36Kr Premieres | National Industrial Fund Invests, Qiaotian Intelligence Secures Hundred-Million-Yuan Funding

Background

Qiaotian Smart was founded in 2016 by Liu Xiaoping, a veteran with two decades of experience, including leadership roles at Japan's Sodick. The company focuses on robotics peripherals for automotive manufacturers, offering products like quick-change tooling (quick-change discs), magnetic mold changing systems, grinding machines, and industrial connectors. Prior to this round, it had attracted investment from industrial capital including those linked to Geely, Midea, and others. The company recently became a domestic supplier for Beijing Benz and is proactively engaging with European automakers.

Key Points

• Major Funding for Strategic Growth: The company completed a hundred-million-level A+ round, exclusively invested by the National Industrial Master Machine Industry Investment Fund. The funds are allocated to high-end capacity expansion, core technology R&D, and global market layout.
• Explosive Growth in a Key Segment: The magnetic mold changing system has emerged as the company's second growth curve. In Q1 2026, its order volume exceeded the total for all of 2025. This is driven by:
  1. Manufacturing cost-efficiency pressures: Clients recognize the system's ROI from drastically reduced changeover times.
  2. Automation and labor trends: Difficulty recruiting for heavy manual labor drives adoption.
  3. Positive word-of-mouth and repurchases: Early adopters like Geely and Xingtai Mould have provided strong endorsement, shifting market behavior from "trial use" to "batch procurement."
• Leadership and Strategic Vision: Founder Liu Xiaoping emphasizes that the biggest challenge is internal multi-category synergy, not market demand. To manage the growing product matrix (quick-change discs, magnetic systems, connectors, etc.), the company has adapted the Danaher DBS into its own QBS management system to achieve lean operations across categories.
• Acquisition-Led Growth Strategy: Liu identifies the industry as "big but fragmented." Many specialized, capable small firms lack the scale to meet large OEM requirements. Qiaotian Smart plans to acquire such firms and integrate them not merely by adding revenue, but by exporting its QBS system, supply chain capabilities, and client channels to help them scale from "able to make" to "able to mass-produce," thereby rapidly expanding its own product matrix.

Significance

This funding round and strategic pivot underscore Qiaotian Smart's position at the convergence of several critical trends in Chinese advanced manufacturing. The investment from the national industrial fund validates its technology in breaking overseas monopolies in high-end quick-change tooling and its potential in enabling flexible, automated manufacturing. The explosive adoption of its magnetic mold changing system signals a market tipping point for this efficiency-enhancing technology. Furthermore, the planned acquisition strategy, focused on capability integration rather than simple consolidation, presents a model for scaling specialized niche suppliers in a fragmented sector. This approach, coupled with the company's active globalization efforts (e.g., engaging with Germany's Mercedes-Benz), aligns directly with China's broader goals of industrial upgrade and deep participation in global high-end manufacturing value chains.