Emergen

About Emergen

Zhichang Technology Group, also known as Emergen, is a holding company specializing in industrial intelligence and robotics. The firm was established in June 2016 by Dr. Gan Zhongxue, a prominent expert in China's intelligent manufacturing sector. Dr. Gan previously served as the global chief scientist for flexible automation at ABB Group and has a distinguished career in the robotics field, holding a Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut. His extensive background includes leading the development of three generations of robot control systems at ABB and receiving the company's highest invention award twice. Returning to China in 2009, he has held significant roles, including chief scientist for the national "973" program and is currently the Dean of the Institute of Intelligent Robotics at Fudan University.

Emergen's core business revolves around providing integrated "industrial intelligence body" solutions, based on its proprietary "tri-element control technology". This technology serves as the "brain" for industrial equipment, production lines, and factories, enabling the coordination of production logistics, information flow, and process flow. The company's offerings are structured to deliver device intelligence, factory intelligence, and industry intelligence. Its main platform is the "Zhichang Bee Brain Industrial Internet Platform," which creates a network of interconnected intelligent machines. Emergen's product portfolio includes robot controllers, industrial robots, collaborative robots, and machine vision systems. These solutions cater to a diverse client base across sectors such as automotive and parts, electronics, equipment manufacturing, steel, metallurgy, textiles, and furniture. The business model appears to be project-based, delivering customized solutions for factory and supply chain digitalization. The company also offers Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS).

Since its founding, Emergen has achieved several key milestones. In 2017, it launched its independently developed "Ruizhi" robot controller. By 2018, it was deploying industrial and collaborative robots for applications like loading, palletizing, and welding. The company was recognized as a national "Specialized, Refined, and New 'Little Giant'" enterprise in 2023. More recently, in 2024, it released the "Jiangxin Industrial Large Model" and has secured projects to implement large model solutions with industry leaders like XCMG Heavy Machinery. The company has raised a total of $79.2 million over four funding rounds, with a significant Series C round of $50.2 million in December 2022. Investors include notable firms such as Qiming Venture Partners.