(Yicai) Feb. 21 -- Shares of Zhongding Sealing Parts surged by their daily trading limit to a three-and-a-half-year high after the Chinese auto parts manufacturer said it has agreed to partner with EngineAI Robotics, a startup focused on making general-purpose androids.

Zhongding Sealing [SHE: 000887] jumped 10 percent to CNY19.76 (USD2.72) a share as of 2.15 p.m. in Shenzhen today. The stock has surged 45 percent since the start of this year due to the company expanding its android parts business.

Zhongding Sealing and EngineAI inked a deal to ally in improving the production processes and delivery quality of android parts, the Ningguo-based company announced late yesterday.

Under equal conditions, Zhongding Sealing will become the preferred supplier of robotic joint components for Shenzhen-based EngineAI, the former pointed out.

Zhongding Sealing makes auto cooling, sealing, and intelligent chassis systems. It invested CNY12.9 million (USD1.8 million) to buy manufacturing equipment for robot reducers late last month after setting up a robotics subsidiary last December, marking its entry into the robot components sector.

On Feb. 11, Zhongding Sealing linked arms with peer XCC Group to develop humanoid robot component assembly products, with the pair also agreeing to prioritize each other as core component suppliers for the products.

EngineAI Robotics has launched three humanoid robots since it was established in October 2023. Its products have been used in industrial manufacturing, commercial services, public safety, household services, and other areas.

Editor: Martin Kadiev