Chinese language companies have gotten more and more influential on this planet of warehouse tech. Amongst them, Libiao Robotics is making waves with its AirRob system, writes Peter MacLeod.
Libiao Robotics, producer of the AirRob robot-based tote dealing with resolution, not too long ago held a world accomplice convention at its Hangzhou manufacturing facility close to Shanghai, to which I used to be invited. In addition to an opportunity to satisfy with its engineers to deeper perceive the design course of behind its automated warehouse techniques, I additionally hung out at CeMAT Asia, the place such techniques dominated the 10-hall truthful.
With over 10,000 robots deployed globally because the earlier convention 12 months earlier, it’s taken as learn that the efficiency and reliability of Libiao’s {hardware} is tried and examined. The place Libiao’s ingenuity comes, although, is in adapting this expertise to satisfy the particular – and altering – wants of the shopper, and growing in tandem the software program that drives it. In Libiao’s case, this implies creating new methods to allow better storage density with out compromising fulfilment pace or effectivity.
Resolution Associate
In her opening remarks, firm founder and CEO Mrs Xia Huiling highlighted her philosophy of not simply offering the best-possible gear, however insisting that its integration is carried out by a neighborhood accomplice who finest understands the particular laws and buyer wants. This eliminates the accusation levelled at many fellow Chinese language companies, particularly that they’re gear suppliers slightly than resolution companions. With abroad entities in Frankfurt, Singapore and now New Jersey within the USA, Libiao’s capability to serve these markets has taken an enormous ahead leap.
A spotlight of the occasion was to get a primary take a look at a brand new system being launched to the worldwide market in Q1/2026, particularly the AirRob Professional. Whereas the unique AirRob raised the bar by combining a climbing robotic with a fleet of floorbots to create a extremely environment friendly and dense storage grid, AirRob Professional takes the idea even additional. It has been designed for operations the place ‘uncooked’ cartons are inbound. These might be put away instantly into racking with out the necessity for decanting into totes, as AirRob Professional comes geared up with a intelligent double-sucker arm. Why intelligent? Nicely, cartons of a number of dimensions don’t all the time sit neatly in straight rows, so AirRob Professional eliminates this impediment by guaranteeing a clear, agency grip and straight positioning and withdrawal of things.
Digital Twin
The place the tech actually excels is its swiveling arm, which permits choosing from either side of a single aisle. This successfully removes the necessity for a second workstation per aisle, releasing up additional warehouse area for extra value-added actions. AirRob Professional was demonstrated to the Libiao’s companions from all corners of the globe, and the suggestions I heard was unanimously optimistic.
Talking with Zou ‘Chiz’ Chu, the corporate’s Abroad Help Supervisor, I discovered that the system has been evaluated utilizing Libiao’s new digital twin expertise – additionally launched on the convention – and the outcomes have been spectacular. It will increase the double-cycle fee and due to the precision of the suction choosing system, these good points are additional boosted by the power for cartons and totes to be saved tighter collectively than beforehand.
“The answer will likely be notably engaging to the grocery sector,” Chiz tells me, describing how the calls for of fulfilling high-throughput retail shops in city areas – the place warehouse area is at a premium – might be met by AirRob Professional.
A full day of technical shows and buyer case research enlightened me in regards to the broad scale and depth of functions attainable utilizing Libiao’s automated techniques. With a powerful pedigree stemming from the submit & parcel sector, it’s now turning heads within the logistics sector by placing particular buyer calls for firmly on the coronary heart of product improvement.
Following the accomplice convention, I used to be invited to the ceremonial opening of a rare 5-level multi-user warehouse in Kunshan. Operated by Japanese 3PL GLP and housing an AirRob set up, the dimensions of the power blew me away, and illustrates a extremely efficient resolution to beat an absence of warehouse area round city hubs. The journey was topped off by a go to to CeMAT Asia in Shanghai, an unimaginable showcase of expertise that exemplified powerfully how corporations from the area equivalent to Libiao have now grow to be the main tech innovators within the logistics sector.
