Ningbo Haitian Drive Systems Co. Ltd., part of the Haitian Group, touted its robotic arms at the recent Chinaplas show. The company said it's in a unique position to open up the market.

Haitian Drive Systems was established in 2005, and started R&D on robots in 2007. Its portfolio currently consists of four models of the Hilectro series, covering injection molding machines with clamping forces from 35 tons to 4,000 tons.

The Hilectro series uses high-end control systems from Japan to ensure accurate position and better stability, pneumatic elements from Japanese brands of SMC and CKD, and electronic components from Germany and Japan.

The company also worked with Japan's robot maker Star Seiki Co. Ltd. to develop the larger robots.

I spoke with Huang Hao Hui, director of development, at Chinaplas. He said existing customers are mostly in the Ningbo area, but the company hopes to expand the customer base to nationwide by 2012.

"Obviously, being part of Haitian, we have better understanding of injection molding presses, applications as well as processors' mindset. That's our advantage."

The products are priced at the same level as other Chinese brands, he added. For Chinese molders that run their presses 24/7, the investment on a robot can pay back in just two years.