A worker texts a robot arm at a plant in Zhengyu town, Haimen district, Nantong. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

Robots have greatly eased labor shortages caused by the COVID-19 outbreak in Zhengyu town, Haimen district, Nantong, and have promoted the upgrading of the local traditional manufacturing industry, Nantong Daily reported.

From January to July, local industrial companies with annual revenue of more than 20 million yuan ($2.9 million) generated 3.35 billion yuan in taxable sales, up 79.3 percent year on year. The robot sector contributed 13.3 percent of this with taxable sales revenue of 445 million yuan.

The local government is currently planning to build a robot town covering an area of 3.45 square kilometers that will focus on research, development, manufacturing, sales, services, applications, and tourism centered on robots.

"We aim to attract 168 million yuan in investment this year, which will be invested into town planning and building an RV reducer laboratory," said Yu Jun, the town's Party secretary.

The town is currently home to 16 industrial robot companies, forming an industrial chain that includes R&D, manufacturing, and application. It is currently the only town in China to master all key robotics technology and produce core parts independently.

The RV reducer produced by local industrial leader Nantong Zhenkang Machinery Co has won support from the Ministry of Science and Technology and currently holds a 20-percent domestic market share, making it the first major Chinese player in the field.

The town, led by Zhenkang, has attracted a number of robotic projects revolving around servo motors, controllers, logistics robots, and dynamic balance systems. It is also working to expand its product range from core robotics parts to high-precision industrial robots, construction robots, and environmental protection robots.