A range of ABB Robotics products has obtained China Robot (CR) certification, making the company the first multinational corporation to pursue and secure the certification for its full product portfolio in China.

CR certification is an authoritative safety and quality certification system for China's robotics industry. Launched in 2016 under the joint guidance of several key government departments, such as the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, it is currently the world's only State-endorsed high-end certification for robotics products.

ABB industrial robots, including the IRB 1520, IRB 1600, IRB 1660 and the PoWa collaborative robot series, successfully passed the CR assessment, marking the first significant milestone since the strategic collaboration between ABB Robotics and the Shanghai Electrical Apparatus Research Institute (Group) Co Ltd was announced last year.

"The first batch of CR certifications is a critical step in advancing our 'China, for China' strategy. It serves as authoritative recognition of our products' safety, reliability and high quality, and strong proof of our active integration into China's industrial ecosystem to better meet local customer needs," said Henry Han, group senior vice-president and president of ABB Robotics Division in China.

"Moving forward, we will continue to work closely with SEARI, expanding certification scope, contributing to technical standards, while also setting and collaborating on common technology research. Together, we aim to build a more robust industry ecosystem to support the transformation and upgrade of smart manufacturing in China," Han said.

According to ABB Robotics, the company is now progressing with CR certification for its complete portfolio, aiming to achieve comprehensive certification for over 120 product types by 2026.

Zheng Junqi, president of Shanghai Robot Industrial Technology Research Institute, said:"We are pleased to see the rapid progress ABB Robotics has made in the CR certification process. The cooperative model, transitioning from 'compliance' to 'co-creation', sets a positive example for collaborative innovation across the industrial chain. We look forward to deepening our cooperation with ABB Robotics to jointly drive the robotics industry toward safer, more reliable and more intelligent development."

Wu Yehua, chairman of the Testing and Certification Alliance for Robot, said that CR certification serves as a "passport" in the product market and also functions as a "booster" for industrial upgrading. ABB Robotics' achievement of CR certification for its full product line has played a positive, exemplary and leading role for the entire industry.

"In the future, the alliance will continue to improve the system, especially deepening its layout in cutting-edge fields such as humanoid robots, and collaborating with outstanding global enterprises to jointly build an open, collaborative and sustainable new ecosystem for the robotics industry," he said.

Going forward, ABB Robotics will continue to collaborate with local partners, committing to continuous innovation and an open cooperative ecosystem to empower the high-quality and sustainable development of smart manufacturing and the robotics industry in China, said the company.