The robotic waitstaff developed by a Chinese business are prepared to accept orders on a global scale.
Pudu Robotics, a Chinese firm specialising in the production of robotic waiters, is commencing its subsequent stage of expansion, driven by the worldwide surge in demand for these automated devices aimed at reducing labour requirements.
During an interview at the company's headquarters in Shenzhen, Felix Zhang, the founder and CEO, stated that there are intentions to establish two manufacturing facilities in the Yangtze Delta region, which is in close proximity to Shanghai. Construction activities for these plants have already commenced.
According to Zhang, the completion of the construction on the two sites is anticipated to occur within the timeframe of 2024 to 2025. This development is expected to result in a threefold increase in Pudu's yearly capacity.
Since its inception in 2016, Pudu has experienced significant growth and achieved the status of a unicorn, generating around $100 million in revenue in the year 2022. The customer base comprises Haidilao, a Chinese hot-pot business, as well as Burger King and KFC establishments across Europe.
Pudu, a robotics company based in Japan, has successfully supplied a total of 3,000 robots to Skylark Holdings, a prominent restaurant operator, within the timeframe spanning till the conclusion of 2022. Approximately 2,100 locations are served by the entity in question.
The existing manufacturing facility of Pudu located in the city of Dongguan possesses an approximate yearly production capacity of 50,000 units. The addition of the two aforementioned entities will result in a cumulative quantity of around 150,000.