VDMA annual forecast
Robotics and automation slip into the red
The economy is now also having an impact on the robotics and automation industry: the VDMA expects sales to fall by 5% in 2019. The reasons can be found in the global economy, but also in saturation effects.
"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, summarizing the situation for the robotics and automation industry. Towards the end of the year, the VDMA is now reporting that the economic downturn has also affected robotics and automation technology. The association is forecasting a 5% drop in turnover to 14.3 billion euros for 2019.
All sub-sectors affected
The decline is affecting all sub-sectors of robotics and automation. For example, industrial image processing is expected to see a 7% decline in industry sales, the integrated assembly solutions sector is anticipating a 5% drop and robotics is currently expecting a 3% downturn for the current year.
The VDMA cites the slowdown in the global economy and saturation effects in key markets as reasons for the decline. For example, sales of smartphones are stagnating worldwide, which is having an impact on investments in machinery. Uncertainties in various customer sectors are also 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 10% decline in industry sales for 2020.
Automation remains a growth market
Nevertheless, there is no reason to bury your head in the sand. "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.
What role this plays will be on display at the SPS - Smart Production Solution in Nuremberg from November 26, 2019. Christian Wolf, Chairman of the Exhibitor Advisory Board and Managing Director of Turck, already attested to a "brilliant future" for automation technology in the run-up to the event. And Sylke Schulz-Metzner, Vice President SPS at Mesago Messe Frankfurt, is also convinced that the industry meeting place for automation technology will showcase the "future of our industrial nation".
And if the forecasts of the International Federation of Robotics(IFR) are to be believed, the global robotics market is set to grow again. According to the World Robotic Report 2019, the number of installed industrial robots will increase again by 10 percent.
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