According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), investment in robotics equipment has slowed as the trade war between the US and China escalates. It predicts that worldwide industrial robot sales this year will grow by 10%, as opposed to the 30% jump last year.
Currently, China is the world’s largest robots market by far with a 36% global share, exceeding the total of Europe and the Americas combined.
But we may start to see a shift if trade tensions continue. According to IFR head and chairman of Japan’s Yaskawa Electric Corp, Junji Tsuda, global producers ‘are now in a wait-and-see mode, wondering whether to shift production [from China] to, let’s say, Vietnam or the United States.’
It will take a while for the real effects of the trade war to be seen, he said, although he adds that growth is expected to pick up again, with the IFR forecasting an average 14% increase per year to 2021.
“Global demand for smartphones, semiconductors and autos have been solid, and the time will eventually come that they can wait no longer and will resume investment to meet the demand.”