VDMA
Robotics and automation hit by downturn
The German robotics and automation industry cannot escape the economic slowdown in the mechanical and plant engineering sector: According to the VDMA, the industry expects sales to fall by five percent to 14.3 billion euros in 2019.
"An initially high order backlog was largely reduced over the course of the year, and the fall revival we have seen in previous years failed to materialize. After a decade of records, our innovation and growth industry has now also had to accept a significant setback due to the difficult global economic situation," says Wilfried Eberhardt, Chairman of VDMA Robotics + Automation and Chief Marketing Officer at Kuka.
This trend will affect all sub-sectors of robotics and automation in 2019. A decline in industry sales of seven percent is expected for machine vision. The largest sub-sector, Integrated Assembly Solutions, is expecting a decline of five percent. Robotics is currently expecting a drop of three percent.
The reasons for this decline include a slowing global economy and saturation effects in key markets. For example, global sales of smartphones are stagnating, which is also having an impact on investments in machinery. In addition, the current uncertainty in many customer industries is causing a reluctance to invest. The uncertainties caused by the transformation of the automotive industry and the increasing number of trade disputes are having a particularly strong impact here. As there is currently no sign of a turnaround, VDMA Robotics + Automation is forecasting a further decline in industry sales of ten percent for 2020.
"As a key technology for optimizing production and as a guarantor of high quality and sustainability standards, robotics and automation will continue to play a central role in the future and return to its growth trajectory in the medium term," emphasizes Patrick Schwarzkopf, Managing Director of the VDMA Robotics + Automation Association. as
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