SHENYANG, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Arc welding robots move their multi-joint mechanical arms with steady precision, as welding torches glide back and forth amid showers of bright sparks. In moments, a vehicle body takes shape.
At the welding workshop of Geely's new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturing plant in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, nearly 100 domestically developed heavy-payload industrial robots are now in full operation, underpinning production capacity for the automaker whose NEV products are exported to markets across the globe.
The innovation marks a major breakthrough in China's high-end equipment sector.
"For more than three decades, German and Japanese robotic systems have held an absolutely dominant position across the welding and assembly lines of mainstream domestic automakers," said Zhou Jun, head of smart manufacturing at Geely Automobile Group Co., Ltd.
Against this backdrop, carmakers have long been reluctant to replace their existing robotic fleets over concerns about operational stability, leaving domestically produced welding equipment with little opportunity for real-world applications, Zhou added.
To resolve the conundrum, Siasun Robot & Automation Co., Ltd., based in Shenyang of northeast China, has joined forces with Geely over the past four years, surmounting more than 1,000 technical and process-related hurdles.
"Bringing home-grown robots to the automotive welding assembly lines and realizing self-reliance in high-end equipment has been a long-cherished wish of generations of Chinese robotics researchers and practitioners," said Zhang Jin, president of Siasun.
At the end of 2022, the first two Siasun robots were installed on the welding production line of Geely. The subsequent 72 hours proved to be an arduous trial for Siasun's research and development team, which solved all 83 identified system compatibility issues to complete the replacement.
Today, Siasun's arc welding robotic systems have been used in five car manufacturers in China.
Siasun's breakthrough is one of many, reflecting Shenyang's transformation from a traditional heavy industrial base into a high-tech manufacturing hub.
Stepping into the Industrial Museum of China in downtown Shenyang, visitors can walk straight into a living timeline of the country's industrial evolution since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, where rows of vintage machinery fill halls dedicated to distinct stages of development.
Reborn from an abandoned state-owned industrial plant, the museum demonstrates the time-honored industrial heritage of Shenyang, the birthplace of China's first homegrown lathes, jet engines and even the first cast metallic national emblem that once hung atop the Tian'anmen Rostrum.
"As a national-level manufacturing powerhouse, Shenyang bears the core mission of exploring transformation paths for old industrial bases and fostering new quality productive forces," said Wei Wengang, deputy dean of the College of Marxism at Shenyang Agricultural University.
Official data shows that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), Shenyang's total industrial output value surpassed 680 billion yuan (about 100 billion U.S. dollars), with the total output value of its major industrial enterprises registering an average annual growth rate of 3.9 percent.
Shenyang has continued to ramp up innovation investment. In 2025, its total research and development (R&D) expenditure reached 26 billion yuan, a year-on-year rise of 11.2 percent. Now the city is home to more than 30,000 technology-based enterprises.
Automotive manufacturing stands as a core pillar industry in Shenyang. The city hosts the world's largest production base for German premium automaker BMW, with cumulative output from the facility hitting 7 million units as of May 2026.
With automation rates reaching as high as 95 percent, BMW Brilliance Automotive's Shenyang production base demonstrates how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping modern manufacturing. Approximately 200 AI applications have been deployed across the base, empowering the entire value chain from shop-floor operations and back-end management to supply chain optimization and quality control.
Meanwhile, 100 percent of the electricity used in the plant comes from renewable sources, and it has established a complete resource recycling and reuse system.
"Aligned with BMW Group's global quality benchmarks, Shenyang production base operates a rigorously validated quality management system that exceeds industry norms," said Michele Melchiorre, senior vice president of technology and manufacturing at BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd.
Fostering new quality productive forces is one of China's top priorities in the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).
According to Li Shengzhi, director of Shenyang's bureau of industry and information technology, the city is prioritizing intelligent manufacturing as its core development orientation, with a key focus on advancing industry-wide digital transformation.
Highlighting the city's strengths in sectors such as high-end equipment, aerospace and industrial robots, Wei noted that this development path has continuously enhanced Shenyang's innovation capacity and emerged as a core engine driving the region's all-round revitalization.
Ninety-five years ago, Japanese troops attacked Chinese forces in Shenyang, marking the start of Japan's 14-year invasion of China. That traumatic experience forms part of the city's collective memory, informing the outlook of many residents.
"The wartime memories taught us a hard lesson -- backwardness leaves one vulnerable to attacks," said Zhang Jin with Siasun.
"The same applies to the field of science and technology. We must accelerate technological innovation," Zhang added. Enditem
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