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ABB robotic manufacturing facility in Michigan. Credit score: ABB
Robotic gross sales proceed to be sluggish in North America, in response to the Affiliation for Advancing Automation (A3). Nonetheless, the trade affiliation continues to say there are causes to be optimistic a few turnaround.
A3 mentioned robotic gross sales in North America had been down 6% within the first quarter of 2024 in comparison with the identical interval in 2023. Firms bought 8,582 robots from January by means of March for a complete of $494 million, A3 mentioned. In Q1 2023, North American corporations ordered 9,168 items for a complete of $597 million.
“North American robotic orders are displaying indicators of enchancment as we method the mid-way level of the 12 months,” mentioned Alex Shikany, A3’s VP of membership & market intelligence. “It’s notably encouraging to see that non-automotive clients are persevering with to develop their adoption of robots, demonstrating the increasing attain and impression of automation throughout numerous industries.”
North American robotic orders declined by 30% in 2023 after two years of file gross sales. North American corporations bought 31,159 robots in 2023, in contrast with 44,196 ordered in 2022 and 39,708 in 2021. A3 attributed the 2023 slowdown to “apparent points” comparable to a sluggish U.S. financial system, larger rates of interest, and even the over-purchasing of robots in 2022 from provide chain considerations.
It ought to be famous A3 solely collects gross sales knowledge on conventional industrial robots. It doesn’t acquire knowledge about autonomous cell robots or collaborative robotic arms.
Robotic gross sales to non-automotive corporations enhance
Whereas general orders decreased throughout Q1 2024, orders from non-automotive corporations grew 16% over Q1 2023, A3 mentioned. Non-automotive clients ordered 4,096 robots in Q1 2024, which accounted for 48% of whole orders. Amongst these clients, the best progress in orders between Q1 2023 and Q1 2024 was seen in:
- Meals & shopper items: 120%
- Life sciences, pharmaceutical & biomedical: 72%
- Metals: 46%
Non-automotive corporations bought 15,436 robots whole in 2023. Traditionally, the automotive trade has been the spine of robotics gross sales, however 2020 and 2021 noticed enormous progress in non-automotive gross sales.
“Industrial automation is sculpting the way forward for work and manufacturing throughout myriad industries, actually amplifying human ingenuity slightly than changing it,” mentioned Jeff Burnstein, president of A3. “With developments in robotics, synthetic intelligence (AI) and connectivity, we’re witnessing a paradigm shift that’s reshaping industries, driving productiveness and unlocking new potentialities for progress. It’s clearly not only a pattern however the cornerstone of recent manufacturing.”
