Global robo-waiters from a Chinese startup are ready to take orders

Pudu Robotics, a Chinese startup that makes robot servers, is starting its next stage of growth as a result of increased demand for labor-saving devices worldwide.

In an interview at the company's Shenzhen headquarters, founder and CEO Felix Zhang stated, "We plan to build two factories in the Yangtze Delta area [near Shanghai], and we have already begun construction."

Work on the two sites will finish between 2024 and 2025, tripling Pudu's annual capacity, Zhang said.

Pudu has developed into a unicorn since its start in 2016, generating about $100 million in revenue in 2022. Customers include the European locations of Burger King and KFC as well as the Chinese hot-pot chain Haidilao.

By the end of 2022, Pudu will have provided 3,000 robots to Japanese restaurant operator Skylark Holdings. They cover over 2,100 places.

The capacity of Pudu's present Dongguan facility is about 50,000 units per year. With the addition of the two, there will be around 150,000 in all.

Zhang did not go into specifics regarding the locations of the plants or the amount of money that would be invested.

Pudu constantly improves the precision of motion by its robots by acquiring big data from units already in service. It has access to a large supply of affordable components in China, keeping production costs down.

Zhang stated that, at the time, they were not considering constructing a plant offshore.

The increased output capacity is primarily due to global demand. By the end of August, Pudu had collectively delivered over 70,000 robots, including those that provide hotel room service.

Since February, more than 10,000 have been delivered. Overseas customers make up over 80% of Pudu's sales.