In China, up to 8,437 express parcels are collected every second.
Public data shows that in 2025, the total value of China's social logistics reached 368 trillion yuan. Multiple large leading express delivery enterprises in China, such as JD.com, SF Express, and Cainiao, have introduced automated sorting systems. The high-speed conveyor belts and shuttling Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) are closely related to one product: industrial sensors.
The explosive growth of smart logistics has unprecedentedly highlighted the critical importance of sensors.
Data from MIR DATABANK shows that in 2025, the market size of industrial sensors in China's logistics and warehousing industry reached 1.4 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.7% compared to 2024. The project construction of logistics centers in the central and western regions and the rise of the energy storage industry have driven the rapid explosion of manufacturing logistics, further amplifying the market demand for sensors.
Market Size and Growth Trend of Industrial Sensors in China's Logistics and Warehousing Industry from 2022 to 2028E
Despite the vast market space, the express logistics sensor field in China has long been dominated by overseas brands.
In the overall Chinese industrial sensor market in 2025, overseas brands such as KEYENCE, SICK, Omron, Panasonic, and Pepperl+Fuchs (in no particular order) have taken the top five seats. In the displacement sensor field, which has higher technical barriers, the Japanese brand KEYENCE dominates with a market share of over 60%. However, in recent years, driven by downstream market demand, Chinese sensor manufacturers are achieving targeted domestic substitution of international brands in conventional sensor fields such as photoelectric sensors and proximity switches.
In this wave of domestic substitution, a group of domestic enterprises represented by CHANKO (Changjiang Sensor) are no longer satisfied with just being "usable"; instead, they continuously benchmark their technical quality against top international brands. CHANKO's photoelectric sensors have approached the level of international leading brands such as SICK in core indicators like black-and-white error, detection distance, electromagnetic interference resistance, and card/label detection, placing them in the first tier domestically in terms of technical quality.
01. Behind Technical Benchmarking: A Decade-Long Pursuit and Leap
Photoelectric sensors are the core sensing components of industrial automation equipment, and their performance directly determines the operational efficiency and stability of automation systems. For logistics sorting centers that process hundreds of thousands of parcels daily, the core indicators of sensors directly affect the flexibility of equipment layout and sorting accuracy.
Comparison of Main Performance Indicators Between CHANKO Photoelectric Sensors and Similar Domestic and Foreign-Funded Products
In the domestic photoelectric sensor track, the technical level of CHANKO's CPY-DB series has distanced itself from mainstream domestic manufacturers.
The most intuitive gap is reflected in the detection distance. The detection distance of similar products from leading domestic manufacturers is generally around 300mm, while CHANKO has achieved 500mm, which means more flexible installation positions and wider application scenarios. The gap in the minimum detectable object diameter is equally significant: most domestic brands can only identify objects with a minimum diameter of 5mm, whereas CHANKO can detect tiny objects of 2mm, offering higher detection accuracy. In addition, in terms of EMC performance, blind zone, and other standards, CHANKO is also ahead of most domestic manufacturers. While most domestic products can only meet Class A for partial EMC indicators, CHANKO has achieved overall Class A certification.
From the perspective of comprehensive core parameters, CHANKO has surpassed most domestic manufacturers and is in the first tier of domestic photoelectric sensors in terms of technical quality.
If the reference frame is extended to top international brands, CHANKO's CPY-DB series also possesses the strength to compete on the same stage.
Using the industry-recognized benchmark product SICK GTB6 series as a reference, CHANKO is completely on the same level as SICK in the three most core basic indicators: detection distance, black-and-white error, and blind zone: the 500mm detection distance is consistent, and the black-and-white error accuracy of ≤5% at 300mm and ≤15% at 500mm is on par. In terms of anti-light interference, CHANKO's CPY-DB series has a sunlight immunity of 1.2~1.4k lux, which is very close to SICK's level of 1.3~1.5k lux, while most similar domestic products are only at 10,000 lux. At the same time, the performance of CHANKO products under 3,000 lux incandescent light has also benchmarked SICK's level, showing more prominent reliability in strong light environments such as outdoor semi-open workstations and window-side production lines.
It can be seen that in the core category of photoelectric sensors, CHANKO's technical strength has achieved domestic leadership and approached the international first-class level. Whether in a direct competition with the international leading brand SICK or a horizontal comparison with mainstream domestic brands, CHANKO has demonstrated solid technical quality. This is not a compromise under the context of "domestic substitution", but the optimal solution at the technical quality level.
In addition to leading core performance, CHANKO has also built comprehensive competitive advantages in supply chain, customization, and service systems.
In terms of delivery cycle, the delivery cycle for standard products of common models from CHANKO is only 3-7 days, and customized products can be sampled in 2-4 weeks;
In terms of customization capabilities, CHANKO can quickly provide customized technical solutions and adapted products for the scenario pain points and personalized needs of different industries;
In terms of service systems, CHANKO can achieve instant response, arrive at the customer site within 24 hours, and issue solutions within 48 hours, providing 7x24 localized round-the-clock service, offering comprehensive guarantees for the stable operation of customers.
02. Full-Scenario Implementation Verification: Breakthroughs in the High-End Market from Logistics to Aerospace
The ultimate manifestation of technical strength is the implementation of scenarios and customer recognition.
01. Smart Logistics Scenarios
Addressing the pain points of complex parcel categories, fast sorting rhythms, and complex on-site electromagnetic and strong light interference in the sorting centers of leading express logistics enterprises, CHANKO provides solutions centered on the CPY series background suppression photoelectric sensors, achieving large-scale implementation in multiple scenarios across multiple industry-leading enterprises.
In a high-speed sorting center of a leading logistics enterprise, hundreds of thousands of parcels need to be processed daily, and the high-speed sorting line has strict requirements for sensor response speed and stability. In May 2026, the enterprise purchased over 50,000 CPY-RMR4 series products at once for core links such as goods arrival detection, AGV precise positioning and obstacle avoidance, and required batch delivery within 7 days. In response, the CHANKO supply chain team quickly coordinated production capacity and fulfilled the contract on schedule, which not only verified the consistency and reliability of the products but also enabled leading customers to establish full trust in domestic brands.
Secondly, to compress packaging costs, an e-commerce logistics enterprise uses transparent plastic bags to directly label and ship a large number of small commodities. The transparent material is easy to cause sensor light penetration and scattering, leading to detection failure. The customer previously used products from a leading German brand but could never overcome the detection problem in this special scenario. CHANKO customized and developed adapted sensors, achieving detection performance with a black-and-white error of less than 2% and repeatability accuracy of less than 5mm, successfully solving the pain point of automated detection of transparent bag-packaged commodities.
In the narrow-band sorting equipment of a leading express enterprise, during full-package detection, the detection distance of ordinary diffuse reflection sensors fluctuates greatly and the detection effect is unstable due to the different colors and shapes of parcels. CHANKO adopts a red light small spot background suppression photoelectric sensor with a detection distance of up to 300mm, which can identify tiny objects as small as 1mm, has a black-and-white error of less than 10%, and is not interfered by the color of the measured object and the background, effectively solving this long-term technical difficulty.
02. Aerospace Scenarios
In the field of large airport logistics, CHANKO has cooperated with civil aviation airports since 2022 and is a preferred supplier for civil aviation airports. Currently, CHANKO's related sensor products have been implemented in the intelligent baggage sorting systems of airports in Beijing, Chengdu, and Lanzhou.
In the field of commercial aircraft manufacturing, as a partner in the COMAC (Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China) supply chain system, CHANKO has carried out in-depth cooperation in scenarios such as aircraft assembly accuracy control and non-contact detection of components. In April 2025, senior executives of COMAC visited CHANKO for the second time, and the two sides deepened exchanges on technical synergy and supply chain cooperation.
Conclusion
From benchmarking core parameters against international giants to large-scale implementation in the high-end market, CHANKO has taken photoelectric sensors as the core breakthrough, using solid technical strength, stable and reliable product quality, and perfect supporting services to prove that even in high-end application scenarios with extremely high quality standard requirements, domestic industrial sensors can fully adapt and meet the needs, possessing the ability to comprehensively substitute imported products. With the multiple support of the national independent and controllable strategy, equipment renewal policies, and localization subsidies, the wave of domestic substitution for sensors in fields such as smart logistics and high-end manufacturing has already taken shape.
At present, the pattern in which foreign-funded brands have long dominated the high-requirement application market is being gradually rewritten. Domestic sensor enterprises represented by CHANKO are steadily advancing the process of sensor localization and substitution in high-end scenarios. In the future, as technology continues to iterate and landing scenarios continue to expand, domestic photoelectric sensors will inevitably penetrate more high-standard application fields, building a solid foundation of core components for the safe and high-quality development of China's industrial automation, smart logistics, aerospace, and other industries.