Secures Orders from BYD and Ecovacs, AI Screwing Robot Gets Tens of Millions in Financing from Plum Ventures | Exclusive Report by 36Kr

Author | Lin Qingqing

Editor | Yuan Silai

36Kr learned that the AI screw tightening robot manufacturer "Top - Tier Robotics" recently completed a seed - round financing of tens of millions of yuan, exclusively invested by Plum Ventures. The funds from this round of financing will be mainly used for technological iteration, product line improvement, and channel market expansion.

Headquartered in Guangming District, Shenzhen, "Top - Tier Robotics" focuses on the general process of screw tightening in industrial manufacturing. It independently develops four - and six - axis dedicated tightening robots, intelligent tightening tools, and tightening robot workstations. Its products have been mass - introduced to leading industry customers such as BYD, Ecovacs, and Sunwoda.

The global screw - tightening market is worth over 10 billion yuan. Manual screw tightening has low efficiency, uncontrollable quality, and faces issues such as rising labor costs and difficult data traceability. Traditional XYZ module - structured screw - locking equipment has problems in high - end manufacturing scenarios, including difficult data extraction, high customization requirements, and the inability to adapt to the manufacturing needs of product iteration and upgrading.

White Fengfeng, the founder of "Top - Tier Robotics", told 36Kr that in the current environment, the manufacturing of products such as new - energy vehicles and smart home appliances has distinct characteristics: the overall iteration cycle has shortened, and the reliability requirements for the assembly and tightening process are significantly higher compared to traditional home appliances. This also puts forward higher requirements for the stability of tightening, the flexible production of robots, and the digitalization of process data. Therefore, the solution of a tightening robot + intelligent tightening tool based on the robot as the structural main body and PC - based control has become the optimal solution.

For a long time, the high - end tightening market has been monopolized by foreign companies such as Epson and Atlas. Their solutions are expensive, complex to operate, and have poor service response. Domestic manufacturers such as Inovance and Estun mainly focus on the general industrial robot field, and the dedicated process robot track is still in the early blue - ocean stage. White Fengfeng said that the traditional solution requires the procurement and integration of multiple components such as robots, electric screwdrivers, and vision systems, which has high costs and poor compatibility. Through the model of "process - dedicated robot + self - developed tightening tool", the company has compressed the price of the whole machine to 60% of the price of similar products on the market. At the same time, the equipment delivery cycle has been significantly shortened.

On the hardware side, the SCARA robot developed by "Top - Tier Robotics" is equipped with a self - developed intelligent tightening tool. Its repeat positioning accuracy is at the leading level in the industry. It can handle screws of all specifications from M0.8 to M10, and the single - screw tightening efficiency has been improved by 15% - 30% compared with market solutions. The tightening tool monitors torque, angle, and pressure in real - time through sensors, with a control accuracy of 1%. The performance indicators of the tool are comparable to those of international first - tier brands.

On the software side, the robot control and tightening process are highly integrated. The software architecture adopts a fully modular structural design, with a wizard - style interaction, a role - oriented usage layout, and simple operation. It supports the one - key teaching function combining drawings and vision, and the fastest equipment online cycle can reach 1 hour.

In terms of commercialization progress, in addition to the mass application by major customers in the new - energy vehicle industry such as BYD and Great Wall Motors, and in the smart home field such as Ecovacs and Roborock, in 2024, "Top - Tier Robotics" promotes the channel marketing model. By standardizing product modeling and building a marketing network, it further expands the reach of the tightening robot + intelligent tightening tool. The company has developed nearly a hundred channel partners and will continue to deepen the new intelligent assembly paradigm of "hardware + software + service".

In the future, White Fengfeng said that the company will focus on three aspects: performance, price, and ease of use. In terms of product structure, it will improve the component reuse rate and customization flexibility through the modular configuration of iterative products; at the software level, it will optimize the scenario and process configuration and improve the data interaction interface; in terms of process capabilities, Top - Tier will introduce industry - specific training models to ensure the tightening results in complex scenarios and adapt to more special working conditions.

Regarding the team, founder White Fengfeng has served in sales management positions in two US - listed companies. The core R & D team members are from universities such as Harbin Institute of Technology and Beijing Institute of Technology, with over 10 years of R & D experience in motion control and automation.

Views from the Investor

Wu Shichun, the founding partner of Plum Ventures, said: Plum Ventures has always believed that the power of technology will reshape the future, and the field of AI screw - tightening robots is an important force in this wave of transformation. As an outstanding player in the industry, Top - Tier Robotics, with its leading technology, excellent products, and in - depth understanding of the market, shows great potential and value.

Top - Tier Robotics' AI screw - tightening technology has not only achieved breakthroughs in accuracy and efficiency but, more importantly, it provides an intelligent and automated solution for the manufacturing industry, meeting the current market's urgent demand for high - quality and high - efficiency production. The application of this technology can not only help enterprises reduce costs and improve production efficiency but also promote the upgrading and transformation of the entire manufacturing industry, leading the industry into a new stage of development.

We believe that the team of Top - Tier Robotics has the ability to transform technology into commercial success. Their innovative spirit, professional qualities, and enthusiasm for the industry give us full confidence in their future. Plum Ventures will fully support the development of Top - Tier Robotics, work hand in hand with them to explore the vast market of AI screw - tightening robots, create greater value for customers, and contribute to social development. We look forward to writing a new glorious chapter with Top - Tier Robotics in this promising field.