Component customers are not end-user factories but “the people who build machines”: robot makers, automation equipment builders (batteries, solar, packaging, machine tools, semiconductor equipment and more) and integrators. The deal turns on design-in: once your part is on the customer's drawings and bill of materials (BOM), it ships with every machine they build. Cycles are long, but customers stay loyal.

• Explain what 6 core components do and their key specs
• Explain how component sales differ from robot sales
• Run the design-in process
• Handle “we've always used Japanese brands”

Where components sit in a robot

Take one joint of an industrial robot: the servo motor provides power, the reducer turns high speed into high torque, the encoder reports where the joint is, the brake holds position when power is off, and the servo drive powers the motor on the controller's command. Cobots and humanoids often integrate all of this into a single joint module.

Six core components at a glance

Humanoids are creating new component categories: integrated joint modules, planetary roller screws, coreless motors, dexterous hands and six-axis force sensors. Most are still at low-volume or custom-development stage.

How component sales differ from robot sales

Design-in in six steps

1. Spot the opportunityA new machine design, a cost-down on an existing model or a supplier change. Trade shows, industry groups and new projects at existing customers are all leads.
2. Technical exchange and sizingVisit R&D with an FAE (field application engineer), collect load, motion profile, dimensions and fieldbus, and propose models using your sizing software.
3. Samples and testingShip samples or tune on site; agree the test items, duration and pass criteria. For replacements, help the customer estimate the work to change programs and parameters.
4. Pilot batchRun on the customer's prototype or first machines to expose consistency and reliability issues.
5. Get on the AVL/BOM and negotiateAnnual volume, tiered pricing, annual reductions, lead time, payment terms, stocking (e.g. VMI) and warranty.
6. Volume supply and ongoing serviceStock to forecast and handle quality feedback; meanwhile watch the customer's next machine and win more part numbers.

Selling servos

Servos have the widest reach of any component. Robots are only part of the market; the bigger share is batteries, solar, 3C electronics, packaging, machine tools, textiles and logistics equipment. A servo salesperson needs to understand robots and also prospect machine builders industry by industry.

Selling reducers

• Backlash: usually given in arcmin and directly affects positioning accuracy. Customers also care about accuracy retention: does backlash grow after long running?
• Torsional stiffness and life: stiffness affects vibration and path accuracy; rated life (hours) must be read against the customer's duty cycle. Have life-test reports ready.
• Dimensional compatibility: if your reducer is interchangeable in size and mounting with the major international standard models, the customer's switching cost drops sharply. This is a key selling point for Chinese reducers.
• Price and lead time: Chinese harmonic reducers have a clear price advantage and usually shorter lead times, but customers will want consistency data and proof of volume delivery.

Component discovery questions

1. Application and machineWhich machine is it for? A new design or an existing model?中文：用在什么设备上？新机型还是老机型？
2. Load and motionWhat load and motion profile: acceleration, max speed, stroke?中文：负载多大？运动曲线怎样？
3. Accuracy and stiffnessWhat positioning accuracy, backlash and stiffness do you need?中文：精度、背隙、刚度要求？
4. Dimensions and interfaceAny dimensional or interface constraints? Must it be drop-in compatible?中文：尺寸接口有无限制？需要与现用型号互换吗？
5. Communication and controlWhich controller and fieldbus do you use?中文：用什么控制器和总线？
6. Environment and certificationOperating environment? Which certifications are required?中文：使用环境？需要哪些认证？
7. Volume and timingWhat annual volume, and when does production start?中文：年用量多少？何时量产？
8. Current situationWhat do you use today, and why consider a change?中文：现用什么品牌？为什么考虑更换？
9. Testing and approvalHow long is sample testing, what are the pass criteria, and who signs off?中文：样品测试多久？通过标准和签字人？
10. Commercial termsTarget price, lead time, payment terms and stocking requirements?中文：目标价、交期、付款和备货要求？

Case: replacing the servo at a machine builder

An illustrative example based on common industry situations.

A mid-sized maker of lithium-battery winding machines uses about 3,000 servo sets a year and has long used one Japanese brand. From 2024 that brand's lead time stretches from 8 to 20 weeks, delaying the machine builder's own deliveries. A Chinese servo maker's salesperson meets their purchasing manager at a trade show, but purchasing is clear: “R&D chooses the parts; it's not my call.”

Instead of haggling over price with purchasing, the salesperson asks for an introduction to the R&D lead and visits with an FAE. R&D's concerns are specific: switching brands means rewriting programs and retuning, and winding tension control is very sensitive to servo response; problems would hurt battery quality. The FAE inspects the machine on site, proposes trialling only on one new model, and commits an engineer on site for two weeks of tuning.

Sample testing takes two months and tension fluctuation meets the target. A pilot batch of 20 machines follows, then approval onto the AVL as second source. In the first year the supplier wins about 30% of the volume; in the second, thanks to reliable lead times, more than half.

Common objections