World Robotics Report
Robot sales doubled in five years
The International Federation of Robotics has presented the new World Robotics Report. According to the report, global sales of industrial robots reached a new record of 381,000 units delivered in 2017 - an increase of 30 percent compared to the previous year.
This means that annual sales of industrial robots rose by 114% in the five years from 2013 to 2017. The sales value climbed by 21% to a new high of 16.2 billion US dollars compared to 2016.
"Industrial robots play a key role in the progress of the manufacturing industry," says Junji Tsuda, President of the International Federation of Robotics. "Robots are being further developed with numerous cutting-edge technologies. These include machine vision, skill learning, error prediction using AI, new concepts of human-machine collaboration, simple programming and many others. These technologies will help to improve manufacturing productivity and expand the areas in which robots can be used." The IFR forecast anticipates annual sales of around 630,000 units in 2021.
73% of total sales of industrial robots in 2017 were generated in the five main markets of China, Japan, South Korea, the USA and Germany. China significantly expanded its leading position as the country with the highest demand, with a market share of 36% of global deliveries in 2017. Germany is the fifth-largest robot market and number one in Europe. In 2017, the number of robots sold rose by 7% to a record 21,404 units.
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