Robotics Business Review

  • Home
  • Analysis / Opinion
    • RBR Analysis
    • RBR Opinion
    • RBR Interviews
  • Business
    • Management
    • Workforce
    • Start-Ups
      • RBR Start-Up Profiles
      • RBR Start-Up Insights
    • Social Good
    • Investment
    • Transaction Database
  • Markets / Industries
    • Agriculture
    • Construction / Demolition
    • Consumer
    • Defense / Security
    • Energy / Mining
    • Health / Medical
    • Logistics / Supply Chain
    • Manufacturing
    • Public Safety
    • Retail
    • Robotics Development
    • Utilities
  • Resources
    • Websites
      • The Robot Report
      • Mobile Robot Guide
      • Collaborative Robotics Trends
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Case Studies
    • Company Directory
    • Podcasts
    • Research
  • Events
    • Robotics Summit
    • RoboBusiness
    • Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum
    • Robotics Weeks
    • RoboBusiness Direct
    • R&D 100
  • RBR50
    • RBR50 2022
      • RBR50 2022 Honorees
    • RBR50 2021
      • RBR50 2021 Honorees
      • RBR50 2021 Digital Edition
    • RBR50 2020
      • RBR50 2020 Honorees
      • RBR50 2020 Digital Edition

North American Robot Shipments Grow Beyond Auto Industry, RIA Says

Expanding markets for robots include food, consumer goods, electronics, and life sciences.

North American Robot Shipments Grow Beyond Auto Industry, RIA Says

By RBR Staff | February 28, 2019

While automotive companies continue to purchase robots, there’s more evidence of growth occurring in markets beyond that traditional market. According to new statistics by the Robotic Industries Association (RIA), robot shipments to North American companies grew 7% in 2018 compared to the previous year, with a 41% increase in shipments to non-automotive companies.

The RIA, which is part of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), said 35,880 units were shipped in 2018, with 16,702 of those shipments being sent to non-automotive firms. Growth in shipments came in areas such as food and consumer goods (48% growth), plastics and rubber (37%), life sciences (31%), and electronics (22%).

Robot shipments decrease in auto industry

Meanwhile, shipments to auto industry companies slowed, with only 19,178 units shipped to North American automotive OEM and tier supplier customers in 2018, the RIA said, representing a 12% decrease compared to the 21,732 units shipped in 2017. Overall, the auto industry accounted for only 53% of total robot shipments in North America last year, its lowest percentage share since 2010.

Jeff Burnstein A3 2019 predictions article

Jeff Burnstein, Association for Advancing Automation

“While the automotive industry has always led the way in implementing robotics here in North America, we are quite pleased to see other industries continuing to realize the benefits of automation,” said Jeff Burnstein, president of A3. “And as we’ve heard from our members and at shows such as Automate, these sales and shipments aren’t just to large, multinational companies anymore. Small and medium-sized companies are using robots to solve real-world challenges, which is helping them be more competitive on a global scale.”

The association’s Automate 2019, scheduled for April 8-11 in Chicago (co-located with the ProMAT materials handling/logistics show), will explore how automation such as robotics “will secure a company’s success in a technologically fast-paced world that is rapidly shifting the dynamic of today’s manufacturing.”

Similar trends in new markets for robots have been noted in recent months. IDC recently predicted a $53 billion market of commercial robots by 2022, noting a maturing market beyond traditional industrial manufacturing industries. Late last year, the research firm predicted that global spending on robotics systems would total $103.4 billion this year.

In October 2018, the International Federation of Robotics said 381,000 industrial robots shipped globally in 2017, with a 39% increase in sales volume in the service robot sector. In their report, the IFR said catching up to the automotive industry is the electronics industry, where sales of industrial robots increased by 33%, with 32% of the global supply in 2017.

More on industrial robotics:

  • Global Spending on Robots, Drones to Top $115B in 2019, Says IDC
  • Global Industrial Robot Sales Doubled Over Last Five Years, Report Says
  • Infographic: Robot Facts That Everyone Should Know
  • Robotics Themes and Emerging Trends From RoboBusiness 2018
  • Industrial Automation Providers: A Look at the Top 10
  • Drone Usage Grows to Get the Industrial Dirty Jobs Done
  • Industrial Robot Arm Buyer’s Guide
  • Industrial Robotics Boom to Shift Labor, Benefit China, Says Research Firm
  • Robot Startup Lessons From Rethink Robotics’ Fall
  • 5 Robotics Takeaways From RoboBusiness 2018
  • Chinese Robotics Industry Is Dynamic, but Inward-Focused

Related Articles Read More >

Edge ML
Edge ML and Robotics Critical for Digitalization and Industrial Automation Initiatives
3M
RBR50 Spotlight – 3M Finesse-It Robotic Paint Repair System
World Class Keynotes Featured at Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum
Mass Robotics
MassRobotics Joins Robotics Summit & Expo as Strategic Partner
The Robot Report Listing Database

Robot Report Podcast

May 7, 2022
Agility Robotics gets a boost from Amazon; The US Alliance of Robotics Clusters is born
See More >
Robotics Business Review
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Collaborative Robotics Trends
  • The Robot Report
  • Mobile Robot Guide
  • RoboBusiness Conference & Expo
  • Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum
  • Robotics Summit Conference & Expo

Copyright © 2022 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Robotics Business Review

  • Home
  • Analysis / Opinion
    • RBR Analysis
    • RBR Opinion
    • RBR Interviews
  • Business
    • Management
    • Workforce
    • Start-Ups
      • RBR Start-Up Profiles
      • RBR Start-Up Insights
    • Social Good
    • Investment
    • Transaction Database
  • Markets / Industries
    • Agriculture
    • Construction / Demolition
    • Consumer
    • Defense / Security
    • Energy / Mining
    • Health / Medical
    • Logistics / Supply Chain
    • Manufacturing
    • Public Safety
    • Retail
    • Robotics Development
    • Utilities
  • Resources
    • Websites
      • The Robot Report
      • Mobile Robot Guide
      • Collaborative Robotics Trends
    • Webinars / Digital Events
    • Case Studies
    • Company Directory
    • Podcasts
    • Research
  • Events
    • Robotics Summit
    • RoboBusiness
    • Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum
    • Robotics Weeks
    • RoboBusiness Direct
    • R&D 100
  • RBR50
    • RBR50 2022
      • RBR50 2022 Honorees
    • RBR50 2021
      • RBR50 2021 Honorees
      • RBR50 2021 Digital Edition
    • RBR50 2020
      • RBR50 2020 Honorees
      • RBR50 2020 Digital Edition