Financial Services Association, January 4 (Reporter Wang Bin) Following yesterday's announcement by Sanhua Intelligent Control (002050.SZ), the leading thermal management company, plans to increase the robot business by no less than 5 billion yuan, auto parts leader Tuopu Group (601689.SH) also launched a large investment plan to bet on the robot circuit.

This evening, Tuopu Group announced that the company signed an “Investment Agreement for the Robotic Electric Drive System R&D and Production Base Project” with the Ningbo Economic and Technological Development Zone Management Committee. According to the announcement, the project agreed in the agreement will mainly carry out R&D, production and sales of robot electric drive systems, and gradually expand other robot component businesses; the project is to be located in the Ningbo Economic and Technological Development Zone, with a total investment of about 5 billion yuan, of which 3 billion yuan is invested in fixed assets.

Judging from the purpose of setting up the project, Tuopu Group believes that in robotics-related fields, the company will give full play to its leading advantages in deep R&D, precision manufacturing, and efficient collaboration accumulated on smart electric vehicle racetracks, and use electric drive systems as a starting point to expand from the smart electric vehicle business to the robot business.

Tuopu Group said that this investment in the construction of a robotic electric drive system R&D and production base will allow the company to implement robot-related technologies and products and achieve commercialization and large-scale production, laying a solid foundation for the company's future development.

Tuopu Group's traditional business is automotive parts. The main products are in eight series. In the early days, the company relied on shock absorption and interior business, then expanded horizontally into the fields of chassis systems, automotive electronics, thermal management systems, air suspension, and cockpit comfort systems. After entering the Tesla industry chain, Tuopu Group's performance and market value entered a stage of high growth.

It should be pointed out that Sanhua Intelligent Control's auto parts business, which has been growing at a high rate in recent years, has also benefited from the rapid development of Tesla and the NEV thermal management industry. However, as sales of electric vehicles are expected to slow down, Sanhua Intelligent Control and Tuopu Group are all thirsting for new business momentum, so they are focusing their attention on the “humanoid robot” industry led by Tesla.

In 2022, Tesla Optimus was launched, and the Top Group followed suit and officially entered the robotics circuit. In the 2022 semi-annual report, Tuopu Group stated that in addition to the automotive business, the company is actively developing the robotics industry. “The company's motion actuators include components such as motors, electronic controls and deceleration mechanisms. Samples have also been approved by customers, and there is great potential for future development.”

In the 2022 annual report, Tuopu Group further clarified the layout of motion actuators for humanoid robots (including rotary actuators and linear actuators), and stated that “the track is a trillion-billion-level track facing the future of humans, and the development prospects are broad.”

In the 2023 interim report, Tuopu Group stated that it has decided to split up the robot division. The robot linear actuator and rotary actuator developed by the company have been sent samples to customers several times and have been recognized and praised by customers. The project requires mass production to enter the climbing phase starting in the first quarter of 2024, with an initial order of 100 units per week. In order to meet customer requirements, the company needs to complete the installation and commissioning of 4 production lines this year to form a first phase production capacity of 100,000 units, and subsequently increase the annual production capacity to 1 million units.

According to Tuopu Group, its core strengths in the robot actuator business include self-development capabilities for various types of motors such as permanent magnet servo motors and frameless motors, experience in integrating motors, reduction mechanisms, and controllers, and precision machining capabilities.

Outsiders generally believe that Tuopu Group's actuator products may be applied to Tesla's humanoid robot Optimus. It is worth mentioning that on October 12, 2023, information about Tesla's recruitment of an actuator manager raised market concerns about Tuopu Group's anticipated orders for humanoid robots, causing the company's stock price to shock dramatically. However, a telephone transcript that came out later showed that Tuopu Group refuted the rumor that Tesla was hiring for actuator assembly positions rather than R&D, and that the market misunderstood that Tesla would manufacture actuators on its own.