Robam, one of China's best‑known kitchen‑appliance makers, has moved to broaden its playbook by proposing a RMB100 million equity injection into a maker of intelligent cooking robots. The proposed investment into YouTe Zhichu (优特智厨) is pitched as a strategic alliance to develop commercial smart‑cooking solutions for restaurants, school canteens and central kitchens — a clear attempt to reduce Robam's dependence on traditional range hoods and gas stoves as those product lines show signs of fatigue.
YouTe Zhichu, founded in 2018 with registered capital of RMB167 million, positions itself as a solutions provider for institutional foodservice. The company says it owns more than a thousand patents across six core technology modules — including intelligent temperature control, precise ingredient dosing and multidimensional tossing — and has participated in drafting the national standard for commercial intelligent cooking machines. Robam and YouTe expect to combine forces across technology, product development, supply chain and sales channels, although a binding transaction agreement has not yet been signed.
The timing underlines why Robam needs a new growth vector. For the first three quarters of 2025 the company's revenue slipped to RMB7.312 billion (down 1.14% year‑on‑year) and net profit fell to RMB1.157 billion (down 3.73%). Research and development expenditure fell 11.5% year‑on‑year to RMB245 million, representing only 3.35% of revenue, while selling expenses ballooned to RMB2.068 billion — more than eight times R&D outlays. The firm's two traditional pillars, range hoods and gas stoves, still account for over 70% of sales but both categories declined year‑on‑year.
Those weak sales are not unique to Robam. Analysts point to a muted property market — the after‑effects of China’s post‑property boom — which has depressed demand for large kitchen appliances typically bought with new home purchases. A reduction in the intensity of national appliance subsidies between late 2024 and 2025 has also removed a boost that helped retail sales previously. The result is a tougher backdrop for household appliances and a stronger incentive to seek growth in adjacent, technology‑heavy markets.
Shifting into commercial automation is a plausible strategic response. Restaurants and central kitchens face rising labour costs and tighter hygiene and standardisation requirements, creating a long‑term addressable market for cooking automation. For Robam, a successful pivot would mean moving from one‑off hardware sales to recurring revenue models tied to integrated systems, software and services — and it could leverage existing distribution and after‑sales networks.
But the move carries clear risks. Integrating robotic cooking systems into Robam's supply chain and retail channels will demand sustained R&D and product development, areas where the company has recently reduced spending. Adoption hurdles remain: commercial kitchens are conservative, capital costs are high, and total cost of ownership — not just headline automation features — will determine uptake. Competitors range from other established appliance conglomerates to start‑ups specialising in food‑service robotics, and regulatory and standardisation work is still evolving.
The proposed investment therefore reads as a hedge as much as a bet. If Robam can combine YouTe's technical assets with its own scale in manufacturing, procurement and channel access, it could accelerate the commercialisation of intelligent cooking machines at home and abroad. Failure to commit the additional R&D and to translate patents into reliable, cost‑effective field deployments, however, would leave the company exposed to both a shrinking home‑appliance market and an expensive diversification experiment.