The expression ‘Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’, often attributed to Irish playwright Oscar Wilde, is applicable to the industrial landscape today as designers from Libiao Robotics, a pioneer in the invention of its award-winning AirRob automated warehouse storage system, walked through the exhibition halls at the recent CeMAT Asia event in Shanghai. For there on display were numerous imitations of AirRob, some being promoted by blue chip intralogistics manufacturers, and others by less well-known producers.
Speaking after collecting the 2024 Wu Qing Yi Logistics Innovation Award for Libiao’s AirRob system at the 12th Global Intelligent Logistics Industry Development Conference, Ms. Xia Huiling, CEO of Zhejiang Libiao Robotics Co., Ltd., addressed this proliferation of AirRob-like systems recently introduced by industry competitors, saying: “We have seen many excellent companies launch similar products based on the design concept of the AirRob system. It is my view that imitation promotes technological innovation, but plagiarism hinders innovation. I would like to talk about my views from three aspects:
“First of all, from a product perspective, I think this phenomenon shows that the concept and value of the AirRob solution have been recognised by the industry, which shows that we are heading in the right direction to change the world. Thank you for your affirmation of Libiao! Secondly, from an individual perspective, AirRob is a product that the Libiao innovation team has spent a lot of time and effort to bring to the market. Imitation behaviour does bring some emotional experiences to the Libiao innovation team at certain moments, but our focus and goal is always on how to provide customers with better solutions, how to protect customers’ time and safety through technological innovation. It is our quest to enable the logistics industry become more efficient and smarter. Finally, Libiao hopes that everyone will pay attention to our passion for innovation and belief in innovation through our systems. If AirRob can inspire the innovative spirit of more imitators and ignite the fire of innovation, Libiao is willing to be one of the few sparks.”
Innovation Advantage Through Strong Competition
When asked how Libiao manages to maintain its innovation advantage in face of fierce competition from within the industry, Ms. Xia cited four distinct points: “First, we understand that imitation is an inevitable phenomenon in the development of the industry. Just like when our ‘mini yellows’ (Libiao’s highly acclaimed AMRs) first appeared, they also encountered many imitators and the pressure was really great at that time. But at the same time, we are also very grateful to those strong competitors. As the saying goes: ‘To succeed, you need friends, and to achieve great success, you need strong competitors.’ It is these competitors that have driven our growth.
“Second, each of Libiao’s product designs is based on a deep understanding of the industry, aiming to solve pain points, provide value to customers, and solve problems fundamentally. Therefore, Libiao attaches great importance to intellectual property protection and has deployed a comprehensive patent strategy around the world, especially in developed countries, where strict legal systems can be used to safeguard its rights and interests. It is precisely because of its insistence on originality that Libiao is respected in the industry, and many industry leaders are willing to discuss the future with us, to share technology and dynamics, which allows us to ‘stand on the shoulders of giants’.
Xia Huiling
“Third, I think innovation can be divided into original creation and re-creation. Original creation requires special genes and the spirit of ‘making the world better’. Libiao has always insisted on original creation since its establishment; my definition of re-creation is to repeat innovation on the basis of original creation. Imitators belong to re-creation, and the goals of re-creators are relatively consistent, namely economic benefits. However, the values of original creation and re-creation are different, and their contributions to the world are also different. Libiao’s ultimate goal is to ‘make the world more efficient’.
“Finally, despite the tremendous changes in the logistics industry, there are still many pain points and on-site problems that need to be solved. Libiao hopes to lead the industry into a new era of healthy competition and collaboration through its own persistence and practice. Therefore, we call on more companies to join the ranks of innovators with the goal of ‘making the world more efficient’, focus on solving the core pain points of the logistics industry, and promote the industry to develop in a more efficient, smarter and more sustainable direction.”
Future Developments
As competitors circle the market aggressively with their AirRob-like products hoping to capture business from high-volume retailers and eCommerce operations, Ms. Xia is focused on Libiao’s future development strategy. “I feel that competition in the logistics industry is not fierce,” she acknowledges. “The reason why everyone feels that competition is fierce is more because of homogeneous competition, that is, price wars, which is also what everyone calls ‘volume’.
“Libiao has always insisted on differentiated competition. By solving new problems and creating new scenarios, we let users realise that modern technology can support their imagination and break the shackles of traditional thinking. Users can reorganise and optimise processes like building blocks. We are also very happy to cooperate with all parties to give full play to their respective advantages and provide more innovative possibilities and imagination space for the logistics industry. Just as the Internet once reshaped the physical industry, the logistics industry is now standing at the forefront of such a transformation.”
In a highly competitive industry sector, where technology is developing at a considerable rate, Libiao has recorded tremendous growth by bringing innovative – some have described them as pioneering – products into the marketplace that are designed to solve real challenges customers have in real situations. AirRob, which was nominated for a prestigious IFOY Award in 2023, is a prime example of that, and it is therefore no surprise that it has spurned AirRob-like imitations from companies who looked on jealously at the technology and realised they needed to catch up. Ms. Xia believes that by continuing to innovate, further growth will come.
“We hope that all our peers can realise that competition is the driving force of industry progress, but true success comes from contribution to society,” she said. “The future of the logistics industry is full of opportunities and challenges. As I said before, we are being imitated by others actually because we are doing the right thing. We are on the right path, and there is no hesitation. Engineering culture is the DNA of Libiao. We will continue to focus on flexible automation technology innovation and create value for customers. Libiao believes that true success comes from a deep insight into customer needs and unremitting efforts. We are willing to work with users and partners to protect customers’ time and value and make the world more efficient,” concluded Ms. Xia.
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