BMW plant in Leipzig, Germany
BMW plant in Leipzig, Germany: Spot welding of BMW 3 series car bodies with KUKA industrial robots.
The effect of automation on global manufacturing continues to grow as a new report has shown that sales of industrial robots hit a record high of $16.5-billion (€14.9-billion) in 2018.
The latest World Robotics report from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) found that 422,000 robot units were sold and shipped across the globe last year, up 6% on 2017.
IFR expects that shipments in 2019 will have receded on 2018's record high, but still forecasts an average growth of 12% annually from 2020 to 2022.
“We saw a dynamic performance in 2018 with a new sales record, even as the main customers for robots – the automotive and electrical-electronics industry – had a difficult year,” said Junji Tsuda, president of the IFR.
“The US-China trade conflict imposes uncertainty to the global economy – customers tend to postpone investments. But it is exciting, that the mark of 400,000 robot installations per year has been passed for the first time. The IFR´s longer term outlook shows that the ongoing automation trend and continued technical improvements will result in double digit growth – with an estimate of about 584,000 units in 2022,” he added.
The world's largest industrial robot market is Asia, though 2018 saw a mixed picture there in the continents three largest markets. While robot installations in China and South Korea declined, installations in Japan increased considerably. In total, the Asian market grew by 1%.
Europe is the second largest market for industrial robots, and the continent saw an increase of 14% on 2017's figures, reaching a new peak for the sixth consecutive year.
The Americas told a similar story, with growth hitting 20% on the previous year, which also marks a new record level for the sixth year in a row.
Five major industrial robot markets accounted for 74% of the total global installations in 2018; China, Japan, United States, South Korea, and Germany.
In line with China's policy to promote domestic manufacturing, the country's robot suppliers increased their share of installations by 5% on the previous year. Foreign robot installations decreased by 7%. This is also in part to a weakened automotive industry.
Japan saw an increase of 21%, the country's highest ever value. Since 2013, the country has seen an average annual growth rate of 17%; a remarkable figure for a market with an already highly developed system of automated industrial production. Japan also happens to be the world's largest manufacturer of industrial robots, delivering 52% of the global supply last year.
The US saw an increase of 22% on 2017. Since around 2010, what has driven the growth of US-based manufacturing has been the continuing trend to automate production to strengthen the country's industries both at home and abroad.
South Korea saw a decline of robot installations by 5%. This has been attributed to the difficulties facing the country's electronics industry, a sector on which the robot market strongly depends. Nevertheless, installations have still seen an average increase of 12% per year since 2013.
The world's fifth largest industrial robots market is Germany. The country is also Europe's largest market, followed by Italy and France. Sales of robots in Germany increased by 26% in 2018, with the automotive industry accounting for the large majority.
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