Ounitech Q3-G commercial cleaning robot. [Photo/Yongpai app]

A Ningbo-based robotics company is taking its commercial cleaning robots to more than 40 countries and regions, driven by product innovation and responsiveness to local customer needs.

Ounitech Robot's machines are now used at Magnit, one of Russia's largest supermarket chains, where they vacuum and scrub floors, navigate around shoppers, and automatically replenish their water supplies. Staff can monitor their operation remotely via a mobile app.

The company expects to sell more than 1,000 units this year, nearly tripling last year's sales. Its robots are also used in hotels, schools, hospitals, and office buildings.

Ounitech Robot is a subsidiary of Ningbo-based Supreme Intelligence, a manufacturer of automated sewing equipment for the textile and apparel industries. Supreme Intelligence began exploring commercial cleaning robots in 2019 after identifying an opportunity to automate routine cleaning tasks. After five years of development, Ounitech Robot launched its first indoor commercial cleaning robot in 2023.

Adapting products to local needs has been key to winning overseas customers. In Russia, for example, a distributor reported that road salt used in winter could corrode the robots' chassis. Ounitech Robot responded by adding salt-corrosion protection to its cables. It also modified its service stations to let users adjust the concentration of cleaning agents.

The company has also developed an AI-powered customer service system, trained on a database of common technical problems and their solutions, to assist customers around the clock across different time zones.

Ningbo Customs reported that the city's industrial robot exports reached 384 million yuan ($57.6 million) in the first three quarters of this year, up 14.1 percent year-on-year.