Estun Automation
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| Estun Automation | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Full name | Nanjing Estun Automation Co., Ltd. |
| Chinese name | 南京埃斯顿自动化股份有限公司 |
| Founded | March 1993 |
| Founder | Wu Bo |
| Headquarters | Nanjing, Jiangsu, China |
| Industry | Robotics, Industrial automation, Motion control |
| Key people | Wu Bo (Chairman), Wu Kan (President) |
| Products | Industrial robots, servo systems, CNC systems, humanoid robots |
| Revenue | 4.01 billion yuan (FY2024) |
| Employees | ~3,261 |
| Stock exchange | Shenzhen Stock Exchange (002747); Hong Kong Stock Exchange (2715) |
| Website | estun.com |
Estun Automation (formally Nanjing Estun Automation Co., Ltd.) is a Chinese industrial robotics and automation company that ranks first in industrial robot shipments among domestic Chinese manufacturers, a position it has held for eight consecutive years as of 2025.[1][2][10] Founded in March 1993 by Wu Bo and headquartered in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, it makes industrial robots, servo systems, motion control products, and computer numerical control (CNC) systems, and is listed on both the Shenzhen Stock Exchange (ticker 002747) and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (ticker 2715).[2][12] The company grew from a CNC systems maker into China's leading domestic industrial robot solutions provider by shipment volume, and in 2025 it became the first domestic firm to lead the overall Chinese industrial robot market, which had long been dominated by foreign incumbents.[1][2][11]
Estun's business spans two major segments: motion control and industrial robotics. The motion control division produces servo drivers, servo motors, inverters, human-machine interfaces, CNC systems, and programmable logic controllers. The robotics division offers a complete series of more than 54 specifications of industrial robots, primarily six-axis models with payload capacities ranging from 3 kg to 600 kg. In recent years, Estun has expanded into humanoid robotics through its subsidiary Nanjing Estun Codroid Technology, which produces the Codroid series of humanoid robots.[1][3]
A defining strategic move was Estun's 2019 acquisition of the German welding robotics company Carl Cloos Schweißtechnik GmbH (CLOOS) for approximately 196 million euros, which significantly strengthened the company's position in robotic welding solutions and gave it access to European technology, customers, and distribution channels.[4]
Estun Automation is a Nanjing-based industrial automation and robotics manufacturer, founded in 1993, that designs and builds industrial robots, motion control systems, servo drives and motors, and CNC controllers, and is the largest domestic supplier of industrial robots in China by shipment volume.[1][2] It is vertically integrated, producing the core servo and control components that go into its own robots, and it operates an international group that includes German welding-robot maker CLOOS, UK motion-controller firm Trio, and other technology subsidiaries in Germany, Italy, and the United States.[2][4] As of December 2025, Estun had become the largest industrial robot manufacturer in China, in a market that used to be dominated by foreign companies.[11]
Wu Bo founded Estun Automation in March 1993 in Nanjing. Before starting the company, Wu Bo had been a lecturer at Nanjing Forestry University and later worked at the Jiangsu Machinery and Equipment Import and Export Corporation. Drawing on his technical background and industry connections, Wu Bo established Estun with an initial focus on developing computer numerical control (CNC) systems for machine tools, particularly for metal forming equipment such as press brakes and shearing machines.[2]
During its first two decades, Estun built a strong foundation in motion control technology, developing proprietary servo drivers, servo motors, and CNC controllers. The company's CNC systems gained a significant market share in China's metalworking industry, and its servo drive technology became the basis for its later expansion into robotics. By the early 2010s, Estun had established itself as one of China's leading providers of motion control solutions.[1]
In 2012, Estun leveraged its motion control technology advantages to enter the industrial robot market, launching its first industrial robot. This was a natural extension of the company's core competencies in servo systems, precision control, and CNC technology. The robots used Estun's own servo motors and controllers, giving the company a vertically integrated advantage over competitors that relied on imported components.[2]
In 2015, Estun held its initial public offering (IPO) on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol 002747. The IPO provided capital for expanding robot production capacity and funding an aggressive international acquisition strategy that would define the company's growth trajectory over the following years.[2]
Following its IPO, Estun embarked on a series of international acquisitions designed to acquire advanced technology, expand its product portfolio, and establish a global presence:
| Year | Target | Country | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Euclid Labs | Italy | Acquired 20% stake in the 3D vision and robot guidance firm |
| 2017 | Trio Motion Technology | United Kingdom | Acquired for approximately 15 million GBP; motion controller specialist |
| 2017 | M.A.i (Gesellschaft fur Automation und Intelligenz) | Germany | Acquired for approximately 8.87 million EUR |
| 2017 | Barrett Technology | United States | Acquired minority stake for approximately $9 million; advanced dexterous robot hand maker |
| 2019 | Carl Cloos Schweißtechnik GmbH (CLOOS) | Germany | Acquired majority stake for approximately 196.07 million EUR |
The CLOOS acquisition was Estun's most significant deal. Announced in August 2019 and completed on October 31, 2019, the transaction was valued at approximately 196.07 million euros and was carried out together with Hong Kong private equity firm China Renaissance Capital Investment (CRCI).[4][5] To put the deal's scale in context, Estun's total sales in 2018 were roughly 184 million euros, meaning the company paid more for CLOOS than its entire prior-year revenue.[4]
Carl Cloos Schweißtechnik, founded in 1919 and headquartered in Haiger, Germany, is a global leader in robotic welding systems and delivers to more than 40 countries worldwide.[4] CLOOS manufactures robotic welding cells, positioners, welding sensors, and the Qirox line of modular welding robots, serving industries including automotive, construction machinery, railway technology, and power plant equipment. Following the acquisition, CLOOS continued to be independently managed with Haiger remaining as the headquarters of the CLOOS Group.[4][5]
The acquisition of UK-based Trio Motion Technology brought advanced motion controller technology based on TRIO controllers, enhancing Estun's motion control product line. The Barrett Technology investment provided access to advanced dexterous robotic hand technology, which would later prove relevant to Estun's humanoid robotics ambitions.[2]
Estun expanded into humanoid robotics through its subsidiary Nanjing Estun Codroid Technology (brand name: Codroid). The Codroid division developed the Codroid 01, a first-generation humanoid robot designed for high-protection and large-load scenarios with IP68-level environmental compatibility and a payload capacity of up to 35 kg.[3][6]
On June 11, 2025, Estun Codroid officially launched its second-generation humanoid robot, the Codroid 02, at the 2025 Intelligent Robotics Development Conference. The Codroid 02 represents a comprehensive upgrade over its predecessor, featuring 170 cm height, 70 kg weight, 31 degrees of freedom (excluding dexterous hands), and a 5 kg single-arm payload. Its modular design supports manual height adjustment from 138 cm to 168 cm to fit diverse operational scenarios.[6]
The Codroid 02's control system adopts an embodied intelligence architecture with a dual-system approach: a "slow system" that uses a vision-language foundation model for high-level reasoning, and a "fast system" employing flow matching strategy with model predictive control (MPC) and flow matching algorithms for real-time environmental processing and feedback. The iteration from Generation 1 to Generation 2 was completed in just nine months.[6]
In March 2026, Estun completed a secondary listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol 2715, expanding its access to international capital markets and raising the company's global profile. The Hong Kong debut opened to a weak start, with the H shares trading at a wide discount to the company's Shenzhen-listed A shares.[2][12]
Estun's motion control division produces the foundational components that power both its own robots and third-party automation equipment:
| Product category | Description |
|---|---|
| Servo drivers | AC servo drives for precision motion control applications |
| Servo motors | Brushless AC servo motors in various power ratings |
| CNC systems | Computer numerical control systems for press brakes, shearing machines, and other metalworking equipment |
| PLC controllers | Programmable logic controllers for factory automation |
| HMI panels | Human-machine interface touchscreen panels |
| Inverters | Variable frequency drives for motor speed control |
Estun's motion control products are built around TRIO motion controllers and the company's own Motion PLC technology, providing complete automation solutions that prioritize high efficiency, stability, and precision.[1]
Estun's ER series of industrial robots constitutes its core robotics product line, with more than 54 specifications covering payload capacities from 3 kg to 600 kg. The robots are primarily six-axis articulated models designed for a wide range of industrial applications.
| Model example | Payload | Reach | Application focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| ER8-720-MI | 8 kg | 727 mm | Precision tasks in constrained environments |
| ER20-2000-HI | 10 kg | 2,000 mm | General-purpose handling and assembly |
| ER series (heavy) | Up to 600 kg | Varies | Heavy payload handling, palletizing |
Estun robots are widely deployed across new energy manufacturing (silicon rod handling, battery production), welding, metal processing, 3C electronics, construction machinery, and aerospace industries.[1][7]
The UNO series represents Estun's newer generation of industrial robots, designed as a human-machine collaboration and embodied intelligence product platform. The UNO series integrates more advanced AI capabilities and collaborative features compared to the traditional ER line.[1]
Estun also produces collaborative robots (cobots) designed to work alongside human operators without safety cages, expanding the company's addressable market into small and medium-sized enterprise automation.[1]
Through its CLOOS subsidiary, Estun offers a comprehensive range of robotic welding solutions:
| Product | Description |
|---|---|
| Qirox robot line | Modular welding robots available in customizable configurations |
| Robot cells | Complete robotic welding workstations |
| Positioners | Workpiece positioning systems for optimal welding access |
| Welding sensors | Seam tracking and quality monitoring sensors |
| Software | Intelligent welding process control and simulation software |
CLOOS serves industries including automotive, construction machinery, railway technology, power plant equipment, and general manufacturing.[4]
The Codroid division targets humanoid robot applications in commercial services, special operations, industrial manufacturing, and home services:
| Model | Generation | Height | Weight | DOF | Payload | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codroid 01 | 1st | N/A | N/A | N/A | 35 kg | IP68 rating, high-load scenarios |
| Codroid 02 | 2nd | 170 cm | 70 kg | 31 (excl. hands) | 5 kg (single arm) | Modular height adjust (138-168 cm), embodied AI architecture |
The Codroid 02 supports multi-robot collaborative operations for industries such as automotive, 3C electronics, and building materials and furniture manufacturing.[6]
Estun Automation holds the number one position in industrial robot shipments among domestic Chinese enterprises, a ranking it reports holding for eight consecutive years as of 2025.[1][10] According to the company, "Estun's robot shipments ranked first in the Chinese market in 2025," the first time a domestic manufacturer led the overall market rather than just the domestic-brand segment.[10] By full-year market share, Estun was roughly the second-largest industrial robot maker in China in 2024 at about 9.5%, trailing only FANUC; by the first quarter of 2025 its share of the Chinese industrial robot market exceeded 10%, and its shipments surpassed those of foreign brands.[8][11]
The shift reflects a broader localization trend: domestic manufacturers' combined share of the Chinese industrial robot market grew from under 29% in 2020 to about 55% by 2025, while foreign brands' share fell from over 71% to roughly 45% over the same period.[10] Exports are an increasingly important part of Estun's business, accounting for about 34% of total revenue in 2024.[8]
The company competes against both international incumbents (the "Big Four" of FANUC, ABB, KUKA, and Yaskawa) and domestic competitors including Siasun Robot, STEP Robot, Efort, and Inovance Technology.[2][8] Estun's competitive advantages include vertical integration (owning core components from servo motors to controllers), its portfolio of international acquisitions providing access to European technology and customers, and the scale of its domestic manufacturing operations in Nanjing.[2]
For fiscal year 2024, Estun Automation reported revenue of approximately 4.01 billion yuan and a net loss attributable to shareholders of about 810.4 million yuan, a sharp reversal from the net profit of roughly 135 million yuan it posted in 2023.[2][9][13] The 2024 loss was driven primarily by declining revenue and gross margins together with a combined goodwill and intangible-asset impairment of about 3.6 billion yuan recognized against four underperforming subsidiaries; total assets stood at approximately 10.14 billion yuan with total equity of 1.89 billion yuan.[2][9][13]
| Metric (CNY) | FY2023 | FY2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | ~4.65 billion | ~4.01 billion |
| Net income (loss) | ~+135 million | ~-810 million |
The company guided to a return to profitability in 2025. In a January 2026 pre-announcement, Estun said it expected an attributable net profit of between 35 million and 50 million yuan for 2025, up from the 810.4 million yuan loss in 2024.[13] In the first quarter of 2025 the company reported revenue of about 1.24 billion yuan and returned to a small profit.[14] Investment-research provider Morningstar later noted that "Estun returned to profitability in 2025" as demand for industrial automation recovered.[14]
Estun Automation maintains a significant R&D investment focused on servo motor design, motion control algorithms, robot kinematics and dynamics, machine vision, and increasingly, embodied AI for humanoid robots. The company's acquisition of Barrett Technology provided access to advanced dexterous robot hand research, while the Trio Motion Technology acquisition brought expertise in high-performance multi-axis motion controllers.
The company's R&D centers are located in Nanjing (headquarters), with additional technology access through its international subsidiaries in Germany (CLOOS and M.A.i), the United Kingdom (Trio), Italy (Euclid), and the United States (Barrett). This distributed R&D network enables Estun to combine Chinese manufacturing scale with European and American technology expertise.
Estun's investment in embodied intelligence through the Codroid division reflects a broader trend among Chinese industrial robot companies expanding into humanoid robotics. The Codroid 02's dual-system control architecture, combining a slow vision-language model for high-level reasoning with a fast flow-matching controller for real-time execution, represents the company's approach to integrating modern AI techniques into practical robotic systems.[6]