Chinese robotics companies are racing to cash in on Hong Kong's stock market after the exchange made it easier for tech firms to go public. Geek+ became the first robotics company to list yesterday and saw its shares jump 7.8 percent higher at HKD19.08 today. The warehouse robot giant leads the world in fulfillment automation and kicked off what experts expect will be a flood of similar listings. Twelve other robotics firms are lining up to follow suit with half of them filing applications just last month. Four companies including Roborock Technology and Estun Automation already trade on mainland Chinese exchanges.
The mad dash to go public stems from brutal competition that has squeezed profit margins across the robotics industry. Lu Hanchen from Gaogown Robotics Industry Research Institute says mobile and industrial robots have become commoditized products facing fierce price wars. Investment money has shifted toward sexy new technologies like humanoid robots and embodied artificial intelligence. Traditional robotics companies are struggling to raise private funding as their tech hits a plateau. Chinese robotics startups pulled in CNY23.2 billion during the first five months of this year while 87 percent went to AI-focused firms.
Companies like Estun watched gross margins shrink from 32.9 percent to 28.3 percent as they slashed prices to keep customers. Public listings offer these cash-strapped firms a lifeline to fund operations and research while giving early investors an exit strategy.
The mad dash to go public stems from brutal competition that has squeezed profit margins across the robotics industry. Lu Hanchen from Gaogown Robotics Industry Research Institute says mobile and industrial robots have become commoditized products facing fierce price wars. Investment money has shifted toward sexy new technologies like humanoid robots and embodied artificial intelligence. Traditional robotics companies are struggling to raise private funding as their tech hits a plateau. Chinese robotics startups pulled in CNY23.2 billion during the first five months of this year while 87 percent went to AI-focused firms.
Companies like Estun watched gross margins shrink from 32.9 percent to 28.3 percent as they slashed prices to keep customers. Public listings offer these cash-strapped firms a lifeline to fund operations and research while giving early investors an exit strategy.
