Hunan Cothink will distribute Sawyer, Baxter robots throughout the country

BEIJING, Oct. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Rethink Robotics today announced an exclusive agreement with leading collaborative robotics provider, Hunan Cothink Robotics Technology Company Ltd., to distribute its smart, collaborative robots to the entire Chinese manufacturing community.

Rethink Robotics and Hunan Cothink originally announced a partnership in February of this year that awarded Hunan Cothink distribution rights in northern and southern China, but the success of the relationship and the demand for Rethink Robotics' smart, collaborative robots has led to a new, exclusive deal that covers the entire Chinese geography.

Earlier this year, Hunan Cothink was formed as a separate division with a new sales and support organization that is designed to bring Rethink's robots to the Chinese market and help Chinese manufacturers build smarter factories. Hunan Cothink also distributes Rethink Robotics' Baxter robot worldwide.

"The demand for Rethink Robotics' Sawyer and Baxter in China is rapidly rising as manufacturers demand affordable, flexible automation to drive forward smart manufacturing initiatives," said Mr. Yang Xin Ming, Chairman of Hunan Cothink. "Chinese manufacturers are leading the charge in smart manufacturing, and are implementing new technologies to great success. Sawyer and Baxter's ability to adapt to factory variability and operate more like humans do is revolutionizing the factory floor for the better."

Established in 2015, Hunan Cothink is headquartered in Changsha with a registered capital of RMB100 million. Hunan Cothink's newest division leverages the company's expertise to help Chinese manufacturers successfully and effectively deploy Sawyer and Baxter.

"The demand for our robots in China has exceeded our expectations as manufacturers have quickly realized the benefits of affordable, flexible robots that drive productivity," said Scott Eckert, president and CEO, Rethink Robotics. "Hunan Cothink has been a world class partner over the past year, and this exclusive agreement will enable manufacturers in China to deploy Baxter and Sawyer more effectively and efficiently."

A formal agreement will be announced on October 21 at the World Robot Conference in Beijing. Rethink Robotics' Co-founder, Chairman and CTO Rodney Brooks will be delivering a keynote address at the event that outlines the value of and future for collaborative robots in China and beyond.

For more information, please visit rethinkrobotics.com.

About Rethink Robotics

Rethink Robotics is transforming the way manufacturing gets done, with smart, collaborative robots able to automate the 90 percent of tasks that until now, have been beyond the reach of traditional automation. Its Baxter and Sawyer robots, powered by the Intera software platform, adapt to real-world variability, can change applications quickly and perform tasks like people do. The result: manufacturers of all shapes, sizes and industries get the fast-to-deploy, easy-to-use and versatile automation solution they need to increase flexibility, lower cost and accelerate innovation.

Based in Boston, the Rethink product suite is available in Asia, Europe and North America. The company is funded by Bezos Expeditions, CRV, Highland Capital Partners, Sigma Partners, DFJ, Two Sigma Ventures, GE Ventures and Goldman Sachs. For more information about Rethink Robotics, please visit www.rethinkrobotics.com and follow us on Twitter @RethinkRobotics. In China, please follow us on Weibo at weibo.com/rethinkrobotics and visit our Youku page: http://i.youku.com/rethinkrobotics.