In recent years, with the electrification and intelligent transformation of the global automotive industry, as well as the increasing demand for high-precision and high-performance wire harnesses in consumer electronics, aerospace and other fields, the wire harness intelligent manufacturing equipment industry has ushered in unprecedented development opportunities.
At the technical level, intelligent manufacturing equipment for wire harnesses has achieved a leap from single process automation to full process intelligence. By integrating advanced technologies such as sensors, machine vision, robotics, big data analysis, and artificial intelligence, intelligent manufacturing equipment for wire harnesses can achieve high-precision processing, efficient production, quality traceability, and intelligent scheduling, significantly improving the efficiency and quality of wire harness production.
In terms of market competition, the competition between domestic and foreign bundle intelligent manufacturing equipment enterprises is becoming increasingly fierce. Domestic enterprises have gradually narrowed the gap with international leading enterprises through their in-depth understanding of the local market, flexible production capacity, and continuous technological innovation. At the same time, some domestic enterprises also expand their international markets and enhance their brand influence through mergers and acquisitions, cooperation, and other means.
In addition, with the increasing support from the government for the intelligent manufacturing and new energy vehicle industries, the wire harness intelligent manufacturing equipment industry has also benefited from a series of policy dividends. These policies not only promote technological innovation and industrial upgrading of wire harness intelligent manufacturing equipment, but also promote the application and promotion of wire harness intelligent manufacturing equipment in fields such as new energy vehicles and consumer electronics.
Overview and Development History of the Wire Harness Intelligent Manufacturing Equipment Industry
A wiring harness is a connecting component in a circuit that connects various electrical equipment. It is carefully composed of fine components such as wires, terminals, connectors, and sheaths. Through connectors and circuits, electrical signals are connected, transmitted, and separated. It is not only the transmission channel of automotive electrical energy, but also the control center of electronic signals. It is known as the "blood vessel" and "nervous system" of automobiles, and is the basic component necessary for the connection of the entire system.
Intelligent manufacturing equipment for wire harnesses, which integrates advanced technologies from multiple disciplines such as machinery, electronics, control, computer, sensors, and machine vision into intelligent equipment for wire harness production. It is usually designed and developed based on the process requirements in wire harness production. The upstream industries mainly include software industries such as electronic components, CCD visual inspection systems, intelligent data traceability systems, pressure monitoring systems, bus full servo control systems, mechanical processing industries, aluminum industry, steel industry, etc. At present, intelligent manufacturing equipment for wire harnesses, as a necessity for wire harness production and processing, has been widely used in many fields such as automotive industry, aviation communication, rail transit, consumer electronics, photovoltaic energy storage, etc. The downstream application channels are gradually expanding.
The wire harness equipment industry was gradually established with the development of the automotive industry. The initial equipment was designed and developed by automobile manufacturers to meet the needs of wire harness processing. But with the development of the industry, the production of wire harness equipment has gradually become specialized, and wire harness manufacturing has also evolved from a labor-intensive industry to an automation industry.
At present, with the popularization of new energy vehicles, the wire harness processing equipment industry has ushered in new development opportunities. The electrification and intelligence of new energy vehicles have led to a surge in demand for high-speed transmission and high-voltage wiring harnesses, driving technological progress and innovation in wiring harness processing equipment.
Market size of global and Chinese wire harness intelligent manufacturing equipment industry
The wire harness processing industry has a history of more than 30 years in China and is a very mature industry. With the electrification and intelligent transformation of the global automotive industry, as well as the increasing demand for high-precision and high-performance wiring harnesses in fields such as consumer electronics and aerospace. Entering 2025, the wire harness intelligent manufacturing equipment industry is in a golden period of rapid development.
According to publicly released information, the global wire harness equipment market has shown a stable growth trend in recent years. Especially in 2023, the global shipment of wire harness equipment has reached a significant level, with approximately 105000 units of wire harness intelligent manufacturing equipment shipped. In 2024, the global shipment of wire harness equipment will be around 240000 units, of which the shipment of wire harness intelligent manufacturing equipment will be about 125000 units. It is expected that this number will further increase by 2025. The data shows that with the continuous advancement of technology and changes in market demand, the wire harness equipment market is developing rapidly.
The growth momentum mainly comes from the following aspects:
① Popularization of new energy vehicles: The rapid development of new energy vehicles is driving the rapid growth of the automotive wiring harness market. The increasing demand for new types of wiring harnesses such as high-voltage wiring harnesses and on-board Ethernet wiring harnesses in new energy vehicles has driven technological upgrades and market demand for wiring harness processing equipment.
② Upgrading consumer electronics technology: With the popularization and upgrading of consumer electronics products such as smartphones and tablets, the demand for precision and lightweight wiring harnesses is becoming increasingly high, which has promoted the continuous development of wiring harness manufacturing technology and the expansion of the wiring harness equipment market.
③ Driven by industrial automation and intelligent manufacturing: The deepening development of industrial automation and intelligent manufacturing has led to the increasingly widespread application of wire harness equipment in the field of industrial automation. The increasing demand for new types of wire harness products such as fiber optic harnesses and high flexibility harnesses has driven the further development of the wire harness equipment market.
④ Technological innovation: With the continuous advancement of technology, wire harness equipment will develop towards a more intelligent, efficient, and green direction. This will drive further expansion and upgrading of the wire harness equipment market.
As the world's largest market for new energy vehicles, the largest consumer electronics market for smartphones, and the largest industrial manufacturing country, China has the best development soil for wire harness equipment. The Asia Pacific region is one of the important regions in the global wire harness equipment market, especially the Chinese market. With high cost-effectiveness, quick response to localized needs, and modular design capabilities, the penetration rate of domestic equipment in the automotive wiring harness intelligent manufacturing equipment market has jumped from 25% in 2023 to over 35% in 2024, becoming a growth engine for the global wiring harness industry. In 2024, the shipment volume of intelligent manufacturing equipment for wire harnesses in China exceeded 43000 units, which is 9 percentage points higher than the global growth rate. Among them, high-voltage wire harness equipment accounted for nearly 40%. With the popularization of 800V high-voltage platforms and the expansion of overseas markets, domestic equipment will enter a period of rapid expansion.
Apart from the Asia Pacific region, the wiring harness equipment market in Europe is also relatively large, and with the development of new energy vehicles and industrial automation, this market will continue to maintain stable growth. The wiring harness equipment market in North America is also showing a stable growth trend. Especially in the US market, where the automotive industry is well-developed and there is a high demand for wiring harness equipment, and with the promotion of intelligent manufacturing and the implementation of the US "manufacturing return" policy, this market is expected to see new growth.
The competitive landscape between the global and Chinese wire harness intelligent manufacturing equipment industries
The global wire harness equipment industry presents a highly concentrated market pattern, with Japanese and European companies such as Komax from Switzerland and Shinmaywa from Japan dominating the market for a long time. As a leading player in the industry, Cummins has strategically acquired Schleuniger in 2022, expanding its product line to cover intelligent solutions for the entire process from cutting, crimping to testing. By 2024, its global market share will exceed 30%. Thanks to the precision advantage of the TR series fully automatic terminal crimping machine, Japan's Shinmei has a market share second only to Kumeisi.
In recent years, with the policy dividends and manufacturers' continuous exploration of technological innovation, the scale and strength of China's wire harness manufacturing equipment manufacturers have been continuously enhanced. At present, many independent brands have the ability to compete with foreign first-line wire harness equipment manufacturers on the same stage. Especially in the field of intelligent manufacturing equipment for wiring harnesses, including companies such as Bozhiwang, Haichang Intelligence, Haipu Rui, and Junquan Automation, coupled with the development of electrification and intelligence of new energy vehicles in China, the expansion of production capacity in the automotive industry, the recovery of the consumer electronics industry, and the rapid development of the photovoltaic energy storage industry, the shipment volume of intelligent manufacturing equipment for wiring harnesses in China has surged, with Bozhiwang maintaining a leading position among domestic manufacturers in terms of shipment volume.
The development trend of intelligent manufacturing equipment industry for wire harnesses
With the rapid development of new energy vehicles, consumer electronics, industrial automation and other fields, the demand for wire harness equipment in the market will show a diversified trend. This will encourage wire harness equipment manufacturers to continuously innovate and upgrade their products to meet market demand.
① High voltage, high frequency, and high speed: The popularization of new energy vehicles (especially 800V high-voltage platforms) has put forward higher requirements for the accuracy and performance of wiring harness equipment, giving rise to the demand for high-voltage wiring harness equipment. If high-voltage wiring harnesses need to meet characteristics such as high temperature resistance and electromagnetic interference resistance, the research and development of related equipment has become a key focus. At the same time, under the trend of intelligence, the in vehicle Ethernet has exceeded 10 Gigabit, the high computing power of autonomous driving AI has exploded, and the demand for high-speed data transmission harnesses (such as autonomous driving sensor connections) has surged, driving equipment to iterate towards high-frequency and high-speed directions.
② Technology integration and innovation: In the future, the intelligent manufacturing equipment industry for wire harnesses will continue to deepen its integration with advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and the Internet of Things, promoting the development of wire harness production towards a more intelligent and digital direction. For example, by utilizing big data analysis to optimize production processes, predict equipment failures, and achieve automation and intelligence in wire harness design through artificial intelligence technology.
③ Green Manufacturing and Sustainable Development: With the increasing global awareness of environmental protection, the wire harness intelligent manufacturing equipment industry will also pay more attention to green manufacturing and sustainable development. This includes using environmentally friendly materials, optimizing production processes to reduce energy consumption and emissions, and recycling waste wiring harnesses.
④ Customization and flexible production: With the diversification of market demand and the emergence of personalized demands, the wire harness intelligent manufacturing equipment industry will pay more attention to customized services and the improvement of flexible production capabilities. Through modular design, rapid wire replacement and other technical means, the rapid customization and flexible production of wire harness products can be achieved to meet the diverse needs of the market.
⑤ Domestic substitution acceleration: With synchronous development capabilities and cost advantages, domestic equipment manufacturers have achieved breakthroughs in the new energy vehicle wiring harness market, and the technology in the high-voltage assembly wiring harness field has international competitiveness. The combination of policy support will further promote the rise of local supply chains.
⑥ International competition and cooperation: With the deepening development of globalization, the international competition in the wire harness intelligent manufacturing equipment industry will become more intense. Domestic enterprises need to continuously improve their technological strength and market competitiveness, while actively seeking opportunities to go global or cooperating with international leading enterprises to jointly explore the international market.
⑦ Industry chain integration and collaborative development: In the future, the wire harness intelligent manufacturing equipment industry will pay more attention to the integration and collaborative development of the upstream and downstream of the industry chain. By strengthening cooperation with industry chain partners such as raw material suppliers, equipment manufacturers, and system integrators, we can jointly promote technological innovation and industrial upgrading in the intelligent manufacturing equipment industry for wire harnesses.
