Ubtech Robotics Tightens Boardroom Control as Humanoid Sales Explode 25-Fold

Ubtech tightens grip on subsidiary while humanoid sales explode 25x to 821M yuan; launches consumer robot Walker C1 and targets 10,000 deliveries in 2026.

Ubtech Robotics is tightening its corporate grip just as its humanoid business hits warp speed. The Chinese robot maker has secured the right to nominate seven of eight seats on the board of a Shenzhen-listed investment subsidiary, expanding the supervisory panel from seven to eight members in a move that gives it near-total strategic control. The original share purchase agreement remains unchanged, but the new clause signals a deeper integration of the target company into Ubtech’s ecosystem.

The timing is no coincidence. Ubtech’s full-sized humanoid segment saw revenue surge from 35.6 million yuan to 821 million yuan last year — a staggering 25-fold increase. Unit sales hit 1,079, up 35,866.7 percent. That explosive growth has turned humanoids into the group’s largest revenue source, providing the financial firepower for a dual-pronged assault on both industrial and consumer markets.

On the consumer front, the company unveiled the Walker C1, a service robot designed for roles such as dance instruction in public settings. Founder Zhou Jian announced a dedicated consumer brand called UWORLD on May 20, targeting households and companion robotics. The Walker C1 will make its public debut later this month at the China International Supply Chain Expo in Peking. Ubtech is effectively using its industrial automation profits to fund a push into mass-market humanoids.

The industrial engine is running hot. Total 2025 revenue reached 2.001 billion yuan, up 53.3 percent. Gross margin improved from 28.7 to 37.7 percent, and net loss narrowed 31.9 percent to 790 million yuan. Management has guided for an even higher gross margin of 40 to 43 percent in 2026. The Walker S2, already deployed in carmaking, logistics and semiconductor plants, has won contracts with Airbus, Siemens, Texas Instruments, Audi FAW, BYD and Foxconn. Early this year Ubtech signed what it calls the first humanoid service agreement in aviation manufacturing. The order book now stands at roughly 1.4 billion yuan, with a target of 10,000 humanoid deliveries in 2026.

Ubtech’s war chest is well-stocked. Three capital raises brought in 5.88 billion Hong Kong dollars, leaving cash reserves of 4.9 billion yuan at the start of the year. Research spending hit 507 million yuan in 2025, or 25.4 percent of revenue, and cumulative R&D outlays over four years total nearly 1.9 billion yuan. The company is now searching globally for a chief scientist in embodied intelligence, offering an annual salary of up to 124 million yuan. Its R&D team of 942 includes nearly half with master’s or doctoral degrees.

Competition is fierce. According to Omdia, AgiBot shipped 5,168 humanoids in 2025, Unitree Robotics 4,200, and Ubtech 1,000, placing it third. China’s five-year plan classifies humanoid technology as a national priority, providing policy tailwinds. But the Walker C1’s consumer positioning puts Ubtech in direct competition with a growing pack of household rivals. The company aims to raise the Walker’s productivity to 80 percent of a human worker by 2027 and scale annual production from 500 to 10,000 units.

At the bourse, the stock has had a rough ride. It last traded at 12.90 euros in Frankfurt, down 23.9 percent from its 52-week high of 16.95 euros and off 11.1 percent year to date. The Shenzhen-listed stock closed at 13.00 euros on Wednesday, a 1.41 percent decline on the day. Yet analysts remain constructive, maintaining a “buy” rating with a price target of 154 Hong Kong dollars — well above the current 50-day moving average of 11.72 euros. Market capitalisation stands at roughly 59 billion Hong Kong dollars.

The boardroom manoeuvre gives Ubtech the operational leverage it needs to integrate its subsidiary more tightly as it scales from laboratory to living room. The Walker C1 and UWORLD brand represent a bet that humanoids can find a place in everyday life, not just on factory floors. Whether that bet pays off will determine if Ubtech can turn its 25-fold revenue explosion into a sustainable growth story.