- The auto-parts supplier is taking its China-honed manufacturing capabilities into humanoid robotics, with the plant targeting European and global markets
- The move marks a shift from exporting Chinese-made robots to building production capacity closer to European customers
Chinese auto-parts supplier Minth Group (敏实集团) has opened what it says is Europe’s first mass-production facility for humanoid robots, extending its manufacturing footprint in Serbia from automotive components into a fast-growing robotics industry.
The plant in Šabac, Serbia, began operations on August 29 following an initial investment of €20 million ($23 million).
Covering about 3,000 square meters, it will assemble humanoid robots and quadruped robots, as well as calibrate their motion and vision systems and conduct performance testing.
The facility is expected to produce 500 humanoid robots this year, with the first batch slated for service-related applications at the 2027 Expo.
At full capacity, the plant is projected to generate more than €100 million in annual output and create about 280 high-skilled manufacturing and R&D jobs.
China’s supply chain goes global
The robots’ core components will be exported from China, while final assembly and system integration will take place in Serbia for European and global markets.
Minth, headquartered in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, has been operating in Serbia since 2018 and now runs 10 factories there.
Its founder and chairman, Chin Jong Hwa (秦荣华), a Taiwanese-born businessman, said the project combines China’s supply-chain integration capabilities with Serbia’s location to target Europe’s high-end intelligent manufacturing market.
In February, Minth Group struck a strategic partnership agreement with Shanghai-based humanoid developer AgiBot (智元机器人) to advance embodied intelligence in Europe.
Leveraging more than 15 years of deep engagement in the European market, along with its mature industrial operations system and global industrial resources, Minth will provide AgiBot with comprehensive support across sales, delivery, and full lifecycle services in Europe, while also advancing localized robot manufacturing, according to a corporate press release.
The company is also transferring manufacturing know-how across borders. Serbian employees in key technical positions were sent to Minth’s headquarters in Jiaxing for hands-on training before joining the new plant, according to Zhao Wei (赵伟), general manager of Minth’s intelligent robotics unit.
A €200 million expansion planned
The move follows a high-profile visit by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić to Minth’s future factory in Jiaxing on May 27.
Just three months later, the company’s humanoid robotics operation had begun production in Serbia.
Minth plans to expand the site into a broader robotics industrial park, with total planned investment of about €200 million. Once fully developed, the park could have annual capacity of up to 20,000 humanoid and quadruped robots.
The expansion reflects a broader evolution in China’s manufacturing globalization. Rather than simply exporting finished products, companies are increasingly taking their supply chains, production systems and engineering capabilities overseas.
For Minth, the transition from auto components to robotics also provides a natural extension of its manufacturing expertise.
A key foothold closer to European markets
The Serbia plant allows the company to retain China’s supply-chain advantages while placing production closer to European customers.
The project therefore represents more than a new robotics factory. It offers an early example of how Chinese manufacturing capabilities are being transplanted overseas as the global humanoid robotics industry moves from prototypes toward commercial production.
Header image credit: Minth Group’s official website
