China's RV Reducer Suppliers
The heavy-duty cousin for robot shoulders and hips.
Insights · Supply Chain
China's Planetary Reducer Suppliers: Powering the Heavy Joints
Harmonics handle the wrists and fingers; planetary reducers carry the torque in the legs and waist. And one company — Zhongda Leader — has turned that role into a 3.2 billion RMB contract with Unitree.
The answer · TL;DR
Planetary reducers deliver torque for heavy robot joints. Zhongda Leader's 3.2B RMB contract with Unitree is the sector's landmark deal; challengers Kinco and Neugart-built rivals compete on price and backdrivability for arms and legs.
Planetary reducers deliver torque for heavy robot joints. Zhongda Leader's 3.2B RMB contract with Unitree is the sector's landmark deal; challengers Kinco and Neugart-built rivals compete on price and backdrivability for arms and legs.
Humanoid legs and waist take brutal loads — a 50kg robot landing from a jump. That torque multiplication comes from planetary reducers: compact, stiff and cheaper than harmonics at scale, they dominate the heavy joints while harmonics own the precise wrist work.
Zhongda Leader: the full-category king
Zhongda Leader (中大力德) is China's only A-share maker producing harmonic, RV and planetary reducers at scale — a one-stop joint supplier. It is Unitree's #1 reducer supplier at over 63% of purchases, under a 3.2 billion RMB long-term agreement (2025-2027) supporting ~110,000 robots, with planetary units customized for the H2's leg joints. Cost is ~40% below imported equivalents, and it passed Tesla certification. Robot business revenue jumped +189.7% YoY in 2026 Q1.
The challengers
| Company | Jingduan (精锻) | Haoneng (豪能) | Xiaxia (夏厦) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edge | 90%-owned JV, ships to UBTECH; testing with Huawei/Xiaomi/AgiBot | Cross-over precision planetary/cycloid for humanoids | Precision planetary gears, light-load hand joints |
These second-tier players target the hand and light-load joints, where dozens of tiny planetary gearheads sit inside dexterous fingers — a market that grows as fast as dexterous-hand adoption.
Why planetary matters for cost
Planetary reducers are the value play of the joint stack: ~40% cheaper than imported units, and at humanoid scale they carry the majority of joint count in legs and torso. As Unitree's 20,000+ humanoid shipments prove, whoever owns the heavy joints owns the cost curve.
What to watch
- Unitree's 2025-2027 supply chain — 3.2B RMB contract signals production at scale.
- Hand-joint miniaturization — micro planetary gearheads inside dexterous fingers.
- Full-category integration — harmonic + RV + planetary under one roof (Zhongda's moat).
Go deeper
Related reading
China's Harmonic Drive Suppliers
Where the precision wrist work happens.
China's Dexterous Hand Suppliers
Micro planetary gearheads inside every finger.
Unitree — Profile
The humanoid maker behind the 3.2B RMB contract.
Explore the supply chain
Company profiles, product pages and supplier analysis for China's robotics ecosystem.