(Yicai Global) Dec. 14 -- Aerial work platform manufacturer Xuzhou Handler Special Vehicle Co. [SHE:300201] plans to put CNY1.8 billion (USD272 million) into building an intelligent manufacturing base in Dongguan in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong to promote the application of robotic equipment.

The Xuzhou-based company said yesterday that it has signed an investment agreement with the government of Dalingshan town in Dongguan for the project.

The new facility will act as the firm's headquarters in South China, and the company's subsidiaries will work out of it.

The center will engage in the power management; lithium battery and smart battery equipment; computer, communication and consumer electronics smart manufacturing solutions; and industrial robotics fields, the group said.

To this end, the company will acquire 27.4 acres of land for project construction in Dalingshan. The company said uncertainty about whether it will win the bid for the land remains.