CCTV’s “Smart Manufacturing for a Strong Country” program spotlights Jinan Haozhong Automation Co., Ltd.

The automotive industry is a crucial benchmark for assessing a nation’s overall industrial strength in peacetime, serving as a concentrated reflection of its manufacturing capabilities and technological innovation. In recent years, as China’s industrial prowess has continuously reached new heights, the automotive sector has entered a fresh chapter—entering the fray with new‑energy vehicles, and overtaking competitors through strategic maneuvering has become our prevailing understanding of the domestic auto industry. Yet what many fail to realize is that, despite the international success of Chinese‑made NEVs, China’s automation‑equipment manufacturing for the automotive industry only began relatively late, leaving its overall development lagging behind the advanced levels of automotive production processes. Automated production lines are the backbone of the automotive industry. Among the four major manufacturing processes, stamping stands at the forefront. Automation has long been the ultimate embodiment of comprehensive technological prowess, with world‑leading systems achieving a production cycle of more than 15 cycles per minute. This is no longer merely a contest among manufacturers; it has become an all‑encompassing struggle between nations—vying for supremacy in industrial systems, innovation ecosystems, and the power to shape global standards. Faced with this impasse, countless Chinese enterprises have stepped forward, each striving to scale this towering peak.

Hao Yuxin is the chairman of Jinan Haozhong Automation Co., Ltd. With nearly thirty years of dedicated experience in automotive production-line automation, Mr. Hao deeply understands the pressing needs of domestic automakers. Guided by this vision, Haozhong has placed innovation at its core and service at its helm, steadily advancing toward the goal of developing high-end, domestically produced production lines. From its very inception, the company set its sights on a specific path: high-speed stamping automation equipment systems. Through the team’s sustained efforts—and in collaboration with a team of Tsinghua University PhDs to jointly develop the underlying control logic for high-speed robotic arms—Haozhong has overcome one technical hurdle after another, conducted countless extreme‑condition tests, and ultimately… In 2014, the company developed its first-generation high-speed single-arm robotic arm. Building on this success, Haozhong pressed ahead and, in 2018, successfully launched a second-generation model whose key performance metrics even surpass current international standards. Undeterred, the company continued to expand and refine its offerings, providing domestic enterprises with the most suitable automation‑driven solutions—this represents the greatest benefit of localization.

After receiving the relevant requirements and documentation for the Kunshan project, Haozhong promptly returned to the company to initiate a thorough review. The team conducted a comprehensive design, taking into account the customer’s plant layout, production rhythm, product characteristics, and other key factors, with the goal of delivering the most suitable solution. Throughout this process, Haozhong’s R&D team worked around the clock, while simultaneously collaborating with a team of Tsinghua University doctoral researchers to refine the robotic arm’s dynamic model and motion‑trajectory planning, striving for continuous improvement and ensuring the successful fulfillment of the customer’s specifications. Meanwhile, Haozhong’s core technical team gained a deep understanding of the fundamental kinematic principles governing press machines, which further facilitated seamless integration between the presses and automation systems, as well as end‑to‑end line‑wide coordination. Ultimately, the customer was moved by Haozhong’s sincerity and… Orders were secured in 2020, and Haozhong lived up to expectations by completing the full-line installation and commissioning in May 2021, with all operational performance indicators meeting the customer’s requirements. This project is among the earliest domestically developed high-speed stamping lines featuring independent intellectual property rights.

A certain factory in Nanjing has a project that requires updating and upgrading. The original production line is long… With a length of 70 meters, the equipment needed to be relocated to the new plant. However, the new facility lacked sufficient space, necessitating substantial modifications to the existing automated system’s layout to ensure smooth installation and commissioning. Having resolved the press‑machine issue, the Haozhong team turned their attention to the project’s most challenging hurdle: limited floor space. The original production line stretched roughly 70 meters, but the new plant could accommodate only about 58 meters. How could they reclaim those extra dozen meters without compromising the line’s performance?

The only way to overcome challenges is through innovation. Ultimately, thanks to the team’s concerted efforts, Haozhong integrated a production line that originally required several robotic arms working in concert into just three modules: the upstream module consolidates functions such as material loading and alignment, while its vision‑based centering system enables automatic alignment; moreover, the upstream equipment has been upgraded and replaced. The midline module employs a single‑arm robot paired with new‑generation manipulators at both the upstream and downstream ends, achieving high‑speed material handling across the entire line. Meanwhile, the downstream module features a newly developed unloading robot capable of lateral movement and rotation, significantly reducing the overall footprint of the downstream section. At the China Forging & Pressing Association’s Automotive Stamping Automation Technology Symposium, Haozhong’s Nanjing project was designated as a benchmark for on‑site study, earning widespread admiration from industry peers.

On the path to domesticization, Haozhong has measured every inch of progress—from catching up to running alongside—with unwavering sincerity. Armed with innovation as their blade, they have pierced through technological blockades; and wielding service as their shield, they have safeguarded the trust of local automakers. From breakthroughs in single‑arm production line automation to… In the face of the “impossible,” Haozhong is not merely refining its precision robotic arms; it is also forging the robust, self-reliant backbone of China’s automotive industry. This unwavering dedication imbues cold steel with warmth, turning the blueprint for domestic production into a reality that shines with every precise stamping operation and every efficient cycle of production.

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