Midea's Welling Robotics Breaks Ground on Reducer Base in Foshan Shunde
Midea's Welling Robotics Components signed a preliminary deal with Foshan Shunde to build a 55,000 sqm reducer base producing 300,000 units a year for KUKA and other robot makers.
Key Takeaways
Midea's Welling Robotics Components signed a preliminary agreement with the Foshan Shunde government on July 8, 2026 to build a precision manufacturing base for robot reducers and motion components in Beijiao, Shunde.
The 55,000 sqm temperature-controlled, shock-resistant plant will be built in two phases, with phase one online in 2027 and phase two in 2030.
At full capacity the base will produce about 300,000 reducers a year, primarily for Midea-owned KUKA plus other industrial and humanoid robot makers.
Welling started its reducer project in 2019 with backing from Midea's Blue-Orange Laboratory and now mass-produces harmonic reducers, RV reducers, servo motors and humanoid joint modules.
The plant aims to ease chronic Chinese capacity shortages in harmonic and RV reducers and raise domestic self-sufficiency for core parts still dominated by Japanese incumbents.
Kaan Tınmaz
Midea Group's industrial technology arm, Welling Robotics Components, signed a preliminary agreement with the Foshan Shunde government to build a new precision manufacturing base for robot reducers and motion components, Gasgoo reported on July 8, 2026. The Shunde district government said the plant will accelerate the clustering of the local robotics ecosystem.
A 55,000 sqm reducer plant with a 300K annual run rate
Located in Beijiao, Shunde, the facility will span roughly 55,000 square metres of high-standard, temperature-controlled and shock-resistant precision factory space rolled out in two phases. Phase one is due online in 2027 and phase two in 2030. Once fully operational, the base will deliver about 300,000 reducers a year, primarily serving Midea-owned KUKA and other industrial and humanoid robot makers, spanning humanoid, industrial and automation equipment segments.
A decade in the making
Welling Robotics Components launched its reducer project team in 2019, backed by Midea's Blue-Orange Laboratory — the National Key Laboratory of High-End Heavy-Load Robots. Its lineup covers harmonic reducers, RV reducers, servo motors and humanoid joint modules. Some parts already rank among the best-performing globally, making Welling one of the few Chinese suppliers mass-producing these core motion components; its parts are already integrated into supply chains of leading international robot brands.
Filling a supply gap in China's robot core parts
The new base is designed to lift Welling's forward design capability and address chronic capacity shortages for harmonic and RV reducers, raising the domestic self-sufficiency rate for core parts that today still lean on Japanese incumbents. Coming as demand from humanoid and quadruped programs like Aishida's Zhiyuan tie-up and Chinese physical-AI perception scaling at RoboSense accelerates, the plant slots into the sensitive middle of the robotics stack.
Reporting based on coverage from Gasgoo Auto News.
What is Welling Robotics building in Foshan Shunde?
A roughly 55,000 square metre precision manufacturing base in Beijiao, Shunde for robot reducers and motion components, built in two phases with phase one due in 2027 and phase two in 2030.
How many reducers will the new base produce and for whom?
About 300,000 reducers per year once fully operational, primarily serving Midea-owned KUKA as well as other industrial, humanoid and automation equipment makers.
What products does Welling Robotics Components make?
Harmonic reducers, RV reducers, servo motors and humanoid joint modules, with some parts ranking among the best-performing globally and already used by leading international robot brands.
Why does the new plant matter for China's robotics industry?
It addresses chronic capacity shortages for harmonic and RV reducers and boosts China's self-sufficiency in core motion components that currently rely heavily on Japanese suppliers, amid rising demand from humanoid and quadruped robot programs.
