Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai

Zhuhai-led intelligent equipment manufacturing exhibitors caught the limelight at a Foshan fair held from Aug 28 to 30, securing 45 projects valued at 63.9 billion yuan ($9.6 billion) sure to boost the construction of the local industrial belt.

The annual Advanced Equipment Manufacturing Investment & Trade Symposium for the Western Pearl River Region attracted more than 3,600 businesspeople and 40,000 visitors this year.

The 42-enterprise Zhuhai delegation showcased more than 100 items in the 3,248-sq-m exhibition hall.

Businessmen enquire about latest Gree's latest industrial robots which are capable of very difficult motions requiring high accuracy, such as playing electronic keyboards.

The spotlight was on developments in Zhuhai's new-energy automobile industry. Exhibitors such as automobile manufacturers Zhuhai Yinlong Energy and ZTE Smart Auto Corp advertised their complete industrial chains in Zhuhai with remarkable exhibits.

A particular attraction was Xiangzhou-based Gree Intelligent Equipment's latest industrial robots.

The machines, some good at basketball shots with up to an 80 percent hit rate, and others capable of playing electronic keyboards drew a great deal of attention. They are all installed with highly-accurate visual positioning systems independently developed by Gree.

It is much like a general review of how far we have proceeded on the "intelligent" path over the last five years, said a company representative.

Visitors take pictures of innovative products at the Third Advanced Equipment Manufacturing Investment & Trade Symposium for the Western Pearl River Region held in Foshan, Guangdong Province from Aug 28 to 30.

It's the third time Gree Intelligent Equipment has taken part in the event after its parent company Gree Intelligent Equipment broke into the sector in answer to the national call of "Made in China 2025".

The Zuhai firm has taken and sustained its leading position by tasking itself with creating an intelligent industrial chain including manufacturing of robot body and core parts, system integration, and automation solutions.

So far, Gree has developed nearly 100 types of automated products across 10 sectors such as intelligent automatic guided vehicles (AGV) and injection manipulators. It has also obtained more than 20 design patents.

The company's latest financial statements show that it now has the fifth largest market share in China, having accumulated automated equipment worth 2.5 billion yuan ($378.4 million).

The exhibits of ABB Robotics (Zhuhai) Ltd, especially its industrial robots, catch the eyes of visitors to the fair. [Photos by Zeng Yao / Zhuhai Daily]

The progress has resulted in an aggregation effect in the city by which other competitive players are attracted to form clusters, said a government official.

Zhuhai achieved year-on-year growth of 25.1 percent in the first half of this year, recording 23.1 billion yuan ($3.5 billion) in value added from equipment manufacturing.

Moreover, value added in machine tool-related manufacturing rocketed by 74.8 percent to 4.5 billion yuan ($668.6 million). These indicators put Zhuhai atop others at the symposium.