Robot factory built in border port Horgos

A service robot named Lele [Photo from Xinhua]

Shenzhen－based Horgos Boshihao Electronic will invest 1 to 5 billion yuan in the next five years to build a robot-manufacturing factory in the new city of Horgos on the border between China and Kazakhstan in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The factory will have an annual production capacity of 10,000 robots to be exported mainly to the Middle East,  Central Asia and Russia. 

The factory, located in China-Kazakhstan Horgos International Border Cooperation Center, is expected to go into operation in May after workshop transformation, decoration and equipment adjustment.

Min Jianbo, general manager of the company, said that about 80 percent of the robots will be service robots, while 20 percent industrial robots.

The service robots are priced between 5,000 yuan and 200,000 yuan, and the industrial robots, mostly mechanical arms, are priced between 100,000 yuan and 1 million yuan.

According to Min, the service robots can accompany senior citizens, entertain the children and interact with them as educational assistance equipment.

Min said the company decided to build the plant in Horgos for three reasons: it is cheaper and faster to transport the products to the targeted markets from Horgos by freight trains between China and Europe; Horgos is near the markets in Central Asia and Russia; and the local government has staged preferential policies to attract investors and new factories.

Min noted the freight train service can help save 10 days and one-third of costs compared with shipping.