On October 15, HUAZHONG IN-V (06830) and NOVAUTEK held a strategic cooperation signing ceremony in Xiangshan, Ningbo. Both parties announced their focus on four key areas: AI empowerment, the application of embodied robotics, the development of dexterous manipulation technology, and the innovation of lightweight materials, to drive industry upgrades through technological innovation. During the signing ceremony, HUAZHONG IN-V's investment manager, Zhou Yue, emphasized the commitment to deep cooperation in these four areas.
In the realm of AI empowerment, the two companies will jointly develop AI solutions applicable to the entire process of automotive parts production, achieving intelligent quality monitoring, predictive maintenance of equipment, and autonomous optimization of production processes, thereby enhancing production efficiency and product quality. For embodied robotics applications, NOVAUTEK plans to integrate its advanced robotics technology into HUAZHONG's core production lines for coating, spraying, and bonding, breaking through traditional automation restrictions to achieve flexible production and enhance the adaptability of production lines.
In the field of dexterous manipulation technology development, the two companies will jointly develop and launch a dexterous manipulation brand based on HUAZHONG's application scenarios and high-end manufacturing capabilities, combined with NOVAUTEK's full-stack algorithms, to improve the operational precision and intelligence of robots in complex environments. Regarding lightweight material innovation, HUAZHONG IN-V will leverage its expertise in new material light-weighting to empower the development of the next generation of robots, enhancing agility, endurance, and safety in human-machine collaboration, thus pushing robot technology to new heights.
From the backgrounds of the collaborating parties, HUAZHONG IN-V is an auto parts manufacturer specializing in automotive interior and exterior components and structural items, and is a Hong Kong-listed company under the Ningbo Huaxiang Group. The company's main products include automotive interior and exterior parts, engine components, air-conditioning housings, decorative fabrics, and yacht engine covers. Currently, HUAZHONG IN-V serves as a first-tier supplier for domestic and international automakers, including FAW-Volkswagen, SAIC-Volkswagen, SAIC-General Motors, Beijing Benz, Volvo, Changan Ford, and Chery Jaguar Land Rover.
Due to the technological synergies between automotive parts manufacturing and robotics, the automotive parts industry has increasingly invested in the robotics sector this year to create a second growth curve, with a particularly notable performance in Zhejiang, which is well-known for its automotive parts industry. According to statistics from Zhejiang Merchants Securities, there are currently over 100 humanoid robotics-related companies in Zhejiang, with more than 40 listed on the A-share market. Established in 2021, NOVAUTEK is an AI technology innovation company focusing on research and application in robotics vision, position control, force control, and intelligent end effectors. NOVAUTEK has developed inspection robots, ironing robots, polishing robots, and assembly robots.
CEO of NOVAUTEK, Yu Qiong, remarked at the signing ceremony that this partnership aims to introduce AI technology into manufacturing processes, addressing industry pain points such as the complexity of manual operations in automotive interior wrapping and low yield rates. By integrating AI vision, embodied intelligence, and dexterous technologies, they aim to stabilize quality, enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and reconstruct the logic of manufacturing driven by data, machine comprehension of processes, and innovation feedback to the industry.
Zhou Yue emphasized that this cooperation will serve as an opportunity to continue collaborating with technology enterprises, universities, and industry chain partners to explore innovations in intelligent manufacturing, new energy, and lightweight materials, aiming to drive intelligent manufacturing out of laboratories and into a reality that contributes to the high-quality development of China's economy.