficient path to automation.
Its seamless integration with the new IRB 1200 and other ABB robots gives manufacturers flexible end-to-end solutions — all supported by reliable industrial spare parts and efficient spare parts management that ensure long-term performance.
PoWa: A High-Speed Cobot Designed for Collaboration
PoWa represents a new generation of collaborative robots capable of industrial-level speeds of up to 5.8 m/s, making it suitable for:
Fast pick-and-place
Palletizing
Machine tending
With no-code programming and true plug-and-play installation, PoWa can be deployed in under 60 minutes, enabling SMEs to automate quickly without robotics expertise. Its speed, precision, and safety make it especially attractive for factories undergoing modernization.

New Generation IRB 1200: High Precision in a More Compact Form
The redesigned IRB 1200, now available globally, delivers the high precision required for:
Assembly
Polishing
Dispensing
Electronics manufacturing
This new version is approximately 20% lighter and more compact, enabling manufacturers to save space and increase throughput. Its improved performance makes it ideal not only for robotics but also for facilities operating complex systems such as Distributed Control Systems requiring reliable DCS spare parts and technical integration.

AI-Powered Robotics Strengthen China's Technology Leadership
All three new robots are powered by ABB's advanced OmniCore™ controller platform, which enables seamless integration of:
AI
Sensor systems
Cloud and edge computing
ABB RobotStudio® simulation tools
This unified platform provides higher accuracy, faster response, and more autonomy — essential for next-generation factories relying on automated production lines and high-availability systems supported by industrial automation parts.
During the launch event, ABB showcased an innovative AI-driven natural language teaching tool for PoWa. Using the "see, speak, do" method, robots can visually understand their surroundings, process verbal instructions instantly, and convert them into precise actions. This breakthrough reduces robot teaching time dramatically.

ABB's Commitment to China's Industrial Transformation
China remains the world's largest robotics market, accounting for over half of all global robot installations in 2023. Today, more than 90% of ABB robots supplied to China are manufactured locally, demonstrating ABB's long-term commitment to supporting China's industrial transformation.
These new robot families not only boost China's manufacturing capabilities but also reinforce ABB's role as a global leader in robotics, automation, and Distributed Control System replacement parts supply.
As factories become smarter and more connected, the demand for reliable automation hardware, robotics, and trustworthy DCS module suppliers continues to rise—making ABB a key partner for industries embracing digitalization.

Conclusion
ABB's launch of three new robot families—Lite+, PoWa, and the new generation IRB 1200—marks a major step in advancing China's intelligent manufacturing ecosystem. Powered by AI and the OmniCore™ control platform, these robots offer flexibility, efficiency, and speed for a wide range of industrial sectors.
For facilities relying on automation, robotics, and DCS spare parts, ABB's innovations provide robust solutions to improve uptime, streamline production, and support long-term spare parts management strategies. As China continues to lead the world in robotics adoption, ABB's technology will remain central to the future of industrial automation.

blog

ABB Strengthens China's Robotics Leadership with Three New AI-Powered Robot Families