What WATTMAN does

WATTMAN (瓦特曼智能 / WATTMAN), founded in Beijing in August 2019, is a full-stack AI+robotics technology provider specializing in unmanned factory solutions for China's heavy industry sectors. The company applies machine vision, 3D sensing, deep learning, digital twin, autonomous planning, and multi-agent collaboration technologies to replace human workers in the most hazardous "3D" (Dangerous, Dirty, Difficult) positions across steel metallurgy, non-ferrous metallurgy, energy/power, and mining/machinery verticals. Its portfolio is organized as a "3+1" architecture across four product series: WATT-iRobot (industrial robot systems for steel ladle hot repair, large ladle casting, slag cleaning, welding, etc.), WATT-iSmart (L4-autonomous unmanned cranes, high-temperature furnace lining inspection, coal wagon cleaning), WATT-iVision (machine vision inspection for belts, steel coils, cold rolling, microstructure), and WATT-iOS (3D digital factory platforms for safety, park, and warehouse management).

The company sells and deploys integrated hardware-plus-software systems directly to large state-owned enterprise groups through a project-based, field sales model with dedicated pre-sales engineering and on-site implementation teams. Notable deployments include multi-robot steel ladle hot repair platforms at Shougang Jingtang and Hunan Steel Group, bottom-blown furnace slag clearing robots at China Minmetals' Shuikoushan Non-Ferrous, full intelligent crane systems at Baowu Meishan and Xinjiang Shenhuo Carbon, and contributions to 10+ MIIT Excellent Smart Factory projects across Shougang, Jianlong, Shagang, Ansteel, and others. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time system sales, hardware contracts, and system integration professional services; pricing is quote-driven and not publicly disclosed.

WATTMAN has raised approximately 160M+ RMB across four rounds (Series A ~60M RMB in June 2021; strategic round led by Yunhui Capital in October 2022; Series B and B+ totaling hundreds of millions RMB in December 2023, led by China Mobile and SDO Securities) and reached a post-money valuation above 1 billion RMB. With 75-80% of its workforce in R&D and 300+ IP rights, the company holds National "Little Giant" enterprise status, ISO9001/14001/45001 and CMMI Level 3 certifications, and was ranked #1 on Fortune Magazine's 2024 China Most Socially Influential Startups list. Operations span a Beijing headquarters (Chaoyang District) and a Changsha R&D/assembly base established in 2024 via wholly-owned subsidiary Hunan WATTMAN Robot Technology Co., Ltd.

Name

WATTMAN

Legal name

北京瓦特曼智能科技有限公司

Website

https://wattman.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WATTMAN is a full-stack AI+robotics provider that builds unmanned factory systems — multi-robot clusters, L4 autonomous cranes, machine vision inspection, and digital factory platforms — for steel, non-ferrous metals, energy, and mining enterprises in China.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial AI Robotics Automation

NAICS

Engine, Turbine, and Power Transmission Equipment Manufacturing (3336)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialized Lifting Systems (Hydraulic Gantries, Strand Jacks, Jacking Systems) (IMAHAJAO)

Keywords

• Industrial AI robotics
• Smart factory automation
• Metallurgical robotics systems
• Machine vision inspection
• Unmanned heavy industry

Headquarters

HQ city

Haidian

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. AI+ Robotics Industrial Intelligent Systems (WATT-iRobot Series): Sale and deployment of specialized industrial robots for steel/non-ferrous metallurgy operations including steel ladle hot repair robot clusters, large ladle casting unmanned robot clusters, torpedo ladle hot-metal torpedo car plug/unplug systems, bottom-blown furnace slag clearing robots, and intelligent cleaning/grinding robot systems. Revenue recognized per project/system deployed, typically enterprise-direct sales contracts.
2. Intelligent Unmanned Equipment (WATT-iSmart Series): Full intelligent unmanned crane and digital yard management systems, high-temperature furnace lining inspection systems, casting crane hook identification systems, train car dumper coal clearing systems. These unmanned equipment solutions are sold as integrated systems to industrial clients.
3. Machine Vision Intelligent Detection (WATT-iVision Series): Machine vision-based inspection systems for belt defects, metal surface quality/defects, cold rolling acid-washing entry section unmanned systems, low-magnification structure automated inspection systems. Sold as integrated detection systems with ongoing software support.
4. Digital Factory System Platform (WATT-iOS Series): 3D intelligent production safety management systems, digital 3D smart park management systems, digital 3D smart warehouse management systems. Platform-based digital twin solutions with implementation and system integration services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WATTMAN is a full-stack "AI+Robotics" intelligent unmanned factory technology and solution provider that designs, develops, and deploys industrial intelligent robot systems, unmanned equipment, machine vision inspection systems, and digital factory software platforms for heavy industrial customers. Its "3+1" product portfolio spans WATT-iRobot (multi-robot collaborative systems for steel ladle hot repair, large ladle casting, cleaning, welding), WATT-iSmart (L4 autonomous cranes and high-temperature furnace lining inspection), WATT-iVision (machine vision quality and defect inspection), and WATT-iOS (3D smart safety and warehouse management platforms). Customers are primarily large Chinese state-owned and private steel, non-ferrous, energy, and mining enterprises that purchase integrated systems via project-based contracts with on-site deployment.

Product overview

WATTMAN (瓦特曼智能 / WATTMAN) is a full-stack AI+Robotics intelligent factory technology provider offering a "3+1" product architecture across four product series: WATT-iRobot (industrial robot systems), WATT-iSmart (unmanned equipment), WATT-iVision (intelligent vision inspection), and WATT-iOS (digital factory platforms). The iRobot series covers collaborative multi-robot systems for steel ladle hot repair, large ladle casting, intelligent cleaning/grinding, marking/welding, torpedo ladle plug-in/out, train car uncoupling/coupling, and bottom-blown furnace slag removal. The iSmart series provides L4 autonomous crane systems, furnace lining inspection, crane hook monitoring, mining unmanned equipment, and coal wagon cleaning systems. The iVision series offers belt defect inspection, metal surface quality inspection, cold rolling acid-pickling unattended inspection, microstructure inspection, industrial OCR, and material tracking systems. The iOS series delivers 3D smart safety management, digital 3D smart park management, and digital 3D smart warehouse management platforms. All systems share core AI capabilities (machine vision, 3D perception, deep learning, digital twins, autonomous planning, multi-agent coordination) and serve the heavy industry sectors of steel metallurgy, non-ferrous metallurgy, energy/power, and mining machinery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WATT-iRobot: WATTMAN Intelligent Industrial Robot Series - multi-function industrial robots for steel metallurgy, non-ferrous metals and other industrial applications
• WATT-iSmart
• WATT-iVision
• WATT-iOS

Products and services

• WATT-iRobot Industrial Robot Series (瓦特智能工业机器人系列) Multi-function industrial robot systems for steel metallurgy, non-ferrous metals, and other heavy-industry applications, including steel ladle hot repair multi-robot clusters, large ladle casting unmanned clusters, intelligent cleaning/grinding robots, intelligent marking/welding robots, torpedo ladle car plug-in/out systems, train car dumper coupling/uncoupling robots, and bottom-blown furnace slag removal robots. Sold as integrated AI+Robotics systems to large industrial customers.
• WATT-iSmart Unmanned Equipment Series (瓦特智知无人装备系列) Unmanned equipment solutions for heavy industrial operations, including full intelligent unmanned crane and digital yard management systems, high-temperature (1400 degrees Celsius) metallurgical furnace lining 3D inspection systems, casting crane hook intelligent recognition and safety auxiliary management systems, intelligent mining unmanned rearward machines, and train car dumper coal wagon intelligent cleaning systems. Sold as integrated systems to industrial customers.
• WATT-iVision Intelligent Recognition Series (瓦特锐视智能识别系列) Machine vision-based intelligent detection and identification systems combining UNET-architecture deep learning with industrial cameras, including belt defect and particle size surface inspection, steel billet/metal surface quality and defect online inspection, cold rolling acid-pickling entry section unmanned systems, microstructure unmanned inspection systems, industrial OCR, and material full-process tracking intelligent management. Sold as integrated inspection systems with ongoing software support.
• WATT-iOS Digital Factory System Platform (瓦特数字工厂系统平台) Digital factory platform solutions using digital twin, 3D reality reconstruction, big data analytics, and AI with IoT integration, including 3D smart production safety management systems, digital 3D smart park management systems, and digital 3D smart warehouse management systems. Delivered with implementation and system integration services.
• WATT-iRobot Steel Ladle Hot Repair Unmanned Robot Cluster (钢包热修无人化机器人集群) World-first multi-robot collaborative steel ladle hot repair platform integrating machine vision, 3D reconstruction, AI algorithms, and remote teleoperation. 5 industrial robots plus 1 cantilever coordinate to replace human labor for ladle lining inspection, nozzle burning, bottom blow testing, argon tube insertion/removal, slide gate installation. Detection accuracy less than or equal to 5mm; overall collaborative success rate greater than 99.9%.
• WATT-iSmart High-Temperature Metallurgical Furnace Lining Intelligent Inspection System (高温冶金熔炉内衬智能检测系统) China-first 3D reconstruction-based high-temperature furnace lining inspection system working at 1400 degrees Celsius. Point cloud data acquisition at 7 million points/second; erosion accuracy less than or equal to 5mm; real-time erosion model and full lifecycle management prediction for predictive maintenance.
• WATT-iRobot Bottom-Blown Furnace Discharge Port Intelligent Slag Removal Robot System (底吹炉下料口智能通渣机器人系统) Industry-first intelligent slag removal system for lead/zinc smelting bottom-blown furnaces. Uses robotic arm with laser radar and custom chisel tool, combined with machine vision, force sensing, 3D modeling, and AI algorithms. Auto-identifies slag location and degree, achieving greater than 90% slag clearance accuracy.
• WATT-iSmart Fully Intelligent Unmanned Crane & Digital Yard Unmanned Management System (全智能无人天车及数字化料场无人管理系统) L4 autonomous driving-level crane system combining 2D and 3D ultra-fusion perception technology, electrical automation control, and intelligent warehouse management. Covers raw material yard grab cranes, carbon block stacking cranes, and multi-function roasting cranes, enabling 24-hour autonomous operations with real-time material tracking and intelligent scheduling. China's first L4-level autonomous driving applied to fully intelligent crane systems.
• WATT-iVision Cold Rolling Acid-Pickling Entry Section Unmanned System (冷轧酸洗入口段无人值守系统) Data-driven deep learning model combined with semantic segmentation, object detection, and pixel-level contour extraction. Identifies steel coil, saddle, mandrel, and head position, size, and contour in high-temperature, high-dust environments. Greater than 98% recognition accuracy, less than 0.1s per image, less than or equal to 4mm defect detection precision.
• WATT-iSmart Train Railcar Dumper Coal Wagon Intelligent Cleaning System (火车翻车机卸煤车厢智能清扫系统) Collaborative cleaning system combining intelligent vision, 3D perception, deep learning, and multi-agent coordination. Performs high-pressure air blowing and secondary cleaning/dust reduction on coal wagons. Handles 200+ wagons/day with less than 5kg residual material per wagon.

Quantifiable outcome

• Steel ladle hot repair: 26 minutes to complete ladle lining inspection, nozzle burning, bottom blow testing; overall efficiency improved 20%; operational stability 99.5%; 10,000+ furnaces safe continuous operation
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability10 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 秦冶集团 (Qinye Group)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2025Strategic cooperation framework agreement signed between WATTMAN and Qinye Group focused on jointly building intelligent solutions for metallurgical heavy equipment. Qinye Group, as a traditional equipment manufacturing enterprise with deep industry accumulation, complete manufacturing system, and extensive customer base, complements WATTMAN's intelligent technology and innovation capabilities. The partnership covers technology R&D, market expansion, and resource coordination, aiming to accelerate transformation from 'manufacturing + production service industry' and enhance intelligent level and full lifecycle service value of equipment. Qinye Group Chairman Chen Xiaoguang and WATTMAN CEO Tan Shenghu signed the agreement.
• 广东昆仑信息科技有限公司 (Guangdong Kunlun Information Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development partner for the 'WATT-iRobot Steel Ladle Lining Intelligent Inspection and Temperature Measurement Sampling Robot System' deployed at Baowu Group Zhongnan Steel, jointly研制定制了该系统用于炼钢厂吹氩站工艺环节的智能机器人作业.
• 长沙有色冶金设计研究院minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Changsha Non-ferrous Metallurgical Design and Research Institute and Central South University for the 'SKS Green Low-Carbon Joint Lead Smelting Process and Equipment Innovation Application' project at Shuikoushan Non-ferrous, which won China Non-ferrous Metals Industry Association technology award.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mech-Mind Robotics: Mech-Mind is a Beijing-based AI+3D vision industrial robotics company that combines machine vision, deep learning, and robotic manipulation for factory automation. It targets very similar enterprise customers and use cases (bin picking, machine tending, inspection) and is one of WATTMAN's closest Chinese competitors in AI-driven industrial robotics.
• Estun Automation: Estun is one of China's largest industrial robot manufacturers, supplying articulated robots, motion control systems, and automation solutions to heavy industry including metals and machinery. It is directly comparable to WATTMAN on the robotics manufacturing side, though with a broader horizontal product portfolio rather than WATTMAN's vertical-specialized metallurgical focus.

Broad incumbents

• Siasun Robot & Automation: Siasun is China's flagship state-backed industrial robotics company offering mobile robots, industrial robots, and smart factory solutions across automotive, logistics, and heavy industry. As a broader incumbent it overlaps with WATTMAN's industrial-robotics and digital-factory ambitions, but with a far more horizontal product set and a much larger installed base.
• Inovance Technology: Inovance is the largest Chinese industrial automation company, offering servo drives, PLCs, industrial robots, and motion control for general factory automation. It competes with WATTMAN at the systems-integration layer for industrial customers and serves overlapping end markets including metals and energy.
• ABB Robotics: ABB is a global industrial automation and robotics incumbent with a substantial metals-industry footprint in robotics, drives, and process automation. It competes with WATTMAN in heavy-industry robotic automation, particularly cranes and metal processing, but at far greater scale and across many more verticals.
• KUKA: KUKA is a German industrial robotics and automation company (owned by Midea) with strong penetration into metals, foundry, and heavy-industry automation. Its articulated robots and automated production cells overlap with WATTMAN's metallurgical robotic systems, though KUKA serves a much broader global customer base.
• Yaskawa Electric: Yaskawa is a Japanese global leader in industrial robots, servo motors, and motion control with significant metals-industry deployments. It is comparable to WATTMAN as an automation incumbent targeting heavy industrial customers, though with a much broader and more global product portfolio.
• KEYENCE: KEYENCE is a Japanese sensor and machine-vision powerhouse whose industrial cameras, code readers, and inspection systems are widely deployed in metal processing and factory automation. Its WATT-iVision surface defect and OCR products overlap with KEYENCE's inspection portfolio, making it a relevant comparable on the machine-vision component layer.

Emerging players

• Cognex Corporation: Cognex is a US-based specialist in machine vision and industrial barcode reading with deep penetration into factory automation and quality inspection. Its vision systems are an emerging alternative to WATTMAN's WATT-iVision products for surface defect detection and material tracking, though Cognex focuses on vision rather than integrated robotics.

Regional players

• Geek+: Geek+ is a Chinese AI-driven mobile robotics and smart logistics company best known for warehouse fulfillment robots. It is a regional comparable to WATTMAN on the AI+robotics-for-industrial-customers dimension and shares similar Chinese enterprise sales motion, but its primary focus is logistics rather than metallurgical process automation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WATTMAN