Sales increase
Number of robots in the industry is growing dramatically
It is clear to see where the robotics industry is heading in the coming years - namely upwards. The automotive industry is leading demand worldwide, with strong growth in the metal industry, the electronics sector and the food industry.
Even if they have largely not yet arrived in industry, the development of collaborative robots is progressing rapidly, and in a few years' time one or two employees in production will have an autonomous robotic assistant - without the need for safety fences.
The more conventional industrial robots are also on the rise. In the course of digitalization, companies are increasingly integrating them into the overall production system. Machine learning in networked production is giving robots more capabilities, further expanding their areas of application. At the same time, developers are succeeding in simplifying programming more and more, making it possible for robots to be commissioned by personnel without special training. This also makes their use increasingly interesting for small and medium-sized companies.
Following a sharp rise in sales figures in 2017, this trend looks set to continue this year and in the coming years. The VDMA expects the robotics and automation sector in Germany to grow by nine percent to a total volume of 15.8 billion euros in 2018. As in other sectors, exports are the main growth driver here. Last year, export sales to China alone grew by 60 percent. This makes the country by far the most important market for robotics. According to the IFR (International Federation of Robotics), sales on the Chinese market also increased by 58% to 138,000 units worldwide.
Other strong sales markets are South Korea (40,000 robots) and Japan (38,000), followed by the USA with 33,000 units. In Germany, 22,000 new industrial robots were installed last year. Worldwide, the automotive industry is leading the demand for robots, with strong growth in the metal industry, the electronics sector and the food industry. am
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