Kawasaki Robotics Company Profile: History, Structure, Financials, Products, Leadership and Stock
Updated: 7 days ago
Kawasaki Robotics is the robot business of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, and the company that began commercial production of industrial robots in Japan in 1969. In the fiscal year to March 2026 its robots generated revenue of about JPY 100 billion, split almost evenly between semiconductor, automotive and general industrial customers. This profile sets out its history, position inside the Kawasaki group, financial results, subsidiaries, product range, leadership and share data.
Kawasaki Robotics at a Glance
Fact | Detail |
Company | Robot Division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. (KHI) |
Robot origins | 1968 licence agreement with Unimation; commercial production from 1969 |
Main plant | Akashi Plant, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan |
Segment | Precision Machinery and Robot, alongside hydraulic components |
Robotics orders | JPY 105.3 billion in the year to March 31, 2026 |
Robot revenue by application | Semiconductor JPY 37.9 billion; automotive JPY 36.8 billion; general industry JPY 27.8 billion |
Parent revenue | JPY 2,311.2 billion |
Stock listing | Parent KHI on the Tokyo Stock Exchange: 7012 |
Segment president | Yoshimoto Matsuda |
KHI president | Yasuhiko Hashimoto |
Company History: From Unimate Licence to In-House Robots
In 1968 Kawasaki signed a licence agreement with Unimation of the United States, the company behind the first industrial robot. A year later it began commercial production of the Unimate in Japan, the country's first industrial robot. For nearly two decades Kawasaki built robots on that foundation, adding its own electric P-series in 1981 and the E-series large general-purpose robot in 1983. In 1986 it ended the Unimation partnership, moved to fully in-house development and began expanding abroad.
Key milestones
1968: Licence agreement with Unimation.
1969: Commercial production of the Unimate begins in Japan.
1981: Production of the P-series electric robot.
1986: End of the Unimation partnership; in-house development and global expansion.
1990: Kawasaki Robotics (USA), Inc. is founded in the Detroit area.
1995: Kawasaki Robotics GmbH is founded in Neuss, Germany.
1997: Expansion of the clean robot business for semiconductor manufacturing.
2000: Acquisition of the painting robot business of Kobe Steel.
2002: K-series painting robot and M-series extra-heavy payload robot.
2004: Friction Spot Joining technology developed and launched.
2006: Kawasaki Robotics (Tianjin) is founded in China.
2008: R-series small and medium general-purpose robot and E-series controller.
2011: BX-series spot welding robot.
2013: Medicaroid Corporation is established to develop medical robots.
2015: duAro dual-arm SCARA robot for human collaboration; MG10HL extra-large payload robot.
2017: The Successor remote skill-reproduction system is launched and the humanoid robot Kaleido makes its debut at the International Robot Exhibition.
2018: duAro 2 collaborative dual-arm robot.
Corporate Structure
Kawasaki Robotics is not a separate company. It is the Robot Division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, a group with about 100 companies in Japan and overseas whose businesses cover aerospace, rolling stock, ships, energy and industrial plants, precision machinery, robots and motorcycles. Robots are reported in the Precision Machinery and Robot segment together with hydraulic components and systems. Regional subsidiaries sell and support the robots:
Kawasaki Robotics (USA), Inc.: founded 1990, headquartered in Wixom, Michigan, serving North America and parts of South America.
Kawasaki Robotics GmbH: founded 1995, Neuss, Germany.
Kawasaki Robotics (UK), Ltd.: founded 1996.
Kawasaki Machine Systems Korea, Ltd.: founded 1999, Incheon.
Kawasaki Robotics (Tianjin) Co., Ltd.: founded 2006.
Medicaroid Corporation: established 2013 for medical robots.
Financial Performance
Kawasaki Heavy Industries reported group revenue of JPY 2,311.2 billion and record business profit of JPY 145.1 billion for the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2026. Net profit attributable to owners was JPY 108.1 billion.
Precision Machinery and Robot segment
Item | Year to March 2026 | Forecast, year to March 2027 |
Segment orders | JPY 278.5 billion | JPY 330.0 billion |
Segment revenue | JPY 259.1 billion | JPY 310.0 billion |
Segment business profit | JPY 14.3 billion | JPY 21.0 billion |
Robotics orders | JPY 105.3 billion | JPY 120.0 billion |
Robotics revenue | JPY 92.9 billion | JPY 115.0 billion |
Robot revenue by application
Application | Year to March 2026 | Change | Forecast |
Semiconductor | JPY 37.9 billion | +3.0 billion | JPY 46.0 billion |
Automotive | JPY 36.8 billion | -5.0 billion | JPY 46.0 billion |
General industry and others | JPY 27.8 billion | +0.3 billion | JPY 35.0 billion |
Total | JPY 102.5 billion | -1.5 billion | JPY 127.0 billion |
The numbers show how unusual Kawasaki's robot business is. Semiconductor wafer robots are now its largest application, ahead of the automotive industry where it started. The company links semiconductor demand to the growth of AI and rising demand for memory chips, and general industrial demand to labor costs and shortages. For the current year it forecasts robot growth led by semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
Kawasaki Robotics' Leading Products
Product | Payload | Type |
R series | 3 to 80 kg | Small and medium general-purpose robots |
Large general-purpose robots | 100 to 300 kg | Heavy-duty handling |
Extra-heavy robots, including the M series | 350 to 1,500 kg | Heavy-lift handling |
BX series | High payload | Spot welding robots |
Palletizing robots | 80 to 700 kg | High-speed end-of-line palletizing |
Pick and place robots | Light payload | Food-grade high-speed picking and sorting |
K series | Paint | Explosion-proof painting robots, from small parts to vehicle bodies |
Arc welding and sealing robots | Application robots | Welding, sealant and adhesive application |
Wafer transfer robots | Clean robot | Wafer handling inside semiconductor equipment |
Medical and pharmaceutical robots | Clean robot | Pharmaceutical and drug discovery work |
duAro | Dual-arm SCARA | Collaborative assembly |
CL series | Collaborative robot | Cobots for work alongside people |
Kawasaki Robotics product reviews on All Things Cobots
Notable Technologies and Projects
Clean robots: since 1997 Kawasaki has built horizontal articulated robots for wafer handling, through the NS, NX and NT series.
Friction Spot Joining: a joining process for aluminium developed in 2004 as an alternative to spot welding.
Successor: a system launched in 2017 that lets a robot learn and reproduce the movements of a skilled operator working remotely.
Kaleido: a humanoid robot first shown in 2017 and upgraded in 2019 for practical real-world applications.
Medicaroid: the medical robotics company established in 2013.
Painting: the business acquired from Kobe Steel in 2000 made Kawasaki a supplier of complete paint robot systems.
Leadership and Management
Name | Role |
Yasuhiko Hashimoto | President, Kawasaki Heavy Industries |
Yoshimoto Matsuda | President, Precision Machinery and Robot Company |
Stock Information
Item | Detail |
Listing | Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Tokyo Stock Exchange: 7012 |
Market capitalization | About USD 12.6 billion in October 2026 |
Robotics share of group revenue | About 4% |
Robots are a small part of KHI. The group's share price is driven mainly by aerospace, defence, energy and motorcycles.
Note: market figures are indicative as of early October 2026 and change daily. This section is general information, not investment advice.
Strengths and Challenges
Strengths
More than fifty years of robot production.
A leading position in semiconductor wafer transfer robots, now its largest application.
A wide payload range, from 3 kg to 1,500 kg.
The resources of a large industrial group.
Challenges
Falling automotive robot revenue.
A thin segment margin: business profit of JPY 14.3 billion on revenue of JPY 259.1 billion.
Dependence on the semiconductor equipment cycle.
A small collaborative robot range compared with specialist cobot makers.
Outlook
Kawasaki forecasts robotics orders of JPY 120.0 billion and revenue of JPY 115.0 billion for the year to March 2027, with semiconductor and automotive applications each expected to reach JPY 46.0 billion.
Current Catalogue Coverage
Catalogue checked on 15 October 2026: 37 associated product records. The links below are representative entries, rather than a claim that every historical model is currently available.
Kawasaki Robotics FAQ
Who owns Kawasaki Robotics?
Kawasaki Robotics is the Robot Division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., a publicly traded Japanese group.
Is Kawasaki Robotics publicly traded?
Not separately. Kawasaki Heavy Industries is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under the code 7012.
When did Kawasaki start making robots?
It signed a licence agreement with Unimation in 1968 and began commercial production of the Unimate in Japan in 1969.
How big is Kawasaki's robot business?
In the fiscal year to March 2026 robotics orders were JPY 105.3 billion, and robot revenue by application totalled JPY 102.5 billion.
What is Kawasaki Robotics' largest market?
Semiconductor equipment, with robot revenue of JPY 37.9 billion, slightly ahead of automotive at JPY 36.8 billion.
Where is Kawasaki Robotics based in the United States?
Kawasaki Robotics (USA), Inc. is headquartered in Wixom, Michigan.
Sources
Kawasaki Robotics: history
Kawasaki Robotics: company
Kawasaki Robotics: products
Kawasaki Heavy Industries: financial results for fiscal 2025
Kawasaki Heavy Industries: corporate profile
