Doosan Robotics sets sights on US$10 billion “cobot” market

10. March 2022 South Korea’s Doosan Group is aiming to become a major player in the market for so-called “cobots” – robots that work directly with or assist humans – with its latest robotics division. At CES2022 in Las Vegas, Doosan already presented robots that can pick and pack apples and provide musical assistance to a drummer. The production of robots depends on numerous components and production machines, which usually require KC certification and KCs certification for their approval for the Korean market.     Doosan Robotics describes itself as the leading manufacturer of robots in South Korea. The Korea Economic Daily recently reported on a visit to a Doosan robotics factory. They were received by the factory manager Han Ki-Jong, who explained the differences between cobots and industrial robots. For example, cobots are lighter and safer than conventional robots, Ki-Jong said. The added safety is made possible by a special system that allows the cobot to constantly monitor its surroundings, so it can never get too close to the human worker. Doosan Robotics says its cobots have a margin of error of only 0.1 mm, allowing them to perform fine work comparable to human hands. The latest product, an H-series cobot, can lift or move up to 25 kg and weighs only 75 kg with a working radius of 1.7 metres. Doosan Robotics was established back in 2015 and started producing robots in October 2017, with a turnover of $16.8 million in 2020, making a small contribution to the Doosan Group’s total revenue. The robotics division is a wholly owned subsidiary of Doosan Corp, the group’s holding company. According to analysts, the market for cobots is still in its early stages with plenty of room for further growth. The Californian market researchers M&M Global Marketing expect the cobot market to grow from last year’s US$ 1.2 billion to US$ 10.5 billion in 2027. M&M sees the annual growth rate at 43 percent. A major advantage of cobots is their broad range of applications. Unlike fixed industrial robots, cobots can also be used in logistics, medicine and in the service sector such as hotels and restaurants. In the latter case, Doosan Robotics entered into a cooperation with Kyochon F&B. The company is one of the most popular franchisors in South Korea, for which Doosan developed a cobot to prepare fried chicken. Last year, Doosan Robotics passed the 1,000 cobot sales mark. 70 per cent of sales were in North America and Europe, putting Doosan in the global top 5 of cobot manufacturers. Based on 2020 business figures, Doosan is the market leader in cobots in South Korea with 21 per cent. Globally, however, its market share is only 7 per cent. Universal Robots from Denmark dominates the global market with more than 50 per cent. To gain market access, products imported into South Korea must be tested and certified. The KC mark or certificate is roughly equivalent to the European CE mark and applies to 730 different products. MPR International GmbH has solid experience in Korea certification and competent local partners. We will be pleased to advise you without obligation about the scope and procedure of a Korea certification. Feel free to contact us any time if you need assistance or have any questions regarding Korean certifications like KC, KC EMC, KCs, KCs for explosion safety products or KGS factory registration. Tel. Europe: +49-69-271 37 69 261 Tel. US: +1 773 654-2673 Email: info@korea-certification.com Urgent questions? Please do not hesitate to contact us via chat. You will find the chat window at the bottom right of each page (if this is not visible, please check your browser settings). For more information you can download our free brochure “Korea Certification Made Easy – The Booklet“.