Robot-maker Kuka seeks growth in new spheres - and in China

German industrial giant Kuka is the world's largest producer of robots used to make automobiles, with its signature orange cranelike bots a fixture in automated car factories across the globe.

So why is Chairman and Chief Executive Till Reuter worried?

The reason is simple enough: Growth in robots for all industries other than automotive is up more than 10 percent; that compares to just 3 percent to 5 percent for the car industry, he says. Kuka's auto business has fallen from 80 percent of robot revenues, when he took over the company in 2009, to around 50 percent today, Reuter notes.