Chinese warehouse robotics start-up Hai Robotics has secured two continuous rounds of financing, garnering $200m.

The pioneer in autonomous case-handling robotics (ACR) said the money would be invested in boosting its robot fleet with technological upgrades, expanding its global operations networks, optimising its supply chain management and corporate structure, and recruiting talent.

Hai launched the first ACR system – Haipick – in 2015. The robots can pick and place totes or cartons on storage shelves up to five to seven metres high and carry up to eight loads to feed goods-to-person picking stations continuously.

A Haipick robot can carry cartons as well as individual totes and bring multiple cases to pickers or conveyors in one movement. It can, says the company, help realise warehouse automation in just a week, increase storage density by 80 to 130%, and improve work efficiency by three to four times.

The global supply chain and warehousing logistics market in the past years has seen a surge of automation transformation. As per Logistics IQ’s market report, the warehouse automation market is expected to worth $30bn by 2026, at a CAGR of 14% since 2019.

The Haipick system waded its way first through shoes and apparel projects in the wave of warehousing automation. So far, the company has been running over 200 projects around the globe with more than 2000 ACRs deployed, accounting for 90% share in the ACR market. It has paired up with dozens of global logistics and supply chain companies, including LG CNS, MHS, Mujin, BPS and Savoye.

“Our major future orientation will centre on expanding the overseas market and localise our service,” said Richie Chen, the company’s cofounder and CEO, who thinks the company has an edge over its overseas counterparts in many aspects, including project cost, technology and customisation capability, in that it has matured when catering to the various demands in the dynamic Chinese market.

He said the company would continue to pursue technological innovation as the primary driver for growth, and continuously create values for customers.

The C round funding was led by 5Y Capital with participation from Sequoia Capital China, Source Code Capital, VMS, Walden International and Scheme Capital. The D round funding, the third capital infusion for the company in 2021, was led by Capital Today with some existing investors, including Sequoia Capital China, 5Y Capital, Source Code Capital, Legend Star and 01VC. Earlier in March, the company announced B+ round funding of $15m.

Guo Shanshan, a partner of Sequoia Capital China, said Hai Robotics had made itself an exemplar in the logistics sector with its ACR system.

“The case-handling robot is riding on the market trend that shifts towards smaller workflows, such as from pallet picking to totes picking,” he said. “We’re very pleased to see the company’s fast growth with good innovation.”

The company has a yearly turnout of 10,000 robots with an 18,000m² factory in Dongguan, China. Founded in 2016 with headquarters in Shenzhen, it has set up five subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, USA and the Netherlands, serving customers from more than 30 countries and regions. It now has over 1000 staff, more than half of whom are engineers. The company has acquired more than 400 global patents for core intellectual properties involving positioning, robot control and warehouse management.