The Japanese robot industry – the past and the future
Dec 17, 2018 — According to World Robotics - Industrial Robot Report 2018, recently published by the IFR, Japan is the world’s leading supplier of industrial robots. Japanese industrial robot manufacturers delivered just over half (almost 55%) of industrial robots supplied in 2017 – 39% more than in 2016.
Nov 22, 2018 — Sales in robot systems for logistics more than doubled to 69,000 in 2017 compared with 26,300 in 2016, accounting for US $2.4 billion in sales – an increase of 138% over 2016. Logistics systems accounted for 63% of the number of units sold and 36% of the total sales value of professional service robots in 2017.
Nov 07, 2018 — The electrical and electronics (E&E) industry is a key driver of a 30% growth in sales of industrial robots in 2017. E&E sectors accounted for 32% of robot sales, only 1 percentage point behind sales to the automotive industry which so far has been the main driver of robot adoption. We look at the reasons for the rapid uptake of automation in the E&E sector.
Sep 27, 2018 — Robots that can ice-skate, hoover the house, flip burgers, pour beer and share jokes with humans are making headlines and scoring millions of hits on YouTube. Robotics is moving at a fast pace and much of this is due to rapid developments in artificial intelligence (AI).
Jul 30, 2018 — For over two centuries philosophers and economists have debated the question of the impact of automation on jobs. The evidence to date points to automation having a positive effect on labour demand. Why is this and how can we ensure the trend continues in the face of rapid advances in robotics and artificial intelligence?
Events
iREX 2025
December 03- December 06, 2025
International Robot Exhibition
Trade shows for State-of-the-art robots and robot-related technology, and component technologies
A3 Business Forum
January 19- January 21, 2026
Exclusive A3 members' event
Expo Manufactura
February 03- February 05, 2026
DIRA Business og ROBOTBRAG
May 07- May 08, 2026
Annual Robot Party
Elmia Automation
May 19- May 22, 2026
Automation fair
Automate 2026
June 22- June 25, 2026
The latest in robotics, machine vision, AI, motion control, and more
World Robotics - Industrial Robots: Global Robot Demand in Factories Doubles Over 10 Years
The new World Robotics 2025 statistics on industrial robots showed 542,000 robots installed in 2024 - more than double the number 10 years ago. Annual installations topped 500,000 units for the fourth straight year. Asia accounted for 74% of new deployments in 2024, compared with 16% in Europe and 9% in the Americas.
World Robotics - Service Robots See Global Growth Boom
In 2024, worldwide sales of professional service robots grew by 9%, medical robots by 91%, and service robots for consumer use by 11%. More than 199,000 units for professional service robots and close to 16,700 units of medical robots sold were registered by the IFR Statistical Department.
The IFR Newsletter - published quarterly - informs about sector relevant news - press releases, in-depth blogs, positioning papers and case studies on robot use. In addition, we inform about upcoming events, and new IFR members. Each newsletter highlights a report by the current IFR president. Please register for an automatic supply.
The General Secretariat is responsible for the daily management of IFR and the coordination of all major activities, events and collaboration. The General Secretariat handles all questions regarding IFR membership.