HANGZHOU, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Over 35 million vacuum bottles were produced last year by Haers Vacuum Containers Co. Ltd. in Yongkang City, the second largest output of its kind worldwide.

"A robot assembly line will be launched soon, and we are confident of surpassing the current leading producer this year," said Wang Shuyi, supply chain general manager of the company in east China's Zhejiang Province.

In line with the "Made in China 2025" strategy, which aims to upgrade the country's manufacturing sector, the government and enterprises in Yongkang City in east China's Zhejiang Province have found new ways to enhance productivity and product quality while bringing down labor costs.

"The government had given nearly 40 million yuan of allowances (about 6.3 million U.S. dollars) to enterprises that use advanced equipment like industrial robots in 2017," said Ying Xujun, vice head of Yongkang economy and information technology bureau.

As the famous "City of Metal," Yongkang now has over 10,000 enterprises in the hardware business, involving electric tools, kitchenware and thermal cups, becoming China's largest base for manufacturing, trading and exporting of hardware products.

"There are over 360 ongoing programs aiming at using industrial robots to set up zero-labor production lines, with total investment reaching more than 8.5 billion yuan," Ying said.

The robot industry has been listed as a key development area in the national "Made in China 2025" strategy, as the country is the biggest market for industrial robots worldwide.

The output of China's industrial robots exceeded 100,000 in the first 10 months of 2017, up 70-percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

China is the biggest market for industrial robots in the world, accounting for about one-third of global demand.