China’s Eyou opens world’s first automated line for humanoid robot joints

China’s Eyou Robot Technology has launched the world’s first automated production line for robot joints, positioning itself to capture growth ahead of a projected surge in humanoid robot shipments. The plant, based in Pudong, Shanghai, opened last Wednesday with an annual capacity of 100,000 units, with scope to triple output. Founded in 2018, Eyou supplies domestic humanoid robot makers, including industry leader AgiBot. The company achieved mass production of its products in 2023, with annual deliveries surpassing 95,000 joints in 2025. The expansion indicates the company’s efforts to secure market share once humanoid robot shipments reach mass-market scale. Capacity must be built in advance to seize the first-mover advantage, Shanghai Securities News reported, citing an executive from a publicly listed components manufacturer in eastern China’s Zhejiang province. The executive added that humanoid robot mass production would not follow the automotive industry’s historical path of gradual iteration and steady scaling. Instead, the market was expected to hit a tipping point where a technological breakthrough triggered a sudden surge in demand. “Designing supply chain production lines and building capacity takes time,” the executive said. “It will be too late to start from scratch when that moment arrives.” In a report published this month, tech analysis firm Counterpoint Research recorded 16,000 global installations in 2025 and predicted shipments would exceed 100,000 by 2027. “The next two years will see more humanoid enterprises commercialising the mass production versions of robots,” it said. China’s rapid push into mass production and commercialisation placed it at the forefront of the humanoid robotics sector. Counterpoint estimated that the country carried out more than 80 per cent of global installations in 2025. Eyou’s primary product, its integrated joint module, accounts for nearly half of the total unit cost of humanoid robots, according to the company. The company said it completed a 50 million yuan (US$7.2 million) series A funding round last March, co-led by funds under Pudong Venture Capital Group and Shanghai Zhangjiang Science and Technology Investment Corporation, with participation from TCL Venture Capital, Daocin Capital and a fund under Wuxi Capital Group. Following the financing round, Eyou relocated to Shanghai Zhangjiang Robot Valley, which is home to leading robotics firms such as Leaderdrive, Fourier and AgiBot. Other domestic component manufacturers are on track for expansion, suggesting general optimism about the industry’s growth prospects. Shuanglin has reached a 100,000-unit annual capacity for roller screws with plans to scale to 1 million. According to Shanghai Securities News, its robot module pilot line was nearly complete, and would offer an annual capacity of 120,000 sets once operations began.