The Robot ShiftBuyer's Guide

China-made logistics robots · November 2026 edition

Find the right robot for the job.

The main robot types in logistics, the China-based vendors that make them, and a quick payback check. Start with the job you need done.

3D model of a warehouse floor with every robot type in the guide, from receiving to delivery
Unloading robotAutonomous forkliftPallet shuttleCase-handling robotShelf robotHumanoidPicking armSorting robotsTransport robotDelivery van

Select a robot to see what it does and who makes it.

Robot types

Ordered the way goods move, from the dock to the customer.

01Receive05Ship

Unloading and palletizing robots

Robots that empty containers and build pallets.Commercial1 vendor
01Receive02Store05Ship

Autonomous forklifts

Self-driving forklifts that read the site and plan their own routes.Commercial1 vendor
02Store

Four-way pallet shuttles

Flat shuttles move pallets in any direction inside dense racks.Commercial2 vendors
02Store03Pick

Case-handling robots (ACR)

Tall robots fetch totes and cartons from high racks.Scaled3 vendors
02Store03Pick

Shelf-to-person robots

Low robots lift whole shelves and bring them to the picker.Scaled2 vendors
03Pick

Robotic picking arms

Robot arms with cameras pick single items from totes.Commercial1 vendor
03Pick04Sort

Humanoid robots

Two-armed robots built to work in spaces designed for people.Pilot1 vendor
04Sort

Sorting robots

Small robots carry parcels across a platform and drop them into chutes.Scaled1 vendor
01Receive02Store05Ship

Transport robots

Robots that carry totes, carts or pallets between work areas.Scaled2 vendors
06Deliver

Driverless delivery vans

Small electric vans carry parcels between hubs, outlets and villages.Scaled in China, pilot abroad1 vendor

Who makes what

China-based vendors with customers outside China. Select a vendor for its products, footprint and sources.

VendorUnloadForkliftShuttleACRShelfArmHumanoidSorterTransportVan
XYZ RoboticsShanghai
VisionNavShenzhen
Hai RoboticsShenzhen
QuicktronShanghai
Geek+Beijing
UBTechShenzhen
Libiao RoboticsHangzhou
HikrobotHangzhou
ForwardX RoboticsBeijing
NeolixBeijing

A dot means the vendor sells a product of that type that meets our listing rules. Vendors are ordered by their core robot type, following the flow of goods. Swipe the table to see every robot type.

Payback check

A first estimate from your own numbers. The values below are examples. Replace them with your quote and your labor cost.

Your quote
Your operation

Checking four-way pallet shuttles. Vendors do not publish unit prices for this type, so the price is an example.

Payback31 months
Upfront cost
US$520,000
Labor saved per year
US$240,000
Upkeep per year
US$41,600
Net saving per year
US$198,400
−US$520k0US$472kNowYr 1Yr 2Yr 3Yr 4Yr 5Breakeven, month 31US$472k after 5 yrs

Cumulative cash over five years. On a robots-as-a-service quote, compare the monthly fee with your monthly labor saving instead.

How we built this guide

Who is in it

Vendors headquartered in China, with logistics robots as their core business and customers outside China. A vendor appears under a robot type only when we can cite a published spec or a named customer site for that product. Forklifts must also drive without reflectors, tape or floor codes and use AI perception. This is a starter set, not a ranking.

Where the numbers come from

Vendor sites, filings and trade press, listed below with dates. A vendor figure is a claim until a customer confirms it. Data checked on November 8, 2026.

How we rate maturity

Our view of how widely each robot type runs in daily work today.

  • DemoShown at trade shows or in videos. No customer runs it in daily work.
  • PilotRuns at a few customer sites in limited scope. Results are not yet proven at scale.
  • CommercialSold and running daily at many sites, with reference customers you can call.
  • ScaledThousands of units in daily work across many customers and countries.

Pictures and listings

The 3D models show each robot type, not a specific product. We are collecting press photos from each vendor. To add or update your products, write to us.

robotshift@gscc.co

Sources