We spoke to JD Wei, CEO of AgileX Robotics, a leading global robot chassis manufacturer and mobile robot system solutions provider, and here's what he had to say about it.
First of all, how are you and your family doing during this time of COVID-19?
JD Wei: The COVID-19 epidemic caused us some inconveniences in early 2020, coinciding with the Chinese New Year. So we had to stay home and stop gatherings with family and friends. However, the Chinese government has implemented very strict controls to control the epidemic. In my city, the number of infections has always remained below 10%, so my family and I have resumed our daily lives and work in less than two months.
Tell us about yourself, your career, how you founded AgileX Robotics.
JD Wei: I was in charge of the Robomasters division at DJI, a global robotics competition for college students. I founded AgileX Robotics in 2016 after leaving DJI. We started with parking-type automated guided vehicles (AGVs), but the business model didn't fit the current market at the time, so we abandoned the project two years later. In 2018, we began manufacturing outdoor ground mobile robots. At the end of 2018, we launched our first ground mobile robot. Unexpectedly, the market response and sales were positive, allowing us to delve deeper into the field of outdoor mobile robots. Currently, AgileX Robotics is highly competitive and well-known in this field; furthermore, we are in the process of internationalization and establishing businesses in different countries.
How does AgileX Robotics innovate?
JD Wei: Outdoor mobile robotics is a very new industry. It can be said that the application of autonomous driving has driven its development. Outdoor mobile robots can also be understood as low-speed automatic driving, applications such as logistics robots and inspection robots. As an emerging industry, we must constantly keep an eye on cutting-edge research in autonomous driving and mobile robots worldwide, maintain cooperation with the world's top research teams, and stay ahead of market trends. Only in this way can we continue to innovate and advance the field of robotics.
How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting your business and how are you coping?
In the first quarter, there were some negative effects as the entire country was shut down. However, because the epidemic generated increased demand for disinfection robots, part of our R&D department returned to the company to develop them in February, and we began selling them in March.
This product contributed to part of our sales during the first and second quarters. Due to the pandemic, the government is encouraging AI and robots to replace humans in complex work areas. Therefore, our outdoor mobile robots have also been widely used, allowing us to increase our sales by 100% in 2020 compared to 2019.
Did you have to make any difficult decisions and what were the lessons learned?
JD Wei: When the epidemic hit, I thought I had made the right decision: letting my employees stay home and work remotely. It wasn't a difficult decision because my employees are AgileX Robotics' most important asset, and I don't want them to be at risk.
What specific tools, software, and management skills are you using to navigate this crisis?
JD Wei: Due to remote work, we use a lot of software to share online content, such as remote video conferencing and document sharing. Additionally, in-person exhibitions were postponed due to the pandemic, so we increased our online promotion efforts and increased our spending on Google, Alibaba, and Baidu. As a result, our marketing team has significantly improved its SEO and SEM capabilities.
How do you view the competition? And how do you plan to stay in the market?
JD Wei: Before 2020, there weren't many competitors in the market. However, some emerged in 2020 due to the shift in strategy brought about by the impact of the epidemic and the prospect of outdoor mobile robots. What we can do is continue to innovate and stay ahead of the curve so as not to be overtaken. Before 2021, we focused more on hardware. Since this year, we've focused more on software development and application scenarios.
Your final thoughts?
JD Wei: Through this epidemic, people will see more possibilities for robots.
