It is an honor for me to commence this quarterly newsletter for the first time as the - still quite newly elected - President of the IFR.

Dear Reader,

It is an honor for me to commence this quarterly newsletter for the first time as the - still quite newly elected - President of the IFR.

I took over this prestigious office in quite challenging times. The global economy is struggling, and global crises and geopolitical headwinds are perceived as a major risk and uncertainty factor that impact investment decisions. But we also see signs that awareness for the expansion of domestic production capacity in strategic industries is created, which should have a positive impact on our sector.

We hope for growth to accelerate in 2025 as is already indicated by rising order intakes.

At the end of November, IFR published the new robot densities. The big news - though not really much of a surprise to robotics experts - is that China reached the third position and overtook both Germany and Japan in the past year. Quite impressively, the emerging market has managed to double its robot density within four years. Korea remains at the top with by far the largest robot density globally of 1,012 robots in operation per 10,000 employees. The new global average robot density reached a record 162 units in 2023. This is more than double the number we measured only seven years ago.

As every year, the IFR is monitoring the big trends in our industry. We have already discussed them internally. The global robotics community has to be a bit more patient - we will publish our views in January 2025. And there will be plenty of opportunities throughout the coming year to see examples and new technologies at the various robotics trade shows. Once again, in 2025, the three major shows, Automate, automatica and last but not least the iREX will take place within the same year.

I will proudly continue the work of my predecessors. We are witnessing rapid change in the automation of industrial and service sectors around the world. Together with our new Vice President Jane Heffner, I look forward to our mission to create awareness of the positive impact of robots on our lives and society, to increase accessibility of robots and interaction with robotics, and to enable the robotics industry to collaboratively leverage trends and advancements.

The coming year 2025 will give us plenty of opportunities to do so.

One particular occasion certainly also will be the World Expo taking place in my home country Japan in Osaka from April to October 2025. It will give us a unique chance to bring robotics more to the attention to the general public and make visible how this technology supports our everyday lives. I am looking forward to the "Future Creation Robot Week" held in July 2025.

Wishing you a peaceful holiday season and a happy and successful New Year.

Best regards

Takayuki Ito

IFR and IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (IEEE/RAS) are looking for applicants for the next IERA Award. Deadline for submission is 31 May 2025.

The IERA award is jointly sponsored and organized by IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (IEEE/RAS) and the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). It highlights and honors the achievements of inventors with value creating ideas and entrepreneurs who propel those ideas into world-class products.

All submitted entries will be evaluated based on criteria that give equal consideration to both innovation and entrepreneurship. The winner will be awarded with a plaque and a $2000 cash prize. For additional details on the award and a list of the winners from the previous years, please see IEEE webpage.

In 2025 IFR will host the IERA Award presentation. The finalists will present their innovation at a session which will be part of the International Symposium on Robotics ISR. The ISR takes place during the 20^th RobotWorld exhibition in Seoul from 5 to 8 November 2025.

Download

• Call for Application IERA Award 2025 (499KB)

IFR would like to highlight and honor Women in Robotics - in particular women in the robotics industry - and give them more visibility. We will select a list of 10 women to officially award as “IFR's Women in Robotics: 10 Women Shaping the Future of Robotics” in 2025.

IFR decided to give women in robotics more visibility and acknowledgment. This should inspire girls and young women to pursue a career in STEM subjects or robotics and will also help companies to reach gender equality and overcome shortage of staff.

IFR would like to highlight and honor Women in Robotics - in particular women in the robotics industry - and give them more visibility.
We will select a list of 10 women to officially award as “IFR's Women in Robotics: 10 Women Shaping the Future of Robotics” in 2025.

We are in particular looking for women that have either a proven track record in robotics, stand out as industry leader or women with a proven activity in encouraging young people to go into STEM or that somehow support females in robotics.

Deadline for submission is January 31st, 2025. 

How to submit a suggestion

Send an email to [email protected]
include a short bio and a description of what makes her noteworthy or particular with respect to our described scope
add her full name, affiliation, country, contact details and a photo

Our selection criteria:

• The suggested women needs to be active in the robotics industry
• We will select at least one per continent, 
• but a maximum of one woman per company, 
• consider different company sizes (large, medium, small)
• consider different company scope (Robot supplier IR, SR, component supplier, integrator) and
• consider different levels of hierarchy (C-level, intermediate, lower level)
• Proven track record in robotics / stand out as industry leader 
• Proven activity in encouraging young people to go into STEM or that somehow support females in robotics

Publication of results will be on International Women's Day - March 8th, 2025.

Our 2024 Women in Robotics

Learn more on why gender balance is beneficial for economies

• IFR Women in Robotics: 2025 Call for nominations (576KB)

IFR updated its position paper on collaborative robots and how they work alongside humans. As the world continues to face mounting labor shortages, robotics has emerged to address this challenge. In fact, cobots reached a market share of 10.5% of industrial robots installed worldwide in 2023.

Cobots offer a quick entry into automation. They are easy to program; some are programmable by hand guiding – called “lead-though teach” – or through tablet interfaces. Cobots most often require no additional safety measures to implement on the factory floor. This allows fenceless operation directly integrated into existing production areas. They can adapt flexibly by using Plug & Play technologies for example. This is especially attractive for companies which do not have engineering experts, for companies with smaller production batches and in industries where production needs are constantly changing.

Cobots vs. traditional industrial robots

Cobots typically have some trade-offs compared to traditional industrial robots. This is due to their design and purpose to safely work alongside humans: Cobots are currently not applicable e.g. for processes that require high payloads and high speeds. Their lightweight design supports easy relocation and simplified integration into mobile robot platforms. Cobots are used in many setups where a direct human-robot interaction is not required. Traditional industrial robots can be an alternative in those cases. However, cobots have additional safety functions and capabilities that are useful for many applications.
In cases where human intervention is needed, industrial robots that are equipped with external safety measures can provide good solutions without compromising velocity and payload. The safety measures include e.g. laser scanners, locking safety gates or safety mats.

Manufacturing industries have been early adopters of cobot technology. This includes automotive, electronics, aerospace, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, logistics and warehousing. Due to a cobot’s ease of use, we typically see industries that require low volume high mix production. This can include welding, machine tending, bin picking and end of line palletizing.

Trends driving cobot development

The shortage of skilled workers will drive the development of automated solutions and will re-establish manufacturing infrastructure closer to the consumers. New applications are developed for cobots, continuously expanding their potential fields of use – from simple handling, through welding, to painting, dispensing and assembly.

Cobot manufacturers are developing machine learning systems so that cobots can “learn”. This modular technology and learning approach leads to opening further doors to expand what a cobot can do while unattended. In future, new sensors, vision technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) will allow robots to respond in real-time to changes in their environment and thus work safely – and more responsively - alongside human workers.

Cobot market

Cobots accounted for 10.5% of the total 541,302 industrial robots installed in 2023. IFR’s statistics show: collaborative robots will complement – not replace – investments in traditional industrial robots which operate at much faster speeds and will therefore remain important for improving productivity in response to tight product margins.

Download this and all other IFR Position Paper for free*.

*requires registration

• Cobot Infograph as pdf file (331KB)

Robot adoption in factories around the world continues at high speed: The new global average robot density reaches a record 162 units per 10,000 employees in 2023 - more than double the number measured only seven years ago (74 units). This is according to the World Robotics 2024 report, presented by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

Robot density serves as a barometer to track the degree of automation adoption in the manufacturing industry around the world," says Takayuki Ito, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “This year's runner-up is China, which ranks third worldwide behind Korea and Singapore, but right up with Germany and Japan."

Robot density by region

The European Union has a robot density of 219 units per 10,000 employees, an increase of 5.2%, with Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Slovenia in the global top ten.

North America´s robot density is 197 units per 10,000 employees – up 4,2%. The United States ranks tenth in the world among the most automated countries in the manufacturing industry.

Asia has a robot density of 182 units per 10,000 persons employed in manufacturing - an increase of 7.6%. The economies of Korea, Singapore, mainland China and Japan are among the top ten most automated countries.

Top countries

The Republic of Korea is the world´s number one adopter of industrial robots with 1,012 robots per 10,000 employees. Robot density has increased by 5% on average each year since 2018. With a world-renowned electronics industry and a strong automotive industry, the Korean economy relies on the two largest customers for industrial robots.

Singapore follows with 770 robots per 10,000 employees. Singapore is a small country with a very low number of employees in the manufacturing industry, so it can reach a high Robot density also with a relatively small operational stock.

China took third place in 2023, surpassing Germany and Japan. The country's push to the use of automation technology results in a high robot density of 470 robots per 10,000 employees (2022: 402 units). China only entered the top 10 in 2019. It has managed to double its robot density within four years.

Germany ranks fourth with 429 robots per 10,000 employees. The robot density of Europe´s largest economy has grown by 5% CAGR since 2018.

Japan is in fifth place with 419 units. Robot density of the world´s predominant robot manufacturing country grew by 7% on average each year (2018-2023).

Robot density in the United States reached 295 units in 2023. The country ranks tenth in the world.

About Robot density

Robot density is the number of operational industrial robots relative to the number of employees. It can cover the whole manufacturing industry or just specific industrial branches. The number of employees serves as a measure of economic size, so the quotient of operational stock over employees puts the operational stock on a uniform base.

Press contact

International Federation of Robotics
PRESS OFFICER
Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

Please find graph and press releases in Chinese, German, Japanese and Korean language for download below.

• Graph - Robot Density top countries in 2023 (565KB)
• IFR Pressemeldung Roboterdichte - Nov 2024 Korrektur (224KB)
• IFR press release - robot density - Chinese language (605KB)
• IFR press release - robot density - Japanese language (385KB)
• IFR press release - robot density - Korean language (334KB)

Takayuki Ito has been elected as the new President of the International Federation of Robotics. Mr Ito will represent the IFR alongside his newly elected Vice President, Jane Heffner.

Takayuki Ito of Fanuc Corporation, who previously held the position of Vice President, succeeds Marina Bill of ABB who has served the rotating post since 2022. "I am proud to continue the work of my predecessor, Marina Bill, who has been a great ambassador for the world of robotics. We are witnessing rapid change in the automation of industrial and service sectors around the world. Together with Jane Heffner of Mobile Industrial Robots as the new Vice President of the IFR, I look forward to our mission," said Takayuki Ito.

More than 40 years of experience in robotics

Takayuki Ito has a track record of more than 40 years in the robotics industry. He currently holds the position of Chief Technical Advisor at the Japanese robot manufacturer Fanuc Corporation based in Oshino, Japan. Since 1981, Takayuki Ito has worked at the Japanese robot manufacturer in various positions: In 1997, he became Executive Vice President for Fanuc Robotics in North America. He returned to the Fanuc headquarters in Japan in 2002, taking on the role of General Manager for the Robot Technology Center.

New Vice President Jane Heffner

The IFR’s new Vice President, Jane Heffner, has more than 20 years of experience in technology-driven industries, including automation, robotics, automotive, and aerospace. She currently serves as Vice President Global Sales at Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR), a leading manufacturer of autonomous mobile robots. In this role, based in Detroit, Heffner oversees the company’s global sales strategy and execution. Before joining MiR, Heffner held leadership roles at ABB Robotics and other major industrial companies.

Press contact

International Federation of Robotics
PRESS OFFICER
Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

Photos and a press release in German and Japanese language are ready for download below.

• IFR-Pressemeldung Takayuki Ito neuer IFR Präsident - deutsch (138KB)
• IFR Press Release Takayuki Ito new IFR President - Japanese language (263KB)
• Photo Takayuki Ito IFR President (951KB)
• photo - Jane Heffner IFR Vice President (1.0MB)

Sales of professional service robots increased by 30% worldwide. More than 205,000 units were registered by IFR's statistics department in 2023. Nearly 80% of the robots came from the Asia-Pacific region with 162,284 units sold. Europe followed with 33,918 units and the Americas with 8,927 units sold. This is according to the World Robotics 2024 Service Robots report, presented by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

"The service robotics industry is on the move: more and more robots are serving on factory floors, in shopping centers or helping with deliveries on the street," says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics.

Top applications for professional service robots by units sold

More than one in two professional service robots sold in 2023 were built for the application class Transportation and Logistics. Sales grew by 35%, with nearly 113,000 units sold in 2023. As the industry suffers from a significant labour shortage, there is a strong demand for technological support. For example, one of the most time-consuming tasks for truck drivers is loading and unloading, where robotic applications offer dedicated solutions for automation. Making the application easy to use and understand for non-technical staff is key to adoption.

A shortage of skilled workers is also driving demand for automation in outdoor environments without public traffic. Robot types in this class range from automated conventional vehicles, such as forklifts or tractors, to customized solutions, often with a weatherproof enclosure for the goods being transported.

Hospitality robots are becoming increasingly popular: More than 54,000 units (+31%) were sold in 2023. Robots for mobile guidance, information and telepresence account for the majority of these robots. As the sector is evolving rapidly, some key applications have emerged, such as food and beverage preparation, as well as guidance and information points in public environments.

Sales of agricultural robots show strong growth (+21%), with almost 20,000 units sold in 2023. The shortage of human labor in times of severe demographic change and the demand for more sustainable precision agriculture make service robots a key player in this market.

The market for professional cleaning robots grew by 4% to almost 12,000 units sold. The main application is floor cleaning. This represents approximately 70% of the units sold in this application group.

In accordance with ISO standard the World Robotics 2024 yearbook considers medical robots as a third category alongside service robots and industrial robots: Sales of medical robots increased by 36% to around 6,100 units in 2023. Sales of rehabilitation and non-invasive therapy robots were up 128%. Demand for surgery robots rose by 14% and sales of robots for diagnostics increased by 25%.

Top 3 countries of Service and Medical Robot Suppliers

The United States is home to the largest number of service and medical robot manufacturers in the world, with 199 companies headquartered there. 66% of these manufacturers produce professional service robots, 27% consumer service robots and 12% medical robots.

China ranks second with a total of 107 service and medical robot manufacturers. The proportion of companies offering professional service robots is even higher than in the US, at 80%. A total of 34% offer consumer robots and only 5% medical robots.

Germany ranks third with 83 companies. Like China, it has a very high proportion of professional service robot manufacturers, with a share of 79%. A total of 17% offer consumer applications and 12% medical robots.

From a regional perspective, the majority of service and medical robot manufacturers are based in Europe with a global market share of 44%, Asia with 29% and the Americas with 25%.

Please note: World Robotics Service Robots report is sample data. Data is NOT projected to the whole industry. Sample composition varies each year. Compiling or comparing data from different World Robotics Reports is strongly discouraged. All numbers at World Robotics Service Robots 2024 report are based on a sample of 298 service robot producers.

Orders for World Robotics 2024 Industrial Robots and Service Robots reports can be placed online. Further downloads on the content are available here.

Press contact

International Federation of Robotics
PRESS OFFICER
Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

A graph, the World Robotics market presentation, press release in German language and robot picture are ready for download below.

• Graph Top 5 application areas professional robots 2024 (126KB)
• Presentation World Robotics 2024 press conference with charts (3.7MB)
• IFR Pressemeldung - Service Robotik 8 Okt 2024 (189KB)
• AGV with a high payload moves automatically 20 tons at once © Stäubli (1.8MB)

The new World Robotics report recorded 4,281,585 units operating in factories worldwide - an increase of 10%. Annual installations exceeded half a million units for the third consecutive year. By region, 70% of all newly deployed robots 2023 were installed in Asia, 17% in Europe and 10% in the Americas.

“The new World Robotics statistics show an all-time high in the number of industrial robots automating production around the world,” says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “The annual installation figure of 541,302 units in 2023 is the second highest in history. It is only 2% lower than the record of 552,946 units installed in 2022.”

Asia, Europe and the Americas - overview

China is by far the world´s largest market. The 276,288 industrial robots installed in 2023 represent 51% of the global installations. This result is the second highest level ever recorded (2022: 290,144 units). The share of Chinese manufacturers in the domestic market has grown considerably since 2022, reaching 47% in 2023. It has fluctuated around 28% over the past decade. The operational stock was just shy of the 1.8-million-unit-mark in 2023, making China the first and only country in the world with such a large robot stock. Demand for robots is expected to accelerate in the second half of 2024, contributing to a more stable market by the end of the year. In the longer term, there is still a lot of growth potential in Chinese manufacturing, with the potential for 5-10% average annual growth until 2027.

Japan remained the second largest global market for industrial robots, behind China. Robot installations reached 46,106 units in 2023 - down 9%. This followed two strong years, peaking at 50,435 units in 2022 - the second-best result after 2018 (55,240 units). Demand for robots is expected to remain stagnant in 2024 but recover in 2025 and the following years to medium and upper single-digit rates.

The market in the Republic of Korea is trending sideways: Installations reached 31,444 units in 2023 - down 1% year-on-year. The country was the fourth largest robot market in the world in terms of annual installations, after the United States, Japan, and China.

India is one of the fastest growing emerging Asian economies. Robot installations increased by 59% to 8,510 units in 2023, a new high. Demand from the automotive industry soared to 3,551 units - an increase of 139%. Both car manufacturers and suppliers contributed to this development.

Europe

Industrial robot installations in Europe rose 9% to a new high of 92,393 units. In total, 80% of installations in 2023 could be attributed to destinations in the European Union (73,534 units, up by 2%). Delayed projects were completed, and the backlog was cleared in 2023. Robot demand in the region also benefited from the nearshoring trend. In 2023, growth was strongly driven by the automotive industry investing in traditionally strong car manufacturing countries such as Spain (5,053 units +31%) but also in smaller markets such as Slovakia (2,174 units, +48%) or Hungary (1,657 units, +31%).

Installations in Germany, the largest European market and the only European one in the global top five, were up 7% to 28,355 units. Installations in the second largest European market, Italy, declined by 9% to 10,412 units. The third largest European market, France, was down 13%, installing 6,386 units.

In the UK, industrial robot installations increased by 51% to 3,830 units in 2023. Investment was driven by installations in the automotive industry, mainly for assembly tasks.

The Americas

Robot installations in the Americas exceeded 50,000 units for the third year in a row: 55,389 units were installed in 2023, just 1% below the record level reached 2022.

The United States, the largest regional market, accounted for 68% of installations in the Americas in 2023. Robot installations were down by 5% to 37,587, this is the third highest record figure after 2022 and 2018. Demand from the automotive industry fell by 15% to 12,421 units. This was in line with the average for the past decade. Installations in the metal and machinery industry were up 8% to 4,171 units. Installations in the US electrical/electronics industry remained steady at 3,900 units (+1%).

In Canada, robot installations rose 37% to 4,311 units. Installation figures in Canada largely depend on automotive investment cycles. The share of the car industry was 58% in 2023.

Robot demand in Mexico is driven by the automotive industry, which accounts for 70% of the market: Installations from this sector fell by 5% to 4,087 units, showing the cyclical demand pattern well known in this customer segment. Total installations reached 5,832 units in 2023, a decrease of 3%.

Outlook

The OECD expects global growth to stabilize. However, geopolitical headwinds are still perceived as a major risk and uncertainty factor. Recent crises have raised political awareness of domestic production capacity in strategic industries. Automation allows manufacturers to locate production in developed economies without sacrificing cost efficiency. By 2024, the global economic downturn will have bottomed out. Global robot installations are expected to level off at 541,000 units. Growth is expected to accelerate in 2025 and continue in 2026 and 2027. There are no signs that the overall long-term growth trend will end in the near future.

World Robotics 2024

Orders for World Robotics 2024 Industrial Robots and Service Robots reports can be placed online. Further information on the content is available here.

Press contact

International Federation of Robotics
PRESS OFFICER
Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

Different graphs, the World Robotics market presentation and press releases on selected markets like Europe, China, Japan, Americas, India, Germany and UK are available in their country's language for download.

• Presentation World Robotics 2024 press conference with charts (3.7MB)
• IFR press release World Robotics 2024 - global market (229KB)
• IFR Pressemeldung World Robotics 2024 - Weltmarkt - deutsch (237KB)
• IFR press release World Robotics 2024 - China (218KB)
• IFR press release World Robotics 2024 - China - Chinese language (536KB)
• IFR press release World Robotics 2024 - Japan (223KB)
• IFR press release World Robotics 2024 - Japan - Japanese language (576KB)
• IFR press release World Robotics 2024 - USA (219KB)
• IFR press release World Robotics 2024 - Europe (238KB)
• IFR Pressemeldung World Robotics 2024 - deutscher Markt (236KB)
• IFR press release World Robotics 2024 - India (239KB)
• IFR press release World Robotics 2024 - UK (160KB)
• Graph - Operational Stock 2013 - 2023 - global (239KB)
• Graph - Operational Stock 2013 - 2023 - China (469KB)
• Graph - Operational Stock 2013 - 2023 - Japan (485KB)
• Graph - Operational Stock 2013 - 2023 - US (472KB)
• Graph - Annual Installations 2013 - 2023 - Europe (476KB)
• Graph - Operational Stock 2013 - 2023 - Europe (472KB)
• Graph - Annual Installations 2013 - 2023 - Germany (529KB)
• Graph - Annual Installations 2013 - 2023 - India (470KB)
• Graph - Annual Installations 2013 - 2023 - UK (495KB)
• ABB Robotics spot welding body in white 300 dpi (1.2MB)

IFR just published its much-anticipated World Robotics 2024 report with the latest data on the global robotics market. We will present further details and discuss the global robotics market dynamics and trends with a special focus on the impact on Europe, during the IFR Executive Roundtable at Robotheart at BiMu on 11 October 2024.

Dear Reader,

IFR just published its much-anticipated World Robotics 2024 report with the latest data on the global robotics market.

As expected by industry professionals, the statistics show an all-time high in the number of industrial robots automating production around the world, with an operational stock of almost 4.3 million units in 2023. The annual installation figure of 541 thousand units in 2023 is the second highest in history, only 2% lower than the record of 553 million units installed in 2022.

The decline in installations is pretty much dominated by the economic situation in China, where annual installations decreased by 5%, nevertheless representing 51% of global demand. Remarkably, the share of Chinese domestic suppliers rose significantly to 47% (up 11 percentage points compared to 2022).

Other remarkable findings include: The automotive industry reclaimed its position as the largest customer of industrial robots -despite a sideways movement - and installed 25% of the robots in 2023. At the same time, the electrical/electronics industry dropped to second place, as robot installations declined by 20% to 126 thousand units.

Europe was the only region with an increase in installations: up 9% to 92 thousand units, driven by a strong backlog and nearshoring projects.

India as one of the fastest growing emerging Asian economies made a big leap: robot installations increased by 59% to 8.5 thousand units , a new high, propelling the country to the seventh largest market in the world (up from 11th). Demand was driven by the automotive industry that more than doubled its installations within one year.

We will present further details and discuss the global robotics market dynamics and trends with a special focus on the impact on Europe, during the IFR Executive Roundtable at Robotheart at BiMu on 11 October 2024.

On 10 October, the Robot Suppliers' Committee meeting will focus on the global robotics trends for 2025, preparing IFR's annual outlook to be published at the beginning of next year. The General Assembly will decide on proposed changes to the IFR Constitution to make our organization future-proof and will (re-)elect part of the Executive Board. Additionally, the Executive Board will have the pleasure and honor of electing the new IFR President and Vice-President, as my two-year term will soon come to its end.

I hope to meet many of you in person witnessing the handover, enjoying the networking opportunities and discovering the latest trends at the event.

Best regards

Marina Bill

At its recent Third Plenum, China mapped out the direction of the country's economic policies: Beijing wants to adapt to the new round of industrial transformation by using robots as an engine for growth. China's success story with industrial robots is unique: the country is by far the largest robot market in the world.

"China's rapid development in industrial robot automation is extraordinary," says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “The operational stock surpassed the 1.5-million-unit mark two years ago, making China the first and only country with such a large industrial robot stock.” The installation of 290,258 units in 2022 alone represents 52% of the global market.

Demand across various industries

To serve this demand, domestic and international robot suppliers have established production plants in China and continuously increased capacity.

Massive investment in the automotive industry has boosted demand since 2010. China has become both the world's largest car market and the world's largest production base for cars - including electric cars - with strong growth potential. China is also a major producer of electronic devices, batteries, semiconductors and microchips. Since 2016, the electrical and electronics industry has replaced the automotive industry as the main customer and growth driver of industrial robots in China. Various other industries have also started to expand their capacity using advanced automation technology.

Robots as a new engine for growth

Today, China´s home market still is the biggest single market for Chinese robot manufacturers: “So far the number of exported robots from China is very limited,” says Xiaogang Song, Executive Director and Secretary-General of the China Robot Industry Alliance (CRIA). “Chinese robots going abroad started only a few years ago. According to our statistics, the total number of exported robots is less than 5%".

“Like any business looking for a new market, Chinese robot companies go where there is demand for their products”, says Song. Usually, Chinese robot companies set up their branches by cooperating with local partners and hiring local staff. It will take time to build brand credibility by raising technology levels and providing better services to meet the needs of foreign markets. In some areas, such as vision systems or AI applications, Chinese companies have advantages based on meeting the needs of accelerating automation in China's manufacturing sectors. Lower production cost or low cost is also one of the main advantages of Chinese robots.

About China´s “Third Plenum”

China´s Central Committee convened the plenary session, or The Third Plenum, of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party 15-18 July 2024. It is a platform for the party’s leadership to announce key economic reforms and policy directives related to China's long-term social and economic progress.

World Robotics 2024

Final results of the new World Robotics data will be released by IFR on Tuesday, September 24, 2024.

Press contact

International Federation of Robotics
PRESS OFFICER
Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• Unitree_robot_WRC_1600x900.jpg (523KB)
• DE-2024-AUG-29_IFR_Pressemeldung_China.pdf (251KB)

As we navigate the complexities of the current economic landscape, it is imperative to reflect on the challenges and opportunities that shape the robotics industry today.

Dear Members, Partners, and Stakeholders,

As we navigate the complexities of the current economic landscape, it is imperative to reflect on the challenges and opportunities that shape the robotics industry today.

The year so far has been marked by significant hurdles, particularly the decline in orders that is impacting our sector around the globe. Economic uncertainties and market fluctuations have created a challenging environment for businesses and innovators within our field. Despite these obstacles, the need for robotization has never been more critical.

One of the most pressing issues we face globally is the shortage of skilled labor. Industries across various sectors are struggling to fill positions, and this gap continues to widen. Robotization presents a viable and necessary solution to this problem, enhancing productivity, efficiency, and safety in workplaces. By integrating robotics into more areas of operation, we can mitigate the impact of labor shortages and ensure sustained economic growth and stability.

Further, the World Bank predicts that GDP per capita would be almost 20 percent higher on average if female employment were increased to be the same as that of men´s.

This initiative is not just a step towards gender equality but a strategic move to diversify and enrich the workforce. By empowering women and promoting inclusivity, we can harness a broader range of perspectives and ideas, driving innovation and excellence in robotics.

In response, the International Federation of Robotics has launched its initiative "IFR's Women in Robotics: 10 Women Shaping the Future of Robotics”. Recognizing the vast potential and talent pool that women represent, this program is designed to encourage and support women in pursuing careers in robotics. We selected an initial group of 10 women – all with different backgrounds, at different career steps, and different companies around the globe – that we will give special visibility to throughout this year.

It will become an annual activity, to inspire other young women to decide to study STEM subjects. Long term, this should support all our members’ efforts to bridge the gender gap and meet the rising labor demand in our industry.

In these challenging times, our collective effort and resilience will be crucial. By focusing on innovation and inclusivity, we can develop a strong and adaptable robotics industry that meets current demands and lays the foundation for a more prosperous future for all.

Best regards

Marina Bill

The 2024 “Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics & Automation” (IERA) goes to Realtime Robotics. The US company from Boston won the prestigious prize for its fully-automatic motion planning tool for industrial robots. The solution develops an optimized “choreography” for robots closely working together in workcells without collision. This year, for the first time, all four finalists are newcomers in the industry.

“The finalists stand out due to their high quality and show that the robotics industry has entered a new period,” said Andra Keay, IERA Awards Chair & Vice President of the RAS Industrial Activities Board. “For the first time, all finalist companies are young and were formed within the last ten years. These newcomers have raised more than $500 million USD of investment and employ more than 1,300 people. We look forward to seeing more young robotics companies with big commercial goals in the future.”

Finding the choreography that fits best

This year’s winner, Realtime Robotics, has pioneered the optimization of robotic workcells to improve performance and cut cycle times. The tool solves the task of motion planning at high speed – evaluating hundreds of thousands of solutions before providing manufacturers with optimized paths, sequences and tool rotations for their robots.

Traditionally, programming the workcell is a time-consuming job for engineers and finding a good choreography is a typical bottleneck. What is more, when robots’ tasks change, the planning process has to start all over again. The tool, invented by Realtime Robotics, is fully automated and develops a good motion plan at high speed. Customers from manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics can benefit when they install workcells or if they want to improve robotic performance without disrupting production. Future versions of the tool could optimize energy consumption or floor space.

"It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by the leading organizations in the robotics industry" said Will Floyd-Jones, co-founder of Realtime Robotics. "The award is validation at the highest level for our Optimization solution and the tireless efforts of our team to bring this vision to the market."

The finalists

The other three IERA Award finalists are: Fourier Intelligence from Shanghai, China, with its Humanoid Robot “GR-1”, a robot with human-like motion control capabilities. Youibot Robotics from Shenzhen, China, which took part with its “OW12”, a mobile manipulator robot used in the automation of semiconductor manufacturing. Neura Robotics from Metzingen, Germany, presented its Cognitive Robotics Platform. The award final took place during the International Conference on Robotics and Automation in Yokohama, Japan.

Press contact

International Federation of Robotics
PRESS OFFICER
Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• IERA Award Winner 2024 high resolution pic (435KB)
• DE-2024-Juni-18_IFR_Pressemeldung_IERA_Realtime_Robotics.pdf (244KB)

Labor shortages hamper future economic growth worldwide. World Bank predicts that GDP per capita would be almost 20 percent higher on average if female employment were increased to be the same as men´s. The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) and its members support the empowerment of women for careers in the robotics industry.

“Robotics is a fascinating field and my clear message is that there is a great future for women in this industry,” says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “Every year, the robotics ecosystem grows more and we want to set a benchmark in terms of gender equality.”

Women at work by branch

On average, women are broadly underrepresented in the workplace. Yet, the talent pipeline varies by industry: food and beverage manufacturing in North America, for example, has a 54% female labor force participation at entry level. 42% work in a senior management role but only 15% reach the C-Suite. The broader industrial manufacturing sector in the US and Canada lags much further behind: only 33% attract entry-level women. The potential to empower women and fight labor shortage is currently not exploited by any of the 20 industry sectors surveyed by McKinsey´s study “Women in the Workplace”.

Above senior management level, even the most progressive industries do not reach gender equality. There are only about 30% C-Level women in healthcare systems and services, for example. This is remarkable since this sector is in the lead with female participation at manager (70%) and entry level (76%).

Robotics supports women´s careers

Robot manufacturers like ABB, FANUC, KUKA, and YASKAWA all run programs to close the work-related gender gaps. They reach out to candidates at a young age at school to get them interested in new technologies related to robotics and STEM professions. These programs often work hand-in-hand with government initiatives, academia and network projects on a local level. At the same time, robotics training plays a key role to promote female labor force participation. The training programs range from basic programming for the first-time user to complex workshops. International robot manufacturers offer robot classes with a special focus on gender equality across more than 30 countries.

IFR´s award Women in Robotics

“All around the world, there are inspiring women who work in our industry and set an example of gender equality,” says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “We aim to give them more visibility and acknowledgment: From 2024, we will select and officially award IFR's ‘Women in Robotics: 10 Women Shaping the Future of Robotics’.”

Among IFR´s selection criteria will be contributions to and achievements in the overall field of robotics, further promoting the industry, as well as activities encouraging young women to pursue a career in STEM subjects or robotics.

Press contact

International Federation of Robotics
PRESS OFFICER
Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• Photo - Women in Robotics 2024 by IFR (1.1MB)
• IFR Pressemeldung Gender Gap - deutsch (127KB)

IFR decided to give women in robotics more visibility and acknowledgment. This should inspire girls and young women to pursue a career in STEM subjects or robotics and will also help companies to reach gender equality and overcome shortage of staff.

IFR decided to give women in robotics more visibility and acknowledgment. This should inspire girls and young women to pursue a career in STEM subjects or robotics and will also help companies to reach gender equality and overcome shortage of staff (see our press release to find out more about the economic effect of gender equality).

From 2024, we will select a list of 10 women each year to officially award as “IFR's Women in Robotics: 10 Women Shaping the Future of Robotics”.
We asked the robotics community to come up with nominations and ended with an impressive list of women from many different countries, different levels of hierarchy and different company sizes and scopes.

We are happy to share the first list of "10 Women Shaping the Future of Robotics in 2024: 

• Yasmin Al Enazi, Director Business Development & Corporate Alliance UAE Country at MARSES Robotics
• Michelle Frumkin, Global Marketing Manager Robotics Segment - Abrasive Systems Division at 3M
• Christelle Keefer, Global Product Manager / Education Director at ABB
• Mar Masulli, CEO and Co-Founder of Bitmetrics
• Clionadh Martin, Founder and CTO of Coalescent Mobile Robotics
• Sofie Nilsson, Product Manager at Cognibotics
• Daniela Sanchez, QC Engineer / QA Manager at Lionsbot
• Dr. Nadja Schmiedl, CTO at United Robotics Group
  
• Dr. Ulrike Tagscherer, Chief Innovation Officer at KUKA
• Dr. Xiaorui Zhu, Co-Founder and Chief Scientist of RoboSense Inc.

The list consists of 10 women from different countries, different company scopes, sizes and different levels of hierarchy. Among the selection criteria were contributions to and achievements in the field of robotics overall, driving the industry further, as well as activities towards the encouragement of young women to decide for a career in STEM subjects or robotics.

We will feature one women about every 2-3 weeks in our blog section and share insights on what made them decide to choose a career in robotics, what drives them to push robotics forward and what they do to support and inspire other women to do alike.

We would also thank all women that have been nominated but not see their names on the list for their engagement. Their names will remain in our pool and will be the basis for next years selection. We will announce the 2025 call by the end of the year. 

Manufacturing companies in the United States have invested heavily in more automation: total installations of industrial robots rose by 12% and reached 44,303 units in 2023. Number one adopter is the car industry followed by the electrical and electronics sector. These are preliminary results, presented by IFR.

“The United States has one of the most advanced manufacturing industries worldwide,” says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). “The first IFR outlook on preliminary results shows again strong robotics demand across all major segments of U.S. manufacturing in 2023.”

U.S. automotive industry

Sales in the automotive segment rose by 1% with a record number of 14,678 robots installed in 2023. This comes after installations in 2022 skyrocketed by 47% reaching 14,472 units. The market share of car and component makers hit 33% of all industrial robot installations in the U.S. in 2023. The United States has the second largest production volume of cars and light vehicles worldwide, following China.

“Automotive manufacturers currently invest in robotics mainly to drive the electric vehicle transition and respond to labor shortages,” says Marina Bill.

U.S. electrical and electronics industry

Installations in the electrical and electronics industry rose by 37% to 5,120 units in 2023. This number almost reached the record pre-pandemic level of 5,284 units, seen in 2018. The latest result represents a market share of 12% of all industrial robots installed in the U.S. manufacturing industry.

Demand for industrial robots in this segment is influenced by a trend to strengthen domestic supply chains and projects that drive the clean-energy transition.

Other strong U.S. sectors

Installation counts in other industries exceeding the 3,000-unit mark in the U.S. are: metal and machinery (4,123 units, +6%) and plastic and chemical products (3,213 units, +5%). They represent a market share of 9% and 7% of industrial robot installations in 2023, respectively.

Canada and Mexico

Robot installation in Canada reached 4,616 units – up 43%. The automotive industry accounts for 55% of the country´s robot installations. Sales to the automotive sector rose by 99% with 2,549 units installed in 2023. This is an all-time high.

Robot installations in Mexico´s manufacturing industry remain almost unchanged with 5,868 units in 2023. The country´s main adopter is the automotive industry which accounted for 69% of the robot installations in 2023: sales reached 4,068 units (-0%) in 2023 – the third best result since the peak level of 4,805 units, in 2017.

World Robotics 2024

Final results of the new World Robotics data will be released by IFR on Tuesday, September 24, 2024.

The AUTOMATE Show in Chicago - May 6-9, 2024

Meet the IFR staff and members at North America's largest robotics and automation event: The Automate Show. This is the place for anyone looking for automation solutions. With over 800 exhibitors, the show floor hosts leading automation solutions from around the world. IFR booth #2790 at McCormick Place.

Press contact

PRESS OFFICER International Federation of Robotics
Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

The presentation on preliminary figures held by IFR President Marina Bill during the IFR Executive Roundtable was added on 8 May 2024.

• Presentation on preliminary results on the US market by Marina Bill (1.7MB)
• Graph Preliminary figures US market 2023 - Industrial Robots (115KB)
• IFR Pressemeldung vorläufige US Zahlen 2023 - deutsch (132KB)

The IFR Executive Roundtable will be held at the Automate show in Chicago on May 8, 2024.

Join us for this discussion with top leaders from the robotics industry as we explore the latest economic trends, cutting-edge technologies, business opportunities, and strategic insights that are driving automation forward.

Main theme of the panel discussion: “The Robotics Executive Roundtable: The Trends & Technologies Driving the Industry in 2024”.

On the panel

• Adi Leviatan, President - Abrasive Systems Division, 3M
• David Reger, CEO and Founder, NEURA Robotics
• Jane Heffner, VP Sales - Americas, MiR
• Mike Cicco, President and CEO, FANUC America Corporation
• Robert Huschka, Moderator, (A3)

IFR President Marina Bill will present the preliminary figures on industrial robot shipments on the North American market.

• When: Wednesday, May 8, 2024, 10:30 AM – 11:45 AM
• Where: Automate Show Theater at McCormick Place in Chicago
  

The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) announced past IFR President Joe Gemma as the winner for leadership of the 2024 Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Awards, the world's most prestigious robotics honor.

Joe Gemma, Chief Revenue Officer (CRO), Wauseon Machine, was selected as the winner for leadership, recognizing more than 35 years in the automation industry, including past stints on the Robotics Industries Association (RIA), now A3, board of directors and the president and board member of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

Gemma services as the chief revenue officer at Wauseon Machine & Manufacturing, which provides automation solutions, precision machining, fabrication, and tube forming technologies to manufacturing organizations throughout North America. He joined Wauseon in 2022 with more than 35 years of experience in the automation industry.

Early in his career, Gemma spent 12 years working for a system integrator and then over 20 years working for robotics OEMs. Gemma has strongly supported the industry by participating on the RIA Board of Directors, as well as past chair and service on several committees. He currently serves on A3’s Robotics Technology Strategy Board.

At Wauseon Machine, Gemma is responsible for the front end of the business as the CRO. Previously he spent more than 5 years as the CEO/CRO for KUKA Robotics Division - Americas. Prior to KUKA, he spent 18 years as CEO for Stäubli Group North America. Until 1997, he worked for the US enterprises, Advanced Technology Systems, Crellin Technologies and Corner & Lada, working in engineering, project management, business development and sales management.

“I am truly humbled and grateful to receive the Joseph F. Engelberger award this year for leadership,” Gemma said. “In fact, this recognition really goes out to all the people I have worked with through the years, and it is an honor to accept this award on their behalf. It is impossible to fully express my gratitude to everyone that has supported us through the years as none of this success would have been possible without the support of my family and colleagues.”

The Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Awards

The Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Awards are named after the late Joseph F. Engelberger, known throughout the world as the founding force behind industrial robotics. Since 1977, these awards have been given to 139 robotics leaders from around the world for excellence in technology development, application, education and leadership.

The winners are recommended by a panel of industry leaders based on all present and past nominations from the industry and voted upon by the past chairs of the RIA. A3 is the organization that administers the award, and each winner receives a $5,000 honorarium and a commemorative medallion and plaque.

“The honorees of this year’s Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Awards have all played critical roles in the development and growth of our industry,” said Jeff Burnstein, president of A3. “Joe’s valuable leadership and contributions to our industry over the last 35+ years, including his roles with both IFR and A3, have been instrumental as we bring greater innovations to users worldwide. And Reymond and Marc-Olivier brought delta robots to life, offering robots much higher productivity rates than ever before due to their increased speed and throughput.”

Two further winners Dr. Reymond Clavel and Marc-Olivier Demaurex

Dr. Reymond Clavel, Professor Emeritus at Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne (EPFL), the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, was selected as a technology winner for his pioneering role in the invention of the Delta robot concept.

Marc-Olivier Demaurex, was selected as a technology winner for his role in pioneering the Delta robot and bringing it to market.

Dr. Clavel is a professor emeritus at, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale Lausanne (EPFL),the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology.

In the early 1980s, Dr. Clavel led the research team that invented the Delta robot, a type of parallel robot that consists of three arms connected to universal joints at the base and was designed to manipulate light and small objects at a very high speed, an industrial need at the time. The Delta robot was patented in 1985. In 1987, the Swiss company Dermaurex, founded by fellow EPFL graduate Marc-Olivier Demaurex, purchased a license for the Delta robot and started the production of Delta robots for the packaging industry.

Dr. Clavel obtained his degree in mechanical engineering at the EPFL in 1973. After nine years of gathered experience in industrial plants at Hermes Precisa International (research and development), he was appointed professor at the EPFL, where he obtained his PhD degree in parallel robotics in 1991. His present research topics are parallel robotics, high speed and high precision robotics, medical and surgical robotics applications, surgical instrumentation and precision mechanisms.

Over the years, Dr. Clavel has received numerous awards in parallel and industrial robotics, including the 1989 Laureate of the JIRA Awards (Japan Industrial Robot Association) for the DELTA parallel robot invented in 1985; 1996 project winner of the Technologiestandort Schweiz competition and the ABB Sonderpreis for the robotics project.

“Who would have thought that a visit to a chocolate factory would result in a robot concept that is not only used worldwide but is actually studied in universities and now further recognized with this prestigious Engelberger Award for both me and Marc-Olivier?” Dr. Clavel said. “I’m beyond proud that we were able to create a real solution to a problem that so many dealt with as they looked to automate complex piece picking applications and the influence these parallel robots have on today’s robots.”

Demaurex earned his masters in robotics in 1974 and his doctorate in robotics mechanical design in 1979, both at EPFL. After four years at Bobst Graphic, where he worked in phototypesetting machines, he founded Demaurex Company in Lausanne for robotics and microengineering. The company created the first big Delta robots line for chocolate assortment for Nestlé in 1992 and for picking cookies for Kambly in 1993. Bosch Packaging Technology purchased Demaurex in 2000 (and then to Rotzinger in 2018). The Delta patent ended in 2007, when it became a standard in robotics. Demaurex retired in 2013 but continues to consult.

“Being recognized with an Engelberger Award for my pioneering role in the Delta robot concept is definitely a highlight of my career,” Demaurex said. “We recognized early on that the Delta robot that Reymond and his team had created was the solution to problems companies in the packaging industry had long encountered when considering automation. By bringing it to market with early adopters such as Nestlé and Kambly, we created a company—and an industry—that is still going strong today.”

Awards Dinner

The awards dinner at Automate will be held May 8 from 5:15 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom at the McCormick Place Convention Center. Tickets for the event, which includes a cocktail reception and dinner, may be purchased when registering for the Automate 2024 Show and Conference.

Automate takes place May 6-9 in Chicago, and anyone who works with or is interested in automation can attend for free. This year’s show is the biggest yet, featuring more than 365,000 square feet of exhibit space, 800+ exhibitors, and an expected 30,000+ registrants, with valuable learning and networking opportunities. Attendees will see the latest in cutting-edge robotics, vision, artificial intelligence, motion control and more.

The year 2024 has started with great visibility for IFR, with coverage by Bloomberg, Financial Times, Forbes, Handelsblatt, FAZ, AFP and Le Monde, among others.

Dear Reader,

The year 2024 has started with great visibility for IFR, with coverage by Bloomberg, Financial Times, Forbes, Handelsblatt, FAZ, AFP and Le Monde, among others.

In January, IFR enjoyed significant interest in its analysis of global robot densities, showing the impressive speed of robotics adoption in factories around the world. Korea, Singapore and Germany are in the lead of the global robotics race, while the new global average robot density hit an all-time high of 151 robots per 10,000 employees – more than double the number measured only six years ago.

And in February, following feedback from members, IFR published its top five robot trends for 2024, which are:

1. AI and machine learning
2. Cobots expanding to new applications
3. Mobile manipulators
4. Digital twins
5. Humanoid robots

These five mutually reinforcing automation trends in 2024 show that robotics is a multidisciplinary field where technologies are converging to create intelligent solutions for a wide range of tasks. These advances continue to shape the merging industrial and service robotics sectors and the future of work.

During the Automate show in Chicago from May 6-9, 2024, we will have the opportunity to see respective showcases in the exhibition hall and learn about the trends and recent developments during the ISR Americas 2024. The IFR Executive Roundtable will gather key executive from the robotics industry to discuss the trends & technologies driving the industry in 2024 (we will let you know about the speakers soon). We are also curious to see the new preliminary figures on the global robotics market in 2023, which will be published ahead of the roundtable.

While IFR's Executive Board, Marcom Committee and Robot Suppliers' Committee will meet in Chicago on May 7, the Service Robot Group will already gather on March 20 in Stuttgart where the LogiMAT show is held.

Looking forward to meeting you all in Chicago soon.

Best regards

Marina Bill

The global logistics industry serves as a backbone of international trade - representing about 10 percent of the world´s GDP. As demand has been skyrocketing, companies have already heavily invested in robotics and automation: sales of professional service robots for the transportation of goods or cargo grew by 44% year-on-year (2021-2022). Yet, severe labor shortages are threatening to hamper future growth in the logistics industry worldwide. A new generation of AI-enabled robots helps to tackle these challenges.

“Shortage of truck drivers, warehousing staff or dockworkers is a critical pressure on supply chain management worldwide,” says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “By combining automation hardware with smart software, robot manufacturers deliver to the specific needs of the warehouse and logistics industry. AI-equipped robots offer tremendous new opportunities for this sector.”

AI-enabled robots learn to handle variability and unpredictability

The main aim of using AI in robotics is to better manage variability and unpredictability: logistics providers deal with a mass market of cross-border shipping, e-commerce or last-mile delivery. This environment handles frequently changing products, orders and stock. To make machines capable of supporting such flexible workflows, AI software runs by experience, rather than programming. These AI-equipped robots learn to pick and pack different objects at high speed in a warehouse, use vision to transport items autonomously around the factory and provide AI-driven interfaces that turn a 90-minute maintenance task into a two-second adjustment.

Shortage of 3 million truck drivers

For many logistics companies, the time to further automate is now. The worldwide shortage of truck drivers is one of many reasons: according to the International Road Transport Union (IRU), there are currently over 3 million truck driver positions to be filled worldwide. With the huge demographic gap between young and old drivers growing, driver shortages are forecast to double by 2028.

While the overall challenge of labor shortage is common across the logistical supply chain in Europe, Asia and the US, specific reasons and severity differ. New worktime regulations by governments force companies in Japan, for example, to further automate. In the United States, a special shortage of skilled logistics professionals in e-commerce warehouses needs technological support and in Germany, keeping older workers in employment to physically demanding roles requires better workplace conditions for these colleagues.

“Robotics technology is a fit for various tasks within the logistics industry. While service robots work alongside human personnel creating more efficient workplaces, industrial robots help to automate dirty, dull and dangerous tasks behind fences. The combined power of a wide range of applications in robotics and automation will play a crucial role in addressing workforce gaps and allow future growth in this key industry,” says Marina Bill.

LogiMAT 2024 in Stuttgart, Germany – March 19-21

IFR members will showcase a broad spectrum of solutions for the logistics sector at the 2024 LogiMAT fair in Stuttgart, Germany.

The annual report World Robotics - Service Robots compiled by the IFR Statistical Department provides an overview on the global service robotics market. It includes the results of the annual IFR service robot survey on global sales of professional and consumer service robots and an industry structure analysis including a full list of all service robot producers known to the IFR. The report also describes marketable products, tasks, challenges and new developments by service robots application.

The 2024 edition will in particular highlight the application areas outdoor transportation without public traffic, mobile guidance, information, and telepresence robots as well as robots for social Interaction, with expert interviews with leading suppliers and an in-depth market analysis. The study is jointly prepared with the robotics experts of Fraunhofer IPA, Stuttgart.

Press contact

PRESS OFFICER International Federation of Robotics
Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

How Robots Help to Fight Labor Shortage And Create New Jobs - revised IFR-PAPER “Next Generation Skills”: https://ifr.org/ifr-press-rele...

• MiR_AMR_logistics_2021_300_dpi.jpg (3.8MB)
• DE-2024-MAR-13-IFR-Pressemeldung_Logistik.pdf (422KB)

Meet the IFR staff and members at North America's largest robotics and automation event. This is the place for anyone looking for automation solutions. With over 800 exhibitors, the show floor hosts leading automation solutions from around the world.

The International Federation of Robotics set-up a schedule during Automate show.

7 May 2024 - Meetings of the following IFR bodies:

• Executive Board
• Robot Suppliers Committee
• Marcom Group

8 May 2024

• IFR Executive Roundtable including World Robotics market report - open to the public at the Automate theater
• Engelberger Awards dinner and presentation to past IFR President Joe Gemma

6 to 9 May 2024

• International Symposium on Robotics (Automate Conference)

Please meet the IFR staff at our booth #2790 on the show floor. Learn more on the World Robotics studies featuring industrial robots and service robots. Learn more on benefits of an IFR membership and activities.

In 2024 the ISR Americas takes place during the Automate show in May in Chicago. Early bird rates are available until 9 April.

Sponsored by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), the ISR is an event that is hosted all over the world, bringing new global insights on the latest in robotics applications and research.

ISR Americas

The 57th International Symposium on Robotics - ISR 2024 Americas - takes place at McCormick Place, Chicago, IL, USA from 6 to 9 May 2024. The conference is organized in conjunction with the Automate show.

The ISR is fully integrated into the Automate 2024 conference sessions, allowing all participants to learn about the newest developments in robotics, machine vision, imaging, motion control and other automation technologies covered at Automate. The ISR also celebrates a gala dinner for the Robotic Industries Association Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Awards, the industry’s highest honor.

You will find the conference agenda and details on the registration online. 

Dr. Jin-Oh Kim, Founder and CEO of “Robots and Design Co., Ltd.” in South Korea, was appointed as the 11th president of the Korea Association of Robot Industry(KAR) on February 28, 2024.

He is a well-recognized leader in robotics and factory automation, having worked in the industry for over 33 years as a scientist, educator, author, and entrepreneur. Early in his career, he worked as a senior leader in Secom Intelligent System Lab, Japan, and as the Director of the robot business in Samsung Electronics. Since 1999 he has been a professor at the School of Robotics at Kwangwoon University, Seoul, Korea. He has also served as a visiting associate professor of computer science at Stanford University. From 2003 to 2008 he was the national director of the steering committee of robotics in Korea.

Over the years, he has worked with many companies and lead the development of more than 400 robots and systems in fields from semiconductors to the dental/bio/medical industry. Recognized as a leader in the robotics, he also published two books: “Robots, the Society and Economy” and “Defense Robotics”. He is now working on two more books: “Robot Design Methodology” and “Future with Robots” based on his industrial experience and knowledge.__He earned his BS and MS degree in mechanical engineering from Seoul National University, and his Ph.D. degree in Robotics from Carnegie Melon University. His doctoral study was “Task-Based Design of Robot Manipulators”.

In 2008, Dr. Kim received the Robot Industry of America’s (RIA) highest award: the Joseph Engelberger Award for Leadership. In 2019, he received “Korea Award” in recognition of his contribution in advancement of Science/ IT field.

IFR updated its position paper on skills needed by the next generation to qualify for the new robotic jobs. As the world continues to face mounting labor shortages, robotics has emerged to address this challenge. In fact, the current global robot installations base is at an all-time high of around 4 million units.

Robots fill gaps

According to a report by World Economic Forum, automation with robots can help fill labor gaps and stretch scarce talent. In addition, ro-bots and automation contribute to a needed shift in the type of work that people do. They perform tasks that are difficult or dangerous for humans, such as heavy lifting or working in haz-ardous environments. However, it is important to note that the shift towards automation will re-quire upskilling and reskilling of the workforce.

Robots create jobs

It is a common misconception that robots will replace humans; research shows that they will instead alter existing jobs for the better while also paving the way for newer, more interesting positions. However, action must be taken by stakeholders including governments, busi-nesses, robot manufacturers, and educational institutes to ensure that the industry is properly equipped with resources to unlock next-gener-ation skills.

Download this and all other IFR position papers for free at https://ifr.org/papers

Download the Position Paper

• Infographic to IFR Position Paper "Next generation skills" (249KB)
• Infographic to IFR Position Paper "Next generation skills" (400KB)

The stock of operational robots around the globe hit a new record of about 3.9 million units. This demand is driven by a number of exciting technological innovations.

1 – Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning

The trend of using Artificial Intelligence in robotics and automation keeps growing. The emergence of generative AI opens-up new solutions. This subset of AI is specialized to create something new from things it’s learned via training, and has been popularized by tools such as ChatGPT. Robot manufacturers are developing generative AI-driven interfaces which allow users to program robots more intuitively by using natural language instead of code. Workers will no longer need specialized programming skills to select and adjust the robot´s actions.

Another example is predictive AI analyzing robot performance data to identify the future state of equipment. Predictive maintenance can save manufacturers machine downtime costs. In the automotive parts industry, each hour of unplanned downtime is estimated to cost US$1.3m - the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation reports. This indicates the massive cost-saving potential of predictive maintenance. Machine learning algorithms can also analyze data from multiple robots performing the same process for optimization. In general, the more data a machine learning algorithm is given, the better it performs.

2 – Cobots expanding to new applications

Human-robot collaboration continues to be a major trend in robotics. Rapid advances in sensors, vision technologies and smart grippers allow robots to respond in real-time to changes in their environment and thus work safely alongside human workers.

Collaborative robot applications offer a new tool for human workers, relieving and supporting them. They can assist with tasks that require heavy lifting, repetitive motions, or work in dangerous environments.

The range of collaborative applications offered by robot manufacturers continues to expand.

A recent market development is the increase of cobot welding applications, driven by a shortage of skilled welders. This demand shows that automation is not causing a labor shortage but rather offers a means to solve it. Collaborative robots will therefore complement – not replace – investments in traditional industrial robots which operate at much faster speeds and will therefore remain important for improving productivity in response to tight product margins.

New competitors are also entering the market with a specific focus on collaborative robots. Mobile manipulators, the combination of collaborative robot arms and mobile robots (AMRs), offer new use cases that could expand the demand for collaborative robots substantially.

3 – Mobile Manipulators

Mobile manipulators – so called “MoMas” - are automating material handling tasks in industries such as automotive, logistics or aerospace. They combine the mobility of robotic platforms with the dexterity of manipulator arms. This enables them to navigate complex environments and manipulate objects, which is crucial for applications in manufacturing. Equipped with sensors and cameras, these robots perform inspections and carry out maintenance tasks on machinery and equipment. One of the significant advantages of mobile manipulators is their ability to collaborate and support human workers. Shortage of skilled labor and a lack of staff applying for factory jobs is likely to increase demand.

4 – Digital Twins

Digital twin technology is increasingly used as a tool to optimize the performance of a physical system by creating a virtual replica. Since robots are more and more digitally integrated in factories, digital twins can use their real-world operational data to run simulations and predict likely outcomes. Because the twin exists purely as a computer model, it can be stress-tested and modified with no safety implications while saving costs. All experimentation can be checked before the physical world itself is touched. Digital twins bridge the gap between digital and physical worlds.

5 – Humanoid Robots

Robotics is witnessing significant advancements in humanoids, designed to perform a wide range of tasks in various environments. The human-like design with two arms and two legs allows the robot to be used flexibly in work environments that were actually created for humans. It can therefore be easily integrated e.g. into existing warehouse processes and infrastructure.

The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) recently published detailed goals for the country’s ambitions to mass-produce humanoids by 2025. The MIIT predicts humanoids are likely to become another disruptive technology, similar to computers or smartphones, that could transform the way we produce goods and the way humans live.

The potential impact of humanoids on various sectors makes them an exciting area of development, but their mass market adoption remains a complex challenge. Costs are a key factor and success will depend on their return on investment competing with well-established robot solutions like mobile manipulators, for example.

“The five mutually reinforcing automation trends in 2024 show that robotics is a multidisciplinary field where technologies are converging to create intelligent solutions for a wide range of tasks,” says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “These advances continue to shape the merging industrial and service robotics sectors and the future of work.”

Press contact

PRESS OFFICER International Federation of Robotics
Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• Social robot ARI © PAL Robotics - high resolution (7.3MB)
• TOP 5 Global Robotics Trends 2024 (187KB)
• IFR Pressemeldung Robotertrends 2024 - deutsch (248KB)

“I believe that robots and related technologies are important elements that enrich people’s lives while reducing the burden of their daily work. Several decades ago, the scenes of humans and robots sharing the common space and working together was considered a fantasy world, but such a day is not too far off. IFR will take the lead for the people to be ready to enjoy such a world.”

"IFR is a well recognized organization which unites national robot associations, academia and manufacturers all over the world. To join IFR will let us know the latest statistics and information, to have the channel to present our ideas and thoughts in front of global peers. We hope to have more opportunities for international cooperation and promote the high-speed and healthy development of the robotics industry."

"SCHUNK is a member of the International Federation of Robotics to stay updated on global trends, policies, and advancements in robotics. Membership allows contribution to shaping standards, policies, and fostering robot adoption worldwide."

"As the CEO of PAL Robotics, I am proud to bring our 20+ years of pioneering expertise in service robotics to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). Serving as the Chair of Service Robotics, it's an honor to collaborate with industry leaders. Together, we're committed to shaping a future where robotics and human society coexist beneficially, driving innovation and enhancing the quality of life globally."

Sustainability, encompassing social, economic, and environmental aspects, has become a prominent topic in today's discussion. Amid this, the integration of robots and robotics technologies is emerging as a powerful tool in contributing to the achievement of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Sustainability, encompassing social, economic, and environmental aspects, has become a prominent topic in today's discussion. Amid this, the integration of robots and robotics technologies is emerging as a powerful tool in contributing to the achievement of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this article, we explore the profound impact robots have on addressing and advancing 17 key SDGs.

Industrial Revolution for Sustainable Growth

Foremost among the SDGs directly impacted by robotics are SDG 8 (Promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth) and SDG 9 (Building resilient infrastructure and fostering innovation). By taking on dirty, dull and dangerous tasks, robots enhance workplace safety, promote inclusivity by accommodating workers with disabilities, and contribute to a healthier, more secure work environment. This, in turn, supports an aging workforce and aids developing countries in improving the quality and competitiveness of their exports.

Efficient Production and Sustainable Consumption

Robotic automation ensures stable processes, higher production yields, and lower rejects, ultimately leading to high-quality products. The increased efficiency in production minimizes energy and resource consumption, aligning with SDG 12 (Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns). The decentralized nature of production, made possible by robots, significantly reduces energy consumption during transportation and creates local job opportunities.

Environmental Stewardship

The use of robots extends to recycling, waste reduction, and sustainable energy production, aligning with various SDGs. Robots contribute to SDG 7 (Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy) by making the production of renewable technologies economically viable. They also play a crucial role in the recycling process, from detecting plastic types to 3D printing with recycled materials, thus supporting SDG 13 (Combat climate change and its impacts).

Healthcare and Well-being

Especially highlighted during the pandemic, robots make significant contributions to SDG 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being). Service robots aid healthcare staff in heavy lifting and reduce the burden of administrative and logistics tasks. They enhance drug development and testing, and their high reliability and repeatability improves robot assisted surgeries.

Education and Gender Equality

Robots play a pivotal role in promoting SDG 4 (Inclusive and equitable quality education) by assisting in STEM education and providing training opportunities. They also contribute to SDG 5 (Gender equality) by creating inclusive work environments and empowering women in traditionally male-dominated fields.

Food Security

In agriculture, robots contribute to SDG 2 (End hunger) by increasing efficiency, reducing waste, and monitoring soil conditions, fostering sustainable agriculture.

Water Conservation and Sustainable Cities

Although in its early stages, robotics contributes to SDG 6 (Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation) through inspection and maintenance robots preserving water resources. Additionally, the application of robots, machine vision, and AI enhances waste sorting and recycling, supporting SDG 11 (Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable).

Protecting Marine and Terrestrial Ecosystems

Underwater robots play a crucial role in supporting SDG 14 (Conserve oceans and marine resources) by inspecting offshore oil rig pipes, cleaning aquacultures, recycling ocean plastics, and conducting surveillance to preserve underwater fauna and flora. Similarly, SDG 15 (Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems) is aided by agricultural and forestry robots. These robots help minimize the use of chemicals and fertilizers, reduce soil compaction, and prevent desertification and soil erosion, thereby contributing to ecosystem protection.

Conclusion

These examples illustrate the multifaceted contributions of robotics to achieving the SDGs, showcasing a transformative potential that extends across various sectors. As technology advances, the role of robots in sustainable development will continue to evolve, offering new solutions to global challenges. For more insights and detailed case studies on the impact of robotics on SDGs, visit our case studies. Together, these innovations mark a significant stride towards a more sustainable and inclusive future.

Driven by the high volume of industrial robot installations, the world hit a new record of 3.9 million operational robots in 2022. The top most automated countries measured by robot density are: The Republic of Korea (1,012 robots per 10,000 employees), Singapore (730 units) and Germany (415 units). This is according to the World Robotics 2023 report, presented by IFR.

“Robot density data reveal the state of automation worldwide and allow us to compare regions and countries,” says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “The speed of robotics adoption in factories around the world is impressive: the new global average robot density hit an all-time high of 151 robots per 10,000 employees – more than double the number measured only six years ago.”

Robot density by region

Asia has a robot density of 168 units per 10,000 employees in the manufacturing industry. On a global scale the economies of Korea, Singapore, Japan, Mainland China, Hong Kong and Chinese Taipei all rank within the top-ten most automated countries. The European Union has a robot density of 208 units per 10,000 employees with Germany, Sweden and Switzerland ranking in the global top-ten group. North America´s robot density is 188 units per 10,000 employees. The United States is among the top-ten most automated countries in the manufacturing industry.

Top countries

The Republic of Korea is the world´s number one adopter of industrial robots. Robot density has increased by 6% on average each year since 2017. The Korean economy benefits from two large customers – a strong electronics industry and a distinct automotive industry.

• Singapore follows with 730 robots per 10,000 employees. Singapore is a small country with a very low number of employees in the manufacturing industry.
• Germany (415 robots per 10,000 employees) ranks third. Robot density of Europe´s biggest economy has grown by 5% CAGR since 2017.
• Japan is in fourth place (397 units). Robot density of the world´s predominant robot manufacturing country grew by 7% on average each year (2017-2022).
• China made its way up to fifth place 2021 and maintained this position in 2022. The country´s massive investment in automation technology yields a high robot density of 392 robots per 10,000 employees - despite a huge workforce of roughly 38 million people in the manufacturing industry.
• Robot density in the United States rose from 274 units in 2021 to 285 in 2022. The country ranks tenth in the world.

About Robot density

Robot density is the number of operational industrial robots relative to the number of employees. It can cover the whole manufacturing industry or just specific industrial branches. The number of employees serves as a measure of economic size, so the quotient of operational stock over employees puts the operational stock on a uniform base.

Video

FACTS about Robots – the Global Automation Race in Numbers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Press contact

International Federation of Robotics
PRESS OFFICER
Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• Graph Robot Density 2022 by country (363KB)
• Graph Robot Density total World average 2013 to 2022 (342KB)
• IFR Press Release Robot Density Japanese language (493KB)
• IFR Pressemeldung Roboterdichte - deutsch (239KB)

As this year draws to a close and we consider what the year ahead will bring we see that there are many uncertainties in the world, and the robotics industry is looking towards an economic outlook that is more challenging than when we compiled our global IFR forecast.

Dear Reader,

As this year draws to a close and we consider what the year ahead will bring we see that there are many uncertainties in the world, and the robotics industry is looking towards an economic outlook that is more challenging than when we compiled our global IFR forecast.

At the same time, our memories are also still full of positive impressions gained at the iREX exhibition in Tokyo end of November. The international robot exhibition opened its doors to a record number of 148 thousand visitors (excluding junior high school students and kids), 5% more than in the last pre-pandemic show in 2019. The booths of the robot suppliers in particular showcased many cobot solutions, strongly focusing on the ease of use. We also saw many mobile manipulators (although some only in the prototype stage). In our latest press release we focused on Japan's key challenge for 2024 when the country will face a shortage of workers (or working hours) in logistics, and we showed how many companies are already using robotic solutions to load and unload trucks. Ongoing labor shortages mean we are likely to see a growing number of service robotics applications, from surgical robots through helpers in agriculture to humanoid robots.

Our own IFR meetings, in particular the (Industrial) Robot Suppliers Committee as well as the Service Robots Working Group, gathered a new record of participants, both on-site as well as joining us virtually. Next to the latest results in our global statistics, the discussions focused on the roles of digital platforms for future business models, and the impact of AI on the public perception of robots as well as on the regulatory side of AI especially within Europe.

We also came together for the International Forum, joined by representatives of A3, CRIA, KAR, VDMA and our own IFR experts to present the current market situation as well as technology and market trends for the near future.

We enjoyed reconnecting with many of you in Tokyo and hope to meet even more during our events during 2024.

I wish you a peaceful holiday season and a happy and successful New Year.

Marina Bill
IFR President

Japan faces a labor shortage impact in 2024 as new overtime regulations for truck drivers come into force. This is being called the ‘2024 problem’ - its potential disruptions need technological help. The world´s number one robot manufacturing country is developing automation strategies that will not only target logistical issues but also a wide range of industry challenges the new working time legislation will cause.

“The government´s overtime cap is an important step to improve working conditions for employees,” says Takayuki Ito, Vice President of the International Federation of Robotics. “Industrial and service robots deliver great solutions to automate. Robots relieve workers of dirty, dull and dangerous work and help to close productivity gaps.”

Robots load and unload cargo

In Japan, the average annual working hours for a heavy truck driver were 2,568, which is 444 hours longer than the national average for all jobs - labor ministry data from 2022 reveal. Placing cargo in and out of trucks and warehouses is one of the most time- consuming tasks of truck drivers. Mobile robot solutions in transportation and logistics can help. To free up truck drivers from loading and unloading cargo saves them up to 25% of working time during a day´s shift. Robots also help reduce errors in order fulfillment by automating repetitive tasks such as picking and packing.

Robots speed up warehousing

Warehouse robots in use today range from compact autonomous mobile robots to large-scale automated storage and retrieval systems. Their use reduces the amount of time required to move goods and they can handle heavy loads and dangerous materials without putting human workers at risk.

Professional service robots are booming

The benefits of robots for transportation and logistics are documented by latest statistics: on a global scale, more professional service robots were built for the transportation of goods or cargo than for any other function. Sales grew by 44% with more than 86,000 units sold in 2022 worldwide, IFR reports.

Workplaces of the future

“Regulations of overtime work and the demographic change will require the adoption of automation technology in many branches of the Japanese economy,” says Takayuki Ito. “The challenges of the trucking industry are good examples to show how robotics and automation deliver adequate solutions for our workplaces of the future.”

iREX 2023 in Tokyo (November 29 – December 02)

The International Robot Exhibition (iREX) in Tokyo is highly regarded both in Japan and abroad as one of the largest robot exhibitions in the world:

• iREX homepage
• iREX online webinars

Video

FACTS about Robots – the Global Automation Race in Numbers

Press contact

PRESS OFFICER
International Federation of Robotics
Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

Please find photo and press release in German and Japanese for download below.

• NEURA Robotics LARA mounted on MAV 300 dpi (1.8MB)
• DE-2023-11-21-IFR_Pressemeldung_Japan.pdf (134KB)
• JP-2023-11-21-IFR-press_release_JAPANESE.pdf (204KB)

The total number of service robots sold for professional use hit 158,000 units in 2022 - an increase of 48%. Shortage of staff is a strong driver for companies to automate.

“The service robot industry is developing at a fast pace,” says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “Shortage of skilled workers and a lack of staff applying for service jobs boosts demand. IFR identified almost 1,000 service robot suppliers worldwide delivering autonomous services.”

Five top applications for professional service robots by units sold

Mobile robot solutions in transportation and logistics established a strong market share: more professional service robots were built for the transportation of goods or cargo, than any other function. Sales grew by 44% with more than 86,000 units sold in 2022. Robot sales for open indoor environments with public traffic were up 78% and reached almost 37,300 units. Many of these robots are intended for food and beverage delivery in restaurants.

Hospitality robots enjoy growing popularity: More than 24,500 units (+125%) were sold in 2022. Robots for mobile guidance, information, and telepresence account for most of these robots.

Sales of medical robots were down 4% to about 9,300 units. Almost 4,900 surgery robots (+5%) were sold, but sales of robots for rehabilitation and noninvasive therapy were down 16% to less than 3,200 robots.

Robotics sales in agriculture grew by 18% with almost 8,000 units shipped in 2022. More than 5,800 robots (+9%) were sold for agricultural tasks like milking and barn cleaning. The lack of human workforce in agricultural regions and demand for more sustainable agriculture make service robots a key player in this market.

The market for professional cleaning robots grew by 8% and reached almost 6,900 units sold. The main application is floor cleaning with 4,900 units sold – up 10%. This represents more than 70% of shipments in this application group.

Service robots for consumer use

Service robots for consumer use are produced for a mass market, which makes it a very different segment compared to service robots for professional use. Sales of robots for consumer use reached about 5.1 million units in 2022 vs. 158,000 units sold for professional use.

Today, we find the strongest consumer demand in areas of domestic household robots. Almost 4.9 million robots were sold in 2022. The most used application is indoor domestic floor cleaning with about 2.8 million robots sold. Robot vacuums are common in private households for many years now. Apart from cyclical volatility, IFR´s statistical department predicts growth potential in the low double-digit range over the next few years.

Like robot vacuums, gardening robots are already familiar in people´s daily live: Sales of lawn mowing robots reached 1.1 million units in 2022.

Social interaction and education robots are the second largest consumer application group with 157,000 units sold in 2022. While sales of education robots reached almost 104,000 units, shipments of social interaction and companion robots were reported with about 53,000 units.

Please note: World Robotics Service Robots report is sample data. Data is NOT projected to the whole industry. Sample composition varies each year. Compiling or comparing data from different World Robotics Reports is strongly discouraged. All numbers at World Robotics Service Robots 2023 report based on a sample of 239 companies.

Orders for World Robotics 2023 Service Robots and Industrial Robots reports can be placed online. Further downloads on the content are available here.

Video

WORLD ROBOTICS 2023 press conference at our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/h-3ndnde8d

Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• Graph TOP 5 applications Service Robots 2022 (365KB)
• IFR Pressemeldung World Robotics - Service Robots 2023 (233KB)
• Market presentation World Robotics press conference (5.7MB)

The new World Robotics report recorded 553,052 industrial robot installations in factories around the world – a growth rate of 5% in 2022, year-on-year. By region, 73% of all newly deployed robots were installed in Asia, 15% in Europe and 10% in the Americas.

“The world record of 500,000 units was exceeded for the second year in succession,” says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “In 2023 the industrial robot market is expected to grow by 7% to more than 590,000 units worldwide."

Asia, Europe and the Americas - overview

China is by far the world´s largest market. In 2022, annual installations of 290,258 units replaced the previous record of 2021 by growth of 5%. This latest gain is remarkable since it even tops the 2021 result that was a 57% jump compared to 2020. To serve this dynamic market, domestic and international robot suppliers have established production plants in China and continuously increased capacity. On average, annual robot installations have grown by 13% each year (2017-2022).

Robot installations in Japan were up by 9% to 50,413 units, exceeding the pre-pandemic level of 49,908 units in 2019. The peak level remains at 55,240 units in 2018. The country ranks second to China in size of market for industrial robots. Annual installations gained 2% on average per year (2017-2022). Japan is the world´s predominant robot manufacturing country with a market share of 46% of the global robot production.

The market in the Republic of Korea rose by 1% - installations reached 31,716 units in 2022. This was the second year of marginal growth, following four years of declining installation figures. The Republic of Korea remains the fourth largest robot market in the world, following the United States, Japan, and China.

Europe

The European Union remains the world´s second largest market (70,781 units; +5%) in 2022. Germany is one of the top five adopters worldwide with a market share of 36% within the EU. Germany´s installations went down by 1% to 25,636 units. Italy follows with a market share of 16% within the EU - installations grew by 8% to 11,475 units. The third largest EU market, France, recorded a regional market share of 10% and gained 13%, installing 7,380 units in 2022.

In the post-Brexit United Kingdom, industrial robot installations were up by 3% to 2,534 units in 2022. This is less than a tenth of Germany´s sales.

The Americas

In the Americas, installations were up 8% to 56,053 units in 2022, surpassing the 2018 peak level (55,212 units). The United States, the largest regional market, accounted for 71% of the installations in the Americas in 2022. Robot installations were up by 10% to 39,576 units. This was just shy of the peak level of 40,373 units achieved in 2018. The main growth driver was the automotive industry that displayed surging installations by +47% (14,472 units). The share of the automotive industry has now grown back to 37%, followed by the metal and machinery industry (3,900 units) and the electrical/electronics industry (3,732 units).

The two other major markets are Mexico – here installations grew by 13% (6,000 units) - and Canada, where demand dropped by 24% (3,223 units). This was the result of lower demand from the automotive industry - the strongest adopter.

Brazil is an important production site for motor vehicles and automotive parts: The International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA) reports an output of 2.4 million vehicles in 2022. This shows the huge potential for automation in the country. Annual installation counts grew rather slowly with cyclical ups and downs. In 2022, 1,858 robots were installed. This was 4% more than in the previous year.

Outlook

The year 2023 will be characterized by a slowdown of the global economic growth. Robot installations in 2023 are not expected to follow this pattern. There is no indication that the overall long-term growth trend will come to an end soon: rather the contrary will be the case. The mark of 600,000 units installed per year worldwide is expected to be reached in 2024.

Orders for World Robotics 2023 Industrial Robots and Service Robots reports can be placed online. Further downloads on the content are available here.

Facts video on industrial robot shipment at the IFR YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/mtxMYJz4v2Y

Press contact

PRESS OFFICER International Federation of Robotics
Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

IFR Graphs, market presentation and press releases on selected markets in Chinese, German, Japanese and French language are available below. English translations on these markets and special graphs are available on request. 

• Graph annual shipments World with forecast - WR 2023 (86KB)
• Graph annual installations by region WR 2023 high resolution (470KB)
• Graph 15 largest markets 2022 - WR 2023 high resolution (766KB)
• Market presentation World Robotics press conference (5.7MB)
• IFR Pressemeldung Weltmarkt - deutsch (222KB)
• IFR Pressemeldung zu Deutschland - auf deutsch (266KB)
• IFR press release on China - Chinese language (373KB)
• IFR press release on France - French language (198KB)
• IFR press release on Japan - Japanese language (277KB)

Today, IFR unveiled its highly anticipated World Robotics 2023 report. The report reveals that 2022 witnessed a remarkable achievement: a record-breaking 553,000 new installations.

Dear Reader,

Today, IFR unveiled its highly anticipated World Robotics 2023 report. The report reveals that 2022 witnessed a remarkable achievement: a record-breaking 553,000 new installations. While this represents seemingly moderate overall growth of 5%, it should be seen in the context of the remarkable 35% surge in 2021, which occurred amidst a challenging global economic environment.

China, by far the world’s largest market, could top its previous record and grow by another 5%, contributing to a staggering 52% of all new installations. Notably, the share of Chinese domestic suppliers has surged from 28% to an impressive 36%.

The trajectory of China's economy holds a pivotal role in shaping the future. While some backlog from 2022 still exists, the IFR Quarterly Survey reports a decline in order intake during the first half of 2023. Nevertheless, the IFR Statistical Department maintains cautious optimism, projecting a 10% growth in China for 2023. The global industrial robot market is also expected to expand by 7%, reaching more than 590,000 units.

These significant findings are presented by our General Secretary at the ISR Europe 2023 event, currently taking place in Stuttgart. This event is a collaborative effort between the University of Stuttgart, VDE, Fraunhofer IPA, VDMA Robotics and Automation, and the IFR.

In other exciting news, the IFR has launched the Go4Robotics campaign in partnership with its members. This campaign, accessible at https://go4robotics.com/, provides small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and other interested parties with a wealth of information in the form of blog articles, whitepapers, checklists, and case studies. These resources aim to help businesses discover the advantages of robotization and address any concerns. We rely on your support to spread the word about this campaign through your personal and corporate social media channels and websites.

We look forward to the next opportunity to connect with IFR members and staff in person, which will be during iREX in Tokyo from November 29 to December 1. We hope to see you there!

Marina Bill
IFR President

Labor shortage has become one of the most pressing challenges for small and midsized enterprises (SME) in OECD countries. The manufacturing sector is hit especially hard by high job vacancy rates. Since robots are becoming easier to install, implement and operate, SMEs have greater access to automation. The new Go4Robotics online platform by IFR provides independent guidance for their automation journey.

“The lack of skilled labor is a strong driver for automation in many countries,” says Dr Susanne Bieller, IFR´s General Secretary. “In fact, statistics from the EU say that three quarters of all companies across the EU have a problem attracting workers with the required skills.”

Robots increase attractiveness of employers

Given a choice, many young people prefer to work in a company that uses future technology. If there is a robot operating on the shopfloor, the employer can advertise a job to prospective employees as work that involves controlling a robot. This is oftentimes a game-changer. Since the robot takes on the 4 “Ds” of dull, dirty, dangerous and difficult work, their use is even more attractive. Employees have more time to skill-up for more interesting jobs.

SMEs learn to use robots

The new online platform Go4Robotics by the IFR raises awareness of the many advantages robotics provide. Small and midsized enterprises find educational content that comes with a checklist. Experts are dispelling myths about segments that are relatively new to automation. Managers learn how to benefit from new trends like easy-to-program robots for non-experts.

Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• Go4Robotics_webpage_1600x900.jpg (523KB)
• IFR-PRESSEMELDUNG-Go4Robotics - Deutsch (220KB)

It is with great sadness that the robotics community bids farewell to Prof. Rezia Molfino. She passed away on August 19, 2023 at the age of 80.

Rezia M. Molfino was a full professor of control of mechanical systems and robot mechanics at the University of Genova until her retirement in 2013. Her research in the robotic field has focused on simulation techniques as an effective tool for the design of new robotic architectures and their management. She is the author of more than 250 scientific works dealing with robotics, the control of nonlinear systems, factory automation, and intelligent manufacturing.

Even as emeritus professor, she remained active serving robotics research and strongly supported the education of the next generation of robotics engineers.

She was a partner in several national and international academic-industry joint projects and a member of numerous advisory boards and program committees of international scientific conferences as well as an invited speaker at round tables of international conferences and fairs. She has organized seminars and workshops on robotics and automation.

She was elected President of SIRI, the Italian Association of Robotics and Automation, in 2000 and filled this office until 2016.

Since 2000, she served as national coordinator at IFR, the International Federation of Robotics and remained active member of IFR's General Assembly until her demise.

Her dedication and passion for robotics will be missed. Please join us in offering heartfelt condolences to her family.

As technology advances, robotics is becoming an increasingly important tool across industries to enhancing efficiency, productivity and safety in the workplace. Whether you’re interested in automation solutions, cobots, autonomous mobile robots or automated guided vehicles, we’ve got you covered with the latest news, trends, and expertise in the world of robotics.

As technology advances, robotics is becoming an increasingly important tool across industries to enhancing efficiency, productivity and safety in the workplace. In many parts of the world, labor shortages, missing skilled labor and rising labor costs are a further driver for automation solutions. 

While the trend of “democratizing” robotics opens up new customer segments, many companies, especially small- and medium-sized enterprizes (SMEs) are still doubtful whether robotics is also the right solution in their specific situation.

They expect automation to be expensive, elaborate and complex. But in fact, small-scale automation is a highly beneficial option at lower costs. Partial automation is boosting productivity without incurring high costs, optimising processes and thus relieving the strain on staff. This becomes more and more important, as SMEs have to compete on a global level and customer requirements are on the rise, too. Customers are calling for greater flexibility, more product variants and smaller batch sizes – not to mention consistently high quality on top.

With our new campaign go4robotics, IFR wants help SMEs on their automation journey and provides valuable information on the exciting field of robotics. 

Whether  one's interested in automation solutions, cobots, autonomous mobile robots or automated guided vehicles, the IFR campaign provides you with the latest news, trends, and expertise in the world of robotics.

In our Expertise Center, one can discover the latest trends, stay up-to-date with the latest developments and innovations in robotics with numerous free articles, whitepapers and e-books on deep dive topics.

Find out more at https://go4robotics.com

Industrial robots in Europe are on the rise: The European Union´s (EU) 27 member states installed almost 72,000 units in 2022 – up 6% year-on-year. These are PRELIMINARY results, presented by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

“The top five adopting countries within the EU are Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Poland,” says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). “They account for about 70% of all industrial robots installed within the EU in 2022.”

Germany is by far the largest robot market in Europe: about 26,000 units (+3%) were installed in 2022. This was a share of 37% of total EU installations. Worldwide, the country had the fourth highest robot density, following Japan, Singapore, and the Republic of Korea.

The automotive industry is traditionally the main customer of industrial robots in Germany. 27% of the newly deployed robots were installed in this industry in 2022. This was 7,100 units, down 22% from the previous year – a cyclical investment behavior well known in this segment. In the general industry, the main customer was the metal industry that installed 4,200 units (+20%) in 2022. This is above the pre-pandemic level that fluctuated around 3,500 units per year with a peak level of 3,700 units in 2019. Installations in the plastic and chemical products industry were back at a pre-pandemic level - up by 7% to 2,200 units in 2022.

Italy is the second largest robot market in Europe after Germany. An all-time high of almost 12,000 units (+10%) were installed in 2022. This was a share of 16% of total EU installations.

The country has a strong metal and machinery industry: Sales reached 3,700 units – in 2022 - up 18% compared to the previous year. Robot sales in the plastic and chemical products industry grew by 42% with 1,400 units installed. And the country also has a powerful food & beverages industry. Installations went up by 9% reaching 1,400 units in 2022. Demand from the automotive industry was down by 22% to 900 units. This segment is dominated by the Stellantis Group that resulted from the merger of FIAT-Chrysler and PSA of France.

The robot market in France ranked third in Europe in 2022. Annual installations went up by 15% with a total number of 7,400 units. This is less than a third the number of neighboring Germany. The main customer is the metal industry with a market share of 22%. The segment installed 1,600 units – up 23%. The automotive industry grew by 19% and reached 1,600 units. This represents a market share of 21%. The French government’s €100bn stimulus package for investment in smart factory equipment that came into effect mid-2021 will create new demand for industrial robots in the next few years. 

Annual installations in Spain grew by 12% with a total number of 3,800 units. Robot installations are traditionally determined by the automotive industry. According to the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA), Spain is the second largest producer of cars in Europe following Germany. The car industry in Spain installed 900 units – up 5%. Sales in the metal industry grew by 20% and reached 900 units. Automotive and the metal industry accounted for almost 50% of the robot installations in 2022.

Robot installations in Poland had been on a strong upward trajectory for nine years.

Annual installations reached a total number of 3,100 units in 2022 – the second-best result after the new peak level of 3,500 units in 2021. Demand from the metal and machinery industry was up by 17% to 600 units in 2022. The automotive industry displayed a cyclical demand with 500 units installed – down 37%. The war in neighboring Ukraine dampened the manufacturing industries. But investments in digitalization and automation technologies will benefit from a total of €160 bn in EU investment support between 2021 and 2027.

Robot installations in European countries including non-EU member states reached a total of 84,000 units – up 3% in 2022.

Video

Please find the video of the market presentation with preliminary figures by Marina Bill on our YouTube Channel.

Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• graph_installations_of_robob.jpg (109KB)
• Market presentation with prelimnary World Robotics figures 2022 (2.7MB)
• Pressemeldung Europäischer Market - deutsch (133KB)

As part of a slate of activities promoting entrepreneurship and innovation in robotics, finalists for the Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics Award (IERA) presented their projects to a panel of judges at the 2023 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), held in London 29 May – 2 June.

“The IERA Award recognizes category-creating, world-changing robot companies,” said Andra Keay, IERA Awards Chair & Vice President of the RAS Industrial Activities Board. “Previous winners of the IERA Award have redefined the role of robots in the real world and if you asked the average person on the street to name a robot, the chances are that they would name an IERA Award winning robot, like iRobot, Kiva Systems or Universal Robots.”

This year’s finalists were Dr. Aaron Edsinger and Professor Charlie Kemp of Hello Robot for the Stretch Robot; Zen Koh, from Fourier Intelligence for The ArmMotus EMU; Matthew Allan of Australian Droid and Robot for the Explora Robot; and Thomas Hähn of United Robotics Group for Plato.

Zen Koh and the team from Fourier Intelligence ultimately won the IERA Award for The ArmMotus EMU, a 3D back-drivable upper limb rehabilitation robot that adopted an innovative cable-driven mechanism designed for clinical settings.

“Zen Koh from Fourier Intelligence and The ArmMotus EMU are worthy winners of the 2023 IERA Award, exemplifying innovation in robotics with a global impact,” said Andra Keay, IERA Awards Chair & Vice President of the RAS Industrial Activities Board. “The combination of smart adaptive rehabilitation and entertainment technology can transform our healthcare landscape.”

“We are truly honored to have the ArmMotus EMU recognized as a finalist and awarded this prestigious accolade,” stated Zen Koh, Co-Founder and Global CEO of Fourier Intelligence. “This recognition reflects our unwavering dedication to driving continuous advancements in rehabilitation technology.”

Fourier Intelligence was named the winner during the ICRA Awards Ceremony in London, and presented with a plaque and a US $2000 prize. For additional details on the award and a list of the winners from the previous years, please see the IEEE webpage.

About IERA Award

Established in 2005, the IERA Award is presented annually by the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Industrial Activities Board and the International Federation of Robotics. It highlights and honors the achievements of inventors with value creating ideas and entrepreneurs who propel those ideas into world-class products.

Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

• The ArmMotus EMU © Fourier Intellingence - download (570KB)
• IERA_Award_2023_presentation_1600x900.jpg (583KB)
• IFR Pressemeldung IERA Award Gewinner 2023 deutsch (120KB)

Exciting times for the global robotics industry! We just returned from the Automate show in Detroit, whose lively show floor symbolized the huge opportunities for robotics and automation on the North American continent, with manufacturing industries and logistics investing strongly in technology to overcome the labor shortage.

Dear Reader,

Exciting times for the global robotics industry! We just returned from the Automate show in Detroit, whose lively show floor symbolized the huge opportunities for robotics and automation on the North American continent, with manufacturing industries and logistics investing strongly in technology to overcome the labor shortage.

IFR used this occasion to gather their members in a series of meetings, and also presented the preliminary 2022 figures on the global robot installations ahead of the Executive Roundtable. Total installations in manufacturing in North America rose by 12% to 42 thousand units. This proves that the US, Canada, and Mexico are key markets in the global growth of robotics automation, and the automotive sector is once again leading the way. We should note that the figures published really are preliminary and should be noted with caution – we still expect substantial changes to the final figures that will be published in World Robotics on 26 September 2023.

Congratulations to the two Engelberger Award Winners, Roberta Nelson Shea and Jeff Burnstein. Jeff does a great job driving the robotics industry in North America, particularly in the US, and deserves the award for leadership recognizing his four decades of commitment for A3. Roberta has received the award for application, honoring her outstanding work over the course of her career in global robotics safety. As a convenor for the ISO TC 299 Working Group on Industrial Safety, she not only greatly contributes to the progress of the safe deployment of industrial robots around the globe, but is also a great role model for women choosing a career path in robotics.

I am also happy to congratulate Zen Koh from Fourier Intelligence for winning the IERA award for Outstanding Achievements in Commercializing Innovative Robot and Automation Technology 2023. The price was awarded for their upper limb rehabilitation robotics device ArmMotus during ICRA 2023 in London.

There is not much time to rest as the Automatica fair will open its doors in Munich soon. IFR has also scheduled some meetings there, and will present the preliminary 2022 figures for Europe during the IFR Executive Roundtable. At the panel discussion, Ralf Völlinger (Fanuc), Enrico Krog Iversen (OnRobot), Adrien Brouillard (Stäubli) and Thomas Burger (SBS-Feintechnik) will discuss how Europe can increase its resilience by investing in robotics and automation.

Looking forward to another busy week of exciting discussions, networking and hopefully meeting you in Munich.

Marina Bill
IFR President

The Executive Board of the IFR has elected Japanese Takayuki Ito (Fanuc Corporation) as its new Vice President. Mr. Ito succeeds Kenji Yamaguchi (Fanuc Corporation). Mr. Ito represents IFR along with IFR President Marina Bill.

The 65 year old Takayuki Ito has a track record of more than 40 years in the robotics industry.

He serves as Senior Managing Officer for the Robot Business and Sales Division of the Japanese robot manufacturer Fanuc Corporation. Takayuki began working for Fanuc in 1981 as a Software engineer. In 1997 he had been active as Executive Vice President, FANUC Robotics North America Inc. in Detroit. 2002 he returned to his parent company serving the role of General Manager at the Robot Technology Center at Fanuc HQ.

In his new role as Vice-President Mr. Ito assists, Marina Bill, who serves as IFR President since 2022.

Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

• Takayuki Ito portrait high res (2.4MB)
• IFR Pressemeldung Takayuki Ito Vice President - deutsch (114KB)

The North American robotics market showed strong growth: Total installations in manufacturing rose by 12% and reached 41,624 units in 2022. Number one adopter is the automotive industry: companies based in the US, Canada and Mexico installed 20,391 industrial robots – up 30% compared to 2021. These are preliminary results, presented by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

“North America represents the second largest operational stock of industrial robots in the world after China,” says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). “The United States, Canada, and Mexico are key markets in the global growth of robotics automation, and the automotive sector is leading the way.”

Cyclical demand from automotive

In the United States, demand from car makers and manufacturers of components rose by 48% in 2022. Installations thus display the cyclical demand pattern well-known from this customer segment. After a few years of contraction, down from the peak level of 15,397 units in 2017 to 9,854 units in 2021, installations surged to 14,594 units in 2022.

Installation counts in Canada largely depend on investments of the automotive industry that accounts for 40% of robot installations. Sales to automotive declined by 36% with 1,258 units installed in 2022. This is below the pre-pandemic level of 1,897 units in 2019. The robot installations to manufacture parts and accessories for motor vehicles were significantly down by 45% with 995 units sold. Motor vehicles, engines and bodies on the other hand grew by 99% with 263 units sold.

Robot installations in Mexico are also determined by the automotive industry that accounted for 66% of the robot installations in 2022: Sales grew by 16% and reached 4,222 units in 2022 – the second best result since the peak level of 4,805 units in record year 2017.

Non-automotive sectors

Installation counts in other industries exceeding the 4,000-unit mark in North America are: electrical/electronics (+28%), metal and machinery (-9%), and plastic and chemical products (-4%). They each represent a 9% market share of industrial robot installations in 2022.

Automate show

Automate – the largest robotics and industrial automation trade show in North America organized by the Association for Advancing Automation – will return in 2024 and then continue as an annual event. McCormick Place in Chicago will host next year’s event May 6-9, 2024, and in 2025 the show will be back in Detroit. Automate, which had historically been held every other year, saw unprecedented demand in back-to-back shows in 2022 and 2023.

IFR Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• Graph annual installation industrial robot in North America - preliminary figure 2022 (109KB)
• IFR Pressemeldung Nordamerika - vorläufige Zahlen 2022 (148KB)
• Presentation on IFR preliminary statistics for North America in 2022 held by Marina Bill during Automate Show in Detroit, 23 May 2023 (1.7MB)

Sales of industrial robots in India reached a new record of 4,945 units installed. This is an increase of 54 percent compared to the previous year (2020: 3,215 units). In terms of annual installations, India now ranks in tenth position worldwide. These are findings of the report World Robotics, presented by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR)

“India is one of the world's fastest-growing industrial economies,” says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “Within five years, the operational stock of industrial robots has more than doubled, to reach 33,220 units in 2021. This corresponds to an average annual growth rate of 16% since 2016.”

Today, India is the world’s fifth largest economy measured by manufacturing output. According to World Bank data, India´s manufacturing value added in 2021 was USD 443.9 billion, a 21.6% increase from 2020.

The automotive industry remains the largest customer for the robotics industry in India with a share of 31% in 2021. Installations more than doubled to 1,547 units (+108%). The general industry in India is led by the metal industry with 308 units (-9%), the rubber and plastics industry with 246 units (+27%) and the electrical/electronics industry with 215 units (+98%).

Impressive potential for India

The long-term potential of robotics in India becomes clearer when compared to China: India´s robot density in the automotive industry, which is the number of industrial robots per 10,000 employees, reached 148 robots in 2021. China´s robot density hit 131 units in 2010 and skyrocketed to 772 units in 2021.

The Indian government supports growth in the industrial sector as one of the vital figures that affect the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Today, the country´s GDP of about USD 3 trillion ranks in fifth place, head-to-head with the UK and France – behind Germany, Japan, China and the USA - the International Monetary Fund reports.

Outlook for India

“As a result of the recent supply chain disruption, companies are rethinking their nearshoring strategies in Southeast Asia,” says Marina Bill. “India has traditionally been a popular destination for nearshoring in the manufacturing segment. The Indian government wants the country to be considered for new diversification options such as friendshoring, which is partnering with countries that share similar values and interests.”

The manufacturing sector is also expected to benefit from the government's initiatives to boost its competitiveness and attractiveness for investors. The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, for example, currently set to run until 2025, subsidizes companies that create production capacity in India in robot customer industries like automotive, metal, pharmaceuticals, and food processing.

Robots help to create new jobs

New manufacturing capacities in India are an important step to provide adequate education and employment opportunities for its people: According to projections of the United Nations, India now has a population of 1,4 billion, surpassing China for the first time. This means that India has a large and young workforce that can drive economic growth and innovation. India is expected to have the largest working-age population in the world by 2027.

IFR Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• DE 2023 Mai 3 IFR Pressemeldung Indien - deutsch (233KB)
• Graph operational stock in India 2011-2021 (274KB)
• CN IFR Press Release INDIA - Chinese Language (448KB)

The automotive industry has the largest number of robots working in factories around the world: Operational stock hit a new record of about one million units. This represents about one third of the total number installed across all industries.

“The automotive industry effectively invented automated manufacturing,” says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “Today, robots are playing a vital role in enabling this industry’s transition from combustion engines to electric power. Robotic automation helps car manufacturers manage the wholesale changes to long-established manufacturing methods and technologies.”

Robot density in automotive

Robot density is a key indicator which illustrates the current level of automation in the top car producing economies: In the Republic of Korea, 2,867 industrial robots per 10,000 employees were in operation in 2021. Germany ranks in second place with 1,500 units followed by the United States counting 1,457 units and Japan with 1,422 units per 10,000 workers.

The world´s biggest car manufacturer, China, has a robot density of 772 units, but is catching up fast: Within a year, new robot installations in the Chinese automotive industry almost doubled to 61,598 units in 2021- accounting for 52% of the total 119,405 units installed in factories around the world.

Electric vehicles drive automation

Ambitious political targets for electric vehicles are forcing the car industry to invest: The European Union has announced plans to end the sale of air-polluting vehicles by 2035. The US government aims to reach a voluntary goal of 50% market share for electric vehicle sales by 2030 and all new vehicles sold in China must be powered by “new energy” by 2035. Half of them must be electric, fuel cell, or plug-in hybrid – the remaining 50%, hybrid vehicles.

Most automotive manufacturers who have already invested in traditional “caged” industrial robots for basic assembling are now also investing in collaborative applications for final assembly and finishing tasks. Tier-two automotive parts suppliers, many of which are SMEs, are slower to automate fully. Yet, as robots become smaller, more adaptable, easier to program, and less capital-intensive this is expected to change.

IFR Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• IFR Pressemeldung Automobilindustrie (124KB)
• IFR Press Release Automotive in Japanese Language (191KB)
• Graph Robot density automotive industry 2021 by country (112KB)
• KUKA Automobile Production - 300 dpi (4.2MB)
• Duerr Ecopainjet - 300 dpi (2.8MB)

The year has started on a cautiously optimistic note for the robotics industry. Supply chain disruptions are slowly fading out and order books are filled. The robotics community is eagerly preparing for the upcoming trade shows and conferences in the second quarter of the year.

Dear Reader,

The year has started on a cautiously optimistic note for the robotics industry. Supply chain disruptions are slowly fading out and order books are filled. The robotics community is eagerly preparing for the upcoming trade shows and conferences in the second quarter of the year.

On May 22-25, Automate will open its doors in Detroit, co-hosting the ISR Americas. On the second day, the Executive Roundtable jointly organized by IFR and A3 will look at "The future of manufacturing in North America“. And on Wednesday, the prestigious Engelberger Awards ceremony will take place. This year's winners are Roberta Nelson Shea from Universal Robots and Jeff Burnstein from A3. Congrats to both!

IFR will use this industry gathering to hold a set of meetings, including its General Assembly, Robot Suppliers' Committee and Marcom Committee Meetings.

On June 1, a jury of IEEE RAS and IFR representatives will choose the next IERA award winner (Innovation & Entrepreneurship Award for Outstanding Achievements in Commercializing Innovative Robot and Automation Technology), in the IEEE/IFR Joint Forum on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics and Automation during the ICRA conference in London.

From June 27 to 30, the robotics industry has the next opportunity to gather at an international trade fair, as Automatica will take place in Munich. Another IFR Executive Roundtable will theme around “Building resilience for Europe through automation”. IFR will also host its Service Robots Group meeting during the fair.

Both roundtables will gather executives from leading robot suppliers and end users. We will use these occasions to publish the latest preliminary figures on the global robotics market for 2022 and provide an outlook on trends from industry perspective. The events are open to the media, investors, roboticists, customers and all interested in robotics. Looking forward to meeting you there.

Marina Bill
IFR President

IFR and IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (IEEE/RAS) are looking for a winner for the next IERA Award. The judges will soon nominate three applicants for a final session at the ICRA conference on June 1, 2023 in London.

The IERA award is jointly sponsored and organized by IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (IEEE/RAS) and the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). It highlights and honors the achievements of inventors with value creating ideas and entrepreneurs who propel those ideas into world-class products.

All submitted entries will be evaluated based on criteria that give equal consideration to both innovation and entrepreneurship. The winner will be awarded with a plaque and a $2000 cash prize. For additional details on the award and a list of the winners from the previous years, please see IEEE webpage.

In 2023 IEEE/RAS will host the IERA Award presentation. On June 1, 2023 the finalists will present their innovation at a session which will be part of the ICRA 2023. The ICRA takes place from May 29 to June 2, 2023 in London, UK.

The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) announced two longtime industry leaders as the winners of the 2023 Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Awards, the world's most prestigious robotics honor: Roberta Nelson Shea, Universal Robots and Jeff Burnstein, Association for Advancing Automation (A3).

Roberta Nelson Shea, Global Technical Compliance Officer, Universal Robots, was selected as the Application winner for her outstanding work over the course of her career in global robotics safety.

Jeff Burnstein, President, Association for Advancing Automation (A3), was selected for Leadership, recognizing his four decades of commitment and vision at the global automation trade association.

Nelson Shea and Burnstein are pillars in the robotics industry and were unanimously selected by the awards committee and past chairs of the Robotic Industries Association (RIA, now A3) to win the award this year.

These awards are named after the late Joseph F. Engelberger, known throughout the world as the founding force behind industrial robotics. Since its inception in 1977, the Engelberger Awards have now been given to 136 robotics leaders from around the world for excellence in technology development, application, education, and leadership.

The winners are recommended by a panel of industry leaders based on all present and past nominations from the industry and voted upon by the past chairs of RIA. A3 is the organization that administers the award, and each winner receives a $5,000 honorarium and commemorative medallion.

“The Engelberger Robotics Award for Application in Safety is a tremendous honor to me and to all those who have embraced and contributed to robotic safety,” said Nelson Shea. “I remember meeting Joe Engelberger over 40 years ago and never imagined receiving this award. I view the award to be honoring the industry’s progress in optimizing safety and productivity. The journey has been amazing!”

“Winning the Engelberger Robotics Award for Leadership is beyond any accomplishment I could have imagined when I started at the association 40 years ago,” said Burnstein. “The award has been described as the ‘Nobel Prize of Robotics’ for good reason as it is acknowledged globally as our industry’s pinnacle of success. As an English major with no technical background at all, I am living proof that there is a home for anyone in the robotics industry.”

Roberta Nelson Shea

Roberta Nelson Shea is the Global Technical Compliance Officer at Universal Robots.

For over 45 years, she has been one of the central figures in the development of industrial robot safety standards in North America and around the world. As the convenor of the committee ISO/TC 299 WG3 (ISO/TC 184/SC2), she lead the introduction of ISO/TS 15066, which, as an extension of the established ISO 10218, is the first document defining standardized safety requirements within human-robot-collaboration. Presently the group is revising ISO 10218-1 and ISO 10218-2.

For more than 23 years, she’s served as chair of the committee that oversees the R15.06 robot safety standard. Nelson Shea’s commitment to safety is evident in her involvement with the NIOSH/OSHA/RIA Alliance, R15.08 and many other standards committees. She was also a past board of director member for ANSI and RIA.

With too many honors to name, some of the most significant include being elected one of the Top Twenty Women Making Their Mark in Robotics and Automation by Smart Manufacturing; and one of the Top 100 Women in Safety by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE); and winning the 2022 Goddard Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement by Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

“My work in safety standards has been both the most rewarding and most challenging in my career,” Nelson Shea said. “The robotics industry should be proud of our safety standards and the resulting low incident rate. Due to everyone’s contributions (robot manufacturers, integrators and robot users), we have made robotics great for the market and the people associated with their use. Let’s celebrate all the ways that robotics improves the world!”

Jeff Burnstein

Burnstein is the President of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), the largest robotics and automation trade group representing over 1,160 global companies involved in robotics, artificial intelligence, vision, motion control and related automation technologies.

Since joining the association in 1983 as manager of marketing & public relations, Burnstein has held a variety of senior positions, culminating in his promotion to President in 2007. He is a frequent commentator in the media, often discusses automation issues with policy makers, and regularly speaks at global conferences on issues such as the impact of automation on jobs and the future of automation beyond the factory floor. Burnstein also serves on the Executive Board of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

“I believe my most important role for the past four decades has been to tell the story of how robotics is making our world better by performing tasks that assist people -- not replace them. Robots are enabling better, safer, and higher-paying jobs in every industry and helping solve our most difficult challenges. I hope my selection for this award will inspire others to pursue robotics-related careers in our increasingly automated future.”

Awards Dinner

The awards dinner at Automate will be held May 24 from 5:15 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom at the Huntington Place Convention Center. Tickets for the event, which includes a cocktail reception and dinner, may be purchased when registering for the Automate 2023 Show and Conference.

Automate takes place May 22-25 in Detroit, and anyone who works with or is interested in automation can attend for free. This year will be the biggest yet, featuring 300,000 square feet of exhibit space, 600+ exhibitors, 25,000 attendees, and valuable learning and networking opportunities. Attendees will see the latest in cutting-edge robotics, vision, artificial intelligence, motion control and more.

The stock of operational robots around the globe hit a new record of about 3.5 million units – the value of installations reached an estimated 15.7 billion USD. The International Federation of Robotics analyzes the top 5 trends shaping robotics and automation in 2023.

“Robots play a fundamental role in securing the changing demands of manufacturers around the world,” says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “New trends in robotics attract users from small enterprise to global OEMs.”

1 – Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is key to improve companies’ competitiveness amid rising energy costs. The adoption of robotics helps in many ways to lower energy consumption in manufacturing. Compared to traditional assembly lines, considerable energy savings can be achieved through reduced heating. At the same time, robots work at high speed thus increasing production rates so that manufacturing becomes more time- and energy-efficient.

Today’s robots are designed to consume less energy, which leads to lower operating costs. To meet sustainability targets for their production, companies use industrial robots equipped with energy saving technology: robot controls are able to convert kinetic energy into electricity, for example, and feed it back into the power grid. This technology significantly reduces the energy required to run a robot. Another feature is the smart power saving mode that controls the robot´s energy supply on-demand throughout the workday. Since industrial facilities need to monitor their energy consumption even today, such connected power sensors are likely to become an industry standard for robotic solutions.

2 – Reshoring

Resilience has become an important driver for reshoring in various industries: Car manufacturers e.g. invest heavily in short supply lines to bring processes closer to their customers. These manufacturers use robot automation to manufacture powerful batteries cost-effectively and in large quantities to support their electric vehicle projects. These investments make the shipment of heavy batteries redundant. This is important as more and more logistics companies refuse to ship batteries for safety reasons.

Relocating microchip production back to the US and Europe is another reshoring trend. Since most industrial products nowadays require a semiconductor chip to function, their supply close to the customer is crucial. Robots play a vital role in chip manufacturing, as they live up to the extreme requirements of precision. Specifically designed robots automate the silicon wafer fabrication, take over cleaning and cleansing tasks or test integrated circuits. Recent examples of reshoring are Intel´s new chip factories in Ohio or the recently announced chip plant in the Saarland region of Germany run by chipmaker Wolfspeed and automotive supplier ZF.

3 – Robots easier to use

Robot programming has become easier and more accessible to non-experts. Providers of software-driven automation platforms support companies, letting users manage industrial robots with no prior programming experience. Original equipment manufacturers work hand-in-hand with low code or even no-code technology partners that allow users of all skill levels to program a robot.

The easy-to-use software paired with an intuitive user experience replaces extensive robotics programming and opens up new robotics automation opportunities: Software start-ups are entering this market with specialized solutions for the needs of small and medium-sized companies. For example: a traditional heavy-weight industrial robot can be equipped with sensors and a new software that allows collaborative setup operation. This makes it easy for workers to adjust heavy machinery to different tasks. Companies will thus get the best of both worlds: robust and precise industrial robot hardware and state-of-the-art cobot software.

Easy-to-use programming interfaces, that allow customers to set up the robots themselves, also drive the emerging new segment of low-cost robotics. Many new customers reacted to the pandemic in 2020 by trying out robotic solutions. Robot suppliers acknowledged this demand: Easy setup and installation, for instance, with pre-configured software to handle grippers, sensors or controllers support lower-cost robot deployment. Such robots are often sold through web shops and program routines for various applications are downloadable from an app store.

4 – Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital automation

Propelled by advances in digital technologies, robot suppliers and system integrators offer new applications and improve existing ones regarding speed and quality. Connected robots are transforming manufacturing. Robots will increasingly operate as part of a connected digital ecosystem: Cloud Computing, Big Data Analytics or 5G mobile networks provide the technological base for optimized performance. The 5G standard will enable fully digitalized production, making cables on the shopfloor obsolete.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds great potential for robotics, enabling a range of benefits in manufacturing. The main aim of using AI in robotics is to better manage variability and unpredictability in the external environment, either in real-time, or off-line. This makes AI supporting machine learning play an increasing role in software offerings where running systems benefit, for example with optimized processes, predictive maintenance or vision-based gripping.

This technology helps manufacturers, logistics providers and retailers dealing with frequently changing products, orders and stock. The greater the variability and unpredictability of the environment, the more likely it is that AI algorithms will provide a cost-effective and fast solution – for example, for manufacturers or wholesalers dealing with millions of different products that change on a regular basis. AI is also useful in environments in which mobile robots need to distinguish between the objects or people they encounter and respond differently.

5 – Second life for industrial robots

Since an industrial robot has a service lifetime of up to thirty years, new tech equipment is a great opportunity to give old robots a “second life”. Industrial robot manufacturers like ABB, Fanuc, KUKA, Stäubli or Yaskawa run specialized repair centers close to their customers to refurbish or upgrade used units in a resource-efficient way. This prepare-to-repair strategy for robot manufacturers and their customers also saves costs and resources. To offer long-term repair to customers is an important contribution to the circular economy.

IFR Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• Graph 5 Top Trends 2023 (229KB)
• IFR Pressemeldung zu Top 5 Robot Trends auf deutsch (142KB)

Countries around the world invest in robotics to support developments in industry and society. What are the exact targets of robotics research funding programs (R&D) officially driven by governments in Asia, Europe and America today? This has been researched by the International Federation of Robotics and published in the 2023 update paper of “World Robotics R&D Programs”.

“The 3rd version of World Robotics R&D Programs covers the latest funding developments including updates in 2022,” says Prof. Dr. Jong-Oh Park, Vice-Chairman IFR Research Committee and member of the Executive Board.

The overview shows that the most advanced robotics countries in terms of annual installations of industrial robots – China, Japan, USA, South Korea, Germany - and the EU drive very different R&D strategies:

Robotics R&D programs - officially driven by governments

In China, the “14^th Five-Year Plan” for Robot Industry Development, released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) in Beijing on 21^st December 2021, focuses on promoting innovation. The goal is to make China a global leader for robot technology and industrial advancement. Robotics is included in 8 key industries for the next 5 years. In order to implement national science and technology innovation arrangements, the key special program “Intelligent Robots” was launched under the National Key R&D Plan on 23^rd April 2022 with a funding of 43.5 million USD. The recent statistical yearbook "World Robotics" by IFR shows that China reached a robot density of 322 units per 10,000 workers in the manufacturing industry: The country ranks 5^th worldwide in 2021 compared to 20^th (140 units) in 2018.

In Japan, the “New Robot Strategy” aims to make the country the world´s number one robot innovation hub. More than 930.5 million USD in support has been provided by the Japanese government in 2022. Key sectors are manufacturing (77.8 million USD), nursing and medical (55 million USD), infrastructure (643.2 million USD) and agriculture (66.2 million USD). The action plan for manufacturing and service includes projects such as autonomous driving, advanced air mobility or the development of integrated technologies that will be the core of next-generation artificial intelligence and robots. A budget of 440 million USD was allocated to robotics-related projects in the “Moonshot Research and Development Program” over a period of 5 years from 2020 to 2025. According to the statistical yearbook "World Robotics" by IFR, Japan is the world´s number one industrial robot manufacturer and delivered 45% of the global supply in 2021.

The 3rd Basic Plan on Intelligent Robots of South Korea is pushing to develop robotics as a core industry in the fourth industrial revolution. The Korean government allocated 172.2 million USD in funding for the “2022 Implementation Plan for the Intelligent Robot”. From 2022 to 2024 a total of 7.41 million USD is planned in funding for the “Full-Scale Test Platform Project for Special-Purpose Manned or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles”. The statistical yearbook "World Robotics" showed an all-time high of 1,000 industrial robots per 10,000 employees in 2021. This makes Korea the country with the highest robot density worldwide.

Horizon Europe is the European Union’s key research and innovation framework program with a budget of 94.30 billion USD for seven years (2021-2027). Top targets are: strengthening the EU’s scientific and technological bases, boosting Europe’s innovation capacity, competitiveness and jobs as well as delivering on citizens’ priorities and sustaining socio-economic models and values. The European Commission provides total funding of 198.5 million USD for the robotics-related work program 2021-2022.

Germany´s High-Tech Strategy 2025 (HTS) is the fourth edition of the German R&D and innovation program. The German government will provide around 69 million USD annually until 2026 - a total budget of 345 million USD for five years. As part of the HTS 2025 mission, the program “Shaping technology for the people” was launched. This program aims to use technological change in society as a whole and in the world of work for the benefit of people. Research topics are: digital assistance systems such as data glasses, human-robot-collaboration, exoskeletons to support employees in their physical work, but also solutions for the more flexible organization of work processes or the support of mobile work. According to the report "World Robotics" by IFR, Germany is the largest robot market in Europe – the robot density ranks in 4^th place worldwide with 397 units per 10,000 employees.

The National Robotics Initiative (NRI) in the USA was launched for fundamental robotics R&D supported by the US government. The NRI-3.0 program, announced in February 2021, seeks research on integrated robot systems and builds upon the previous NRI programs. The US government supported the NRI-3.0 fund to the sum of 14 million USD in 2021. Collaboration among academics, industry, government, non-profit, and other organizations is encouraged. The “Moon to Mars” project by NASA for example highlights objectives to establish a long-term presence in the vicinity of and on the moon. The projects target research and technology development that will significantly increase the performance of robots to collaboratively support deep space human exploration and science missions. For the Artemis lunar program, the US government is planning to allocate a budget of 35 billion USD from 2020 to 2024. The statistical yearbook "World Robotics" by IFR shows that robot density in the United States rose from 255 units in 2020 to 274 units in 2021. The country ranks 9th in the world. Regarding annual installations of industrial robots, the USA takes 3^rd position.

IFR Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Files for Download

Please find the information paper “World Robotics R&D Programs” by IFR for download at: https://ifr.org/r-and-d (download requires registration).

• IFR Pressemeldung zu R&D Programmen auf deutsch (229KB)

2022 certainly was a year of ups and downs. The fear about COVID-19 finally dwindled, and most parts of the world came back to normal. We also started the year with a positive outlook on the global economy. Then, the global community was shocked by humanitarian disaster: the Russian war against the Ukraine. Our thoughts are with all that are suffering from this conflict.

Dear Reader,

With the year slowly coming to an end, I would like to take a moment to look back and recap.

2022 certainly was a year of ups and downs. The fear about COVID-19 finally dwindled, and most parts of the world came back to normal. We also started the year with a positive outlook on the global economy. Then, the global community was shocked by humanitarian disaster: the Russian war against the Ukraine. Our thoughts are with all that are suffering from this conflict.

2022 brought back global trade shows and the opportunities for most of us to travel more freely around the globe - and to meet back in-person meetings. It was so good to meet many of you personally, as networking and exchange of thoughts still works much better in the physical than in the digital world.

While rising prices for intermediate products and energy and the scarcity of electronic components are challenging all branches of the global economy, 2022 also brought us a particular spirit of optimism. In particular in the Americas and Asia, general industries are heavily investing into robotics and automation, driven by the pandemic. This was first indicated by IFR's quarterly quick survey, but finally is also manifested in the long-awaited World Robotics 2022, that was published by IFR on October 13.

IFR's annual statistics reported an all-time high with more than half a million industrial robots installed in factories around the globe in one year - a plus of 31% (the third highest annual growth rate ever). The top five markets China, Japan, the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Germany now account for 78% of global installations. This comes as no big surprise, as China alone covers 52% of the market.

China has also taken a big leap in robot density, hitting 322 robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees in 2021 and thus ranks in fifth place. Only five years ago, China still ranked 23th with a robot density of only 68.

Global service robotics sales grew by 37% globally in 2021. Top five applications in professional service robots are transportation of goods or cargo, hospitality, medical robots, professional cleaning as well as agriculture.

The outlook for both the industrial and the service robots’ markets is a positive: Order books are full and demand for industrial robots has never been higher. We forecast average annual growth rates in the medium to upper single-digit range for the next few years. In service robotics, the market is mainly driven by the demographic change, which is burdening labor markets in many economies around the world.

We are looking optimistically into the year 2023. For the robotics industry, it will be the first year with all three major robotics trade shows - Automate, automatica and iREX - happening within eight months. This will be a great opportunity for all stakeholders to meet and (potential) robot users to learn about the latest developments and about the opportunities robotics is offering to them. I’m looking forward to meeting all of you at least at one of these occasions.

I wish you a peaceful holiday season and a happy and successful New Year.

Best regards

Marina Bill
IFR President

China’s massive investment in industrial robotics has put the country in the top ranking of robot density, surpassing the United States for the first time. The number of operational industrial robots relative to the number of workers hit 322 units per 10,000 employees in the manufacturing industry. Today, China ranks in fifth place. The world´s top 5 most automated countries in manufacturing 2021 are: South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Germany and China.

“Robot density is a key indicator of automation adoption in the manufacturing industry around the world,” says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “The new average of global robot density in the manufacturing industry surged to 141 robots per 10,000 employees – more than double the number six years ago. China’s rapid growth shows the power of its investment so far, but it still has much opportunity to automate.”

Robot density by region

Driven by the high volume of robot installations in recent years, Asia’s average robot density surged by 18% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) since 2016 to 156 units per 10,000 employees in 2021. The European robot density had been growing by 8% (CAGR) in the same period of time reaching 129 units. In the Americas it was 117 robots – plus 8% (CAGR).

Top countries

The Republic of Korea hit an all-time high of 1,000 industrial robots per 10,000 employees in 2021. This is more than three times the number reached in China and makes the country number one worldwide. With its globally recognized electronics industry and a distinct automotive sector, the Korean economy profits from two large customer industries for industrial robots.

Singapore takes second place with a rate of 670 robots per 10,000 employees in 2021. Singapore’s robot density had been growing by 24% on average each year since 2016.

There is a remarkable gap to Japan (399 robots per 10,000 employees) which ranks third. Japan’s robot density had grown by 6% on average each year since 2016. Germany in fourth place (397 units) is the largest robot market in Europe.

China is by far the fastest growing robot market in the world. The country has the highest number of annual installations, and since 2016 it has each year had the largest operational stock of robots.

United States

Robot density in the United States rose from 255 units in 2020 to 274 units in 2021. The country ranks ninth in the world, down from seventh – now head-to-head with Chinese Taipei (276 units) and behind Hong Kong (304 units) and Sweden (321 units). 

Orders for World Robotics 2022 Service Robots and Industrial Robots reports can be placed online. Further downloads on the content are available here.

Videos

FACTS video about ROBOT DENSITY on YouTube. 
Video of recorded World Robotics press conference is available.

IFR Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected] 

Downloads

Graph and press release in German language are available for download below.

• Graph Robot Density by country 2021 (154KB)
• IFR Pressemeldung Roboterdichte 2021 - deutsch (278KB)

Sales of professional service robots rose by an impressive 37% in 2021. By region, the strongest growth came from Europe with a market share of 38% followed by North America with 32% and Asia with 30%. At the same time, sales of new consumer service robots grew by 9%, according to the “World Robotics 2022 – Service Robots” report, issued by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

Service robots for professional use

“Service robots for professional use are extremely diverse,” says IFR´s President Marina Bill. “They are usually designed to perform a specific task and can be found in warehouses, in hospitals and airports or even helping on dairy farms automatically milking cows.”

Five top applications for professional service robots by units sold:

About 121,000 professional service robots were sold in 2021 - more than one out of every three built were targeted for the transportation of goods or cargo. The majority thereof are used in indoor environments e.g factories, where the general public has no access to, so that these robots are not designed to deal with public traffic. A total of 286 companies are producing service robots in this category.

Hospitality robots enjoy growing popularity but compared to market potential, sales figures are still low: More than 20,000 units (+85%) were sold in 2021. Robots in this category are either used for food and drink preparation or for mobile guidance, information, and telepresence.

Sales of medical robots were up 23% to 14,823 units. The majority are surgical robots, followed by robots for rehabilitation and non-invasive therapy, while the share of robots for diagnostics is still comparably low.

Demand for professional cleaning robots grew by 31%. Sales of more than 12,600 units were reported. The main application in this group is floor cleaning. Disinfection robots that spray disinfectant fluids or use ultraviolet light to destroy viruses have also seen a strongly growing demand since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Other professional cleaning helpers are, for instance, professional window, pool- and solar panel-cleaning robots.

Robotics plays an important part in the digitalization of agriculture with more than 8,000 units (+6%) sold in 2021. Robots are well established in cow milking, assisted by robotic barn cleaners and feeding robots. Robots for the cultivation of crops are still in their early days.

Service robots for consumer use

“Service robots for consumers are mainly used in domestic environments: They help with vacuuming, floor-cleaning, or gardening, and are also used for social interaction and education,” says IFR´s President Marina Bill. “These service robots are produced for a mass market with completely different pricing and marketing compared to service robots for professional use.”

Robots for domestic tasks constituted the largest group of consumer robots. Almost 19 million units (+12%) were sold in 2021. Vacuuming robots and other robots for indoor domestic floor cleaning are currently the most used application. This kind of service robot is available in almost every convenience store, making it easily accessible to consumers. Today, gardening robots usually comprise lawn-mowing robots. This market is expected to grow by low double-digit growth rates on average each year over the next few years.

Care-at-home robots that support an aging population to remain independent in their own homes are a growing niche market.

Service robotics industry structure

Although the service robotics industry is a young and growing industry, 87% of service robot producers worldwide are considered incumbents that were established before 2017. The share of start-ups has been decreasing in recent years because the industry’s focus has shifted towards software and application development. Many service robot suppliers use third-party hardware to create a solution and are therefore not counted as a service robot producer in IFR industry structure statistics.

The IFR’s market observation suggests two reasons for the decreasing share of start-ups: Some market segments have already achieved a level of maturity that sees companies growing, for instance AMRs for warehouse logistics. Further, founding activities shifted away from the development of hardware towards software development and application development. Many service applications are based on collaborative industrial robots, purchased from an industrial producer. The service robot supplier is therefore not considered a robot producer - the robot is purchased from a third party. These companies act like system integrators, combining different components and developing software to create a solution. 
 

Orders for World Robotics 2022 Service Robots and Industrial Robots reports can be placed online. Further downloads on the content are available here.

World Robotics - Service Robots

This unique report provides global statistics on service robots, market analyses, and forecasts on the worldwide distribution of professional and personal service robots. The study is jointly prepared with our partner Fraunhofer IPA, Stuttgart.

Videos

WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO – The International Federation of Robotics on our YouTube-Channel
Video of recorded World Robotics press conference is available.
 

IFR Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected] 

Downloads

Graph, market presentation and press release in German language are available for download below.

• Graph Top 5 applications service robots for professional use (119KB)
• Market presentation World Robotics 2022 extended version (7.5MB)
• Market presentation World Robotics 2022 short version (6.6MB)
• IFR Pressemeldung World Robotics Service Robots Report - deutsch (241KB)

The new World Robotics report shows an all-time high of 517,385 new industrial robots installed in 2021 in factories around the world. This represents a growth rate of 31% year-on-year and exceeds the pre-pandemic record of robot installation in 2018 by 22%. Today, the stock of operational robots around the globe hits a new record of about 3.5 million units.

“The use of robotics and automation is growing at a breathtaking speed,” says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “Within six years, annual robot installations more than doubled. According to our latest statistics, installations grew strongly in 2021 in all major customer industries, although supply chain disruptions as well as different local or regional headwinds hampered production.”

Asia, Europe and the Americas - overview

Asia remains the world’s largest market for industrial robots. 74% of all newly deployed robots in 2021 were installed in Asia (2020: 70%).

Installations for the region´s largest adopter China grew strongly by 51% with 268,195 units shipped. Every other robot installed globally in 2021 was deployed here. The operational stock broke the 1-million-unit mark (+27%). This high growth rate indicates the rapid speed of robotization in China.  

Japan remained second to China as the largest market for industrial robots. Installations were up 22% in 2021 with 47,182 units. Japan’s operational stock was 393,326 units (+5%) in 2021.
After two years of declining robot installations in all major industries, numbers began growing again in 2021. Japan is the world´s predominant robot manufacturing country: Exports of Japanese industrial robots achieved a new peak level at 186,102 units in 2021.

The Republic of Korea was the fourth largest robot market in terms of annual installations, following the US, Japan and China. Robot installations increased by 2% to 31,083 units in 2021. This followed four years of declining installation figures. The operational stock of robots was computed at 366,227 units (+7%).

Europe

Robot installations in Europe were up 24% to 84,302 units in 2021. This represents a new peak. Demand from the automotive industry was steady, while demand from the general industry was up by 51%. Germany, which belongs to the five major robot markets in the world, had a share of 28% of total installations in Europe. Italy followed with 17% and France with 7%.

The number of installed robots in Germany grew by 6% to 23,777 units in 2021. This is the second highest installation count ever recorded, following the peak caused by massive investments from the automotive industry in 2018 (26,723 units). The operational stock of robots was calculated at 245,908 units (+7%) in 2021. Exports of industrial robots from Germany were up 41% to 22,870 units, exceeding the pre-pandemic level.

Italy is the second largest robot market in Europe after Germany. The main growth driver between 2016 and 2021 was the general industry with an annual average growth rate of 8%. 
The operational stock of robots was computed at 89,330 units (+14%) in 2021. The 2021 results were driven by catch-up effects and earlier purchases due to a reduction of tax credits in 2022. This created a 65% increase of robot installations to a new record level of 14,083 units in 2021.

The robot market in France ranked third in Europe in 2021 regarding annual installations and operational stock, following Italy and Germany. In 2021, robot installations increased by 11% to 5,945 units. The operational stock of robots in France was calculated at 49,312 units, a 10% increase over the previous year.

In the United Kingdom, industrial robot installations were down by 7% to 2,054 units. The operational stock of robots was calculated at 24,445 units (+6%) in 2021. This is less than a tenth of Germany´s stock. The automotive industry reduced installations by 42% to 507 units in 2021.

The Americas

In 2021, 50,712 industrial robots were installed in the Americas, 31% more than in 2020. This is a remarkable recovery from the pandemic dip in 2020 and the second time that robot installations in the Americas exceeded the 50,000-unit mark, with 55,212 units in 2018 setting the benchmark.

New installations in the United States were up by 14% to 34,987 units in 2021. This exceeded the pre-pandemic level of 33,378 units in 2019 but was still considerably lower than the peak level of 40,373 units in 2018. The automotive industry is still by far the number one adopter with 9,782 units installed in 2021. However, demand had been continuously declining for five years (2016-2021). In 2021 installations were down 7% compared to 2020. Installations in the metal and machinery industry surged by 66% to 3,814 units in 2021, putting this industry into second place in terms of robot demand. The plastic and chemical products industry had 3,466 robots (+30%) newly installed in 2021.  The food and beverage industry installed 25% more robots, reaching a new peak level of 3,402 units in 2021. The robotics industry offers hygienic solutions that experienced growing demand during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Outlook

Rising energy prices, intermediate product prices and scarcity of electronic components are challenging all branches of the global economy. But order books are full and demand for industrial robots has never been higher. In total, global robot installations are expected to grow by 10% to almost 570,000 units in 2022. The post-pandemic boom experienced in 2021 is expected to fade out in 2022. From 2022 to 2025, average annual growth rates in the medium to upper single-digit range are forecast.

Orders for World Robotics 2022 Industrial Robots and Service Robots reports can be placed online. Further downloads on the content are available here.

IFR Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected] 

Downloads

Graphs, market presentation and press releases on selected markets in Chinese, German, Japanese, Italian and Swedish language are available for download below.

• Market presentation World Robotics 2022 extended version (7.5MB)
• Market presentation World Robotics 2022 short version (6.6MB)
• Graph global installations of industrial robots 2011-2021 (65KB)
• Graph global operational stock of industrial robots 2011-2021 (332KB)
• Graph 15 largest markets of industrial robots - World Robotics 2022 (309KB)
• Graph global installations of industrial robots with forecast 2016-2025 (330KB)
• Graph Main Industries World - World Robotics 2022 (348KB)
• Graph global installations of cobots 20117-2021 (317KB)
• Graph China installations of industrial robots 2011-2021 (89KB)
• Graph Japan installations of industrial robots 2011-2021 (86KB)
• Graph US installations of industrial robots 2011-2021 (50KB)
• Graph Germany operational stock of industrial robots 2011-2021 (422KB)
• Graph Italy installations of industrial robots 2011-2021 (393KB)
• Chinese press release on China (400KB)
• Deutsche Pressemeldung für Deutschland (173KB)
• Deutsche Übersetzung Pressemeldung zum Weltmarkt (320KB)
• Japanese press release on Japan (329KB)
• English press release on US market (236KB)
• Italian press release von Italy (240KB)
• English press release on world market (327KB)
• Swedish Pressmeddelande13 Oktober 2022 (350KB)

It is a great honor for me to address you for the first time in this quarterly newsletter as the new - and first female - President of the IFR.

Dear Reader,

It is a great honor for me to address you for the first time in this quarterly newsletter as the new - and first female - President of the IFR.

In June, shortly before the summer break, two of the world's most important trade shows for robotics and automation, the Automate show in Detroit and the automatica fair in Munich took place. I would like to highlight key trends presented to the robotics community and its customers after more than two years of online-only events and in-house fairs.

The range of robots designed for human-robot collaboration is continuously expanding: this year, in particular, new cobots with higher payloads and longer reach opened up a new range of applications. In addition to working modules involving a more-or-less shared workspace, cobots are increasingly used in place of traditional industrial robot tasks, especially welding applications, where they excel through their ease of use. 

Ease of integration and plug and play are also in high demand. We are seeing more complete solutions for standard applications designed to lower the barrier to entry to robotics automation and desperately sought after by users.

In line with this, we’re also witnessing the evolution of new business ecosystems. Customers are seeking “one-stop-shops” delivering not only the robot itself, but also compatible plug & play accessories like grippers and even online application builders.

Interest in ease of programming and usability is growing particularly for customers with high-mix, low volume production who do not have in-house robotics specialists trained in different proprietary robot programming languages. Increasingly, established industrial robot manufacturers provide a simplified programming tool, often GUI based, providing pre-customized building blocks and also typically using tablets as interfaces. 

AMRs (autonomous mobile robots) are seamlessly integrated into the manufacturing process together with industrial robots, enabling new production layouts. It appears to be the logical next step to integrate the robot arm directly into the AMR to achieve “mobile manipulators,” showcased by a growing number of manufacturers.

Advanced vision systems and artificial intelligence are also opening new possibilities, especially in the field of picking & gripping as well as in quality inspection.

Digitalization and connectivity of robotic systems are making significant progress. Digital twins allow for remote monitoring and fleet management, for predictive maintenance and process optimization, enabling new business models.

Finally, in times of rising energy prices and focus on corporate social responsibility, the sustainability of production tools is a growing trend. Total cost of ownership considerations provide opportunities for less energy consuming robots, and repairability as well as the overhaul of machines to extend the overall lifetime. 

While we previewed the IFRs preliminary statistics on 2021 robotics market development during both trade shows, the final figures will officially be published on October 13, 2022 in Frankfurt during the annual IFR press conference.

Hope to meet you all soon at one of the upcoming in-person events, conferences or trade shows.

Best regards

Marina Bill
IFR President

The industrial robotics market in China achieved strong growth with a new record of 243,300 installations in 2021 – a rise of 44% compared to the previous year. These preliminary data have been published by the International Federation of Robotics.

“China was leading the global recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic and accounted for half of worldwide robot installations in 2021,” said Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “Growth is strong across all industries with electrical and electronics being the dominant sector – up 30% to 81,600 installations. The automotive industry also showed a strong recovery. This was mainly driven by electric vehicle manufacturing in China. It rose by 89% in 2021 with 50,700 installations.”

Chinese government supports robotic automation

In China aging population's demographics causes shortage of labor and drives the growth of robotic automation. The continued robotization of industries has been announced earlier this year by the government. The Five-Year plan for the robotics industry, released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) in Beijing, focuses on promoting innovation - making China a global leader of robot technology and industrial advancement.

New profession: “robotics engineering technician”

At the same time, state authorities aim to boost employment and entrepreneurial opportunities among college graduates. In June, 18 new professions including “robotics engineering technician” were announced by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. The profession focuses on the research and development of control algorithms and operating systems for robots, as well as the use of digital simulation technology.

“China still has high potential for further growth,” said Marina Bill. “The country´s robot density in the manufacturing industry amounts to 246 industrial robots per 10,000 employees thus ranking ninth worldwide in 2020. Ten years ago, China´s robot density was 15 units only.”

IFR Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]
 

• Graph installations of industrial robots in China - preliminary result for 2021 (122KB)
• IFR Pressemeldung China vorläufige Zahlen 2021 - deutsch (197KB)
• IFR press release preliminary CHINA figures - chinese language (431KB)

The International Federation of Robotics IFR will present the sales figures of industrial and service robots of 2021 on 13 October 2022 in Frankfurt during their annual press conference. These figures will cover the global market.

The detailed figures will be published in separate studies World Robotics - Industrial Robots and World Robotics - Service Robots. Customers with pre-orders will get access to the data on the publication date, others may place their order now. A press release and presentation of selected markets will be available on this webpage as well.

Preliminary figures are promising

IFR published already preliminary figures in June predicting a strong recovery of industrial robots: A new record of 486,800 units were installed globally – an increase of 27% compared to the previous year. Asia/Australia saw the largest growth in demand: installations were up 33% reaching 354,500 units. The Americas increased by 27% with 49,400 units sold. Europe saw double digit growth of 15% with 78,000 units installed. 

The World Robotics reports

World Robotics - Industrial Robots: This unique report provides global statistics on industrial robots in standardized tables and enables national comparisons to be made. It presents statistical data for around 40 countries broken down into areas of application, customer industries, types of robots and other technical and economic aspects. Production, export and import data is listed for selected countries. It also offers robot density, i.e. the number of robots per 10,000 employees, as a measure for the degree of automation.

World Robotics - Service Robots: This unique report provides global statistics on service robots, market analyses, and forecasts on the worldwide distribution of professional and personal service robots. The study is jointly prepared with our partner Fraunhofer IPA, Stuttgart.
 

Milton Guerry started the roundtable discussion with an introduction on the North American robotics market showing preliminary figures of industrial robots shipped in 2021.

Companies across North America are deploying robotics and automation at record rates as they continue to face labor shortages, decreased productivity and a disrupted supply chain.

Executives from FANUC AMERICA, TERADYNE, UPS, ZEBRA TECHNOLOGIES and NVIDIA discussed on June 7th 2022 at IFR´s EXECUTIVE ROUNDTABLE in Detroit, sponsored by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) and the Association for Advancing Automation (A3).

Please see all videos on our YouTube channel. 

This year’s “Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics & Automation” (IERA) goes to Drishti, a video analytics company based in Mountain View, California. Drishti technology supports workers on assembly lines to avoid errors and be more productive. To achieve this, the company has developed the pioneering technology “action recognition”.

Drishti streams video at every station of the production line, then uses their AI networks to translate the video streams into data. The action recognition technology delivers feedback to operators in mere seconds, thus avoiding errors. The information is also used retrospectively to help manufacturers improve productivity, quality and training as well as safety.

"Drishti has developed a pathway towards successful robotics and automation suitable for any size of company," said jury chair Andra Keay. "This opens up significant benefits, both for manufacturers and their employees. We are pleased to honor this achievement with the IERA Award 2022."

“Action recognition technology provides unparalleled business insights to all parties in the factory, from the line associate to the CEO,” said Gary Jackson, CEO, Drishti. “The IERA Award is a phantastic recognition of how Drishti helps to optimize production.”

Drishti´s IERA Award-winning technology helps manufacturers

Worldwide, 72% of manufacturing tasks are performed by humans. With Drishti video analysis manufacturers have succeeded to reduce defect rates by up to 50% in just three months, improved throughput by 15% on already optimized lines and reduced time to train new line associates by up to 50%.

“The pioneering technology invented by Drishti uncovers new improvement opportunities on assembly lines while at the same time empowering humans on the factory floor,” said Milton Guerry, President of the IFR at the IERA award ceremony in Munich, Germany. “This is an outstanding example of humans and machines working together. I congratulate Drishti on winning the IERA award 2022. All four finalists have presented their story of a successful innovative product in robotics and automation.”

The other three finalists

Bosch Rexroth presented its Smart Flex Effector – a module which allows large industrial robots to “feel” their environment and produce smarter. Berlin-based Micropsi Industries took part with its MIRAI software – an AI-driven control system that enables industrial robots to deal with variance in production. Neura Robotics presented MAiRA® – a cognitive robot that is able to see, hear, and speak as well as safely interact with human workers and learn from experience.

Video

A video explaining AI power for smart factories is available on the vimeo platform. 

IFR Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• IERA Award 2022 winner (4.5MB)
• IERA Award 2022 finalists (5.2MB)

The Executive Board of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) has elected Marina Bill of ABB as its new President. Kenji Yamaguchi of FANUC appointed as IFR´s new Vice President.

“I am honored to head the IFR as President and serve our industry and I thank the members of the IFR for their trust and support,” said Marina Bill. “The unprecedented pace of change we’re experiencing in global business provides a historic opportunity to shape industry for the next generation. Robotics and automation create flexible, sustainable and efficient solutions for businesses of all sizes that minimize cost, promote resilience and benefit society.”

Bill thanked her predecessor for his work: “Milton Guerry took office at the starting point of the COVID-19 pandemic and served the industry dealing with a great number of challenges. He worked relentlessly as our ambassador and I am proud to continue this mission together with our new Vice President, Kenji Yamaguchi.”

Marina Bill heads Global Marketing & Sales for ABB’s Robotics business which has approximately 11,000 employees, operating in over 100 locations in 53 countries. She has over 25 years of experience in a number of management and sales and marketing roles across automation at ABB. The Swedish and Swiss national holds a Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering and Management from The Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm.

Kenji Yamaguchi has been serving as Representative Director, President and CEO of FANUC CORPORATION since April 2019. After joining the company in April 1993, he started his career with research and development of industrial robots and has contributed to the development of several successful models. His main past responsibilities include heading the Production Engineering Department and Production Division, along with the CNC Business Division. He completed the master's course at the Department of Precision Mechanical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo in March 1993.

IFR Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• Marina Bill and Milton Guerry - high resolution (8.3MB)
• Marina Bill - high resolution (6.4MB)
• IFR Pressemeldung Marina Bill neue Präsidentin - deutsch (152KB)

Sales of industrial robots have reached a strong recovery: A new record of 486,800 units were shipped globally – an increase of 27% compared to the previous year. Asia/Australia saw the largest growth in demand: installations were up 33% reaching 354,500 units. The Americas increased by 27% with 49,400 units sold. Europe saw double digit growth of 15% with 78,000 units installed. These preliminary results for 2021 have been published by the International Federation of Robotics.

“Robot installations around the world recovered strongly and make 2021 the most successful year ever for the robotics industry,” says Milton Guerry, President of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). “Due to the ongoing trend towards automation and continued technological innovation, demand reached high levels across industries. In 2021, even the pre-pandemic record of 422,000 installations per year in 2018 was exceeded.”

Strong demand across industries

In 2021, the main growth driver was the electronics industry (132,000 installations, +21%), which surpassed the automotive industry (109,000 installations, +37%) as the largest customer of industrial robots already in 2020. Metal and machinery (57,000 installations, +38%) followed, ahead of plastics and chemical products (22,500 installations, +21%) and food and beverages (15,300 installations, +24%). 

Europe recovered

In 2021, industrial robot installations in Europe recovered after two years of decline - exceeding the peak of 75,600 units in 2018. Demand from the most important adopter, the automotive industry, moved at a high level sideways (19,300 installations, +/-0%). Demand from metal and machinery rose strongly (15,500 installations, +50%), followed by plastics and chemical products (7,700 installations, +30%).

The Americas recovered

In the Americas, the number of industrial robot installations reached the second-best result ever, only surpassed by the record year 2018 (55,200 installations). The largest American market, the United States, shipped 33,800 units – this represents a market share of 68%.

Asia remains world’s largest market

Asia remains the world’s largest industrial robot market: 73% of all newly deployed robots in 2021 were installed in Asia. A total of 354,500 units were shipped in 2021, up 33% compared to 2020. The electronics industry adopted by far the most units (123,800 installations, +22%), followed by a strong demand from the automotive industry (72,600 installations, +57%) and the metal and machinery industry (36,400 installations, +29%).

Video: “Sustainable! How robots enable a green future”

At automatica 2022 trade fair in Munich, robotics industry leaders discussed, how robotics and automation enable to develop sustainable strategies and a green future. A videocast by IFR will feature the event with key statements of executives from ABB, MERCEDES BENZ, STÄUBLI, VDMA and the EUROPEAN COMMISSION. Please find a summary soon on our YouTube Channel. 

IFR Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• Graph installations of industrial robots by region 2020/2021 - preliminary result (350KB)
• Graph installations of industrial robots Europe - preliminary result (428KB)
• IFR Pressemitteilung deutsch (142KB)
• Presentation: Sustainable! How Robots enable a green future (2.2MB)

I am excited to start this letter with excellent news: during the Automate Show in Detroit last week, the IFR published preliminary figures on the global robotics market in 2021. The main finding in this report: Robot installations not only exceeded pre-crisis levels, but hit a new record high. In 2021, 487,000 units were installed. This is up 27% compared to 2020 and 15% compared to the previous record year 2018.

Dear Reader,

I am excited to start this letter with excellent news: during the Automate Show in Detroit last week, the IFR published preliminary figures on the global robotics market in 2021. The main finding in this report: Robot installations not only exceeded pre-crisis levels, but hit a new record high. In 2021, 487,000 units were installed. This is up 27% compared to 2020 and 15% compared to the previous record year 2018.

The North American market grew by 18%. While Canada and Mexico saw a strong rebound driven by the automotive industry, installations in the United States are substantially growing in the general industries.

The outlook for 2022 looks bright. First quarter 2022 figures from A3 show strong growth in orders and turnover. In the United States, the Great Resignation and staffing shortages are driving automation. Another very positive sign: the diversification of customers continues, driving robotics beyond automotive. Nevertheless, global headwinds make any prediction hard. China‘s COVID policy interferes with global supply chains, and the Russian invasion in Ukraine burdens economies not only in Europe, but also in North America.

Preliminary data for Asia and Europe will be published during the IFR Executive Roundtable in Munich on June 21. The final data for 2021 will be published in World Robotics on October 13, 2022.

In two Executive Roundtables, we will take a closer look at the two most important questions for the robotics industry at the moment:

How are robotics and automation transforming the North American market and what are the drivers behind market development? During the Automate IFR Executive Roundtable in Detroit, Michael Cicco of FANUC America Corporation, Greg Smith of Teradyne, Greg Brown of UPS, Melonee Wise of Fetch Robotics/Zebra, and Deepu Talla of NVIDIA discussed this question and examined the impact of the pandemic, reshoring, supply chain issues and the labor shortage on market development. A summary video of the roundtable will be published shortly.

How will robots enable a green, sustainable future? During our second IFR Executive Roundtable in Munich on June 21, Marc Segura of ABB, Dr. Stephen Travers of Mercedes-Benz, Christophe Coulongeat of Stäubli, Dr. Joachim Döhner of VDMA Battery Production & KUKA Systems and Gwenole Cozigou from the European Commission will discuss. Please let us know if you would like to participate.

On June 20-21, the 54th International Symposium on Robotics – ISR Europe 2022 - will gather participants from both industry and research in Munich and offer an insight into state-of-the-art robot technologies. The new Business Track will offer invited speakers from the industry the opportunity to present their latest developments. Last but not least, a jury from IFR and IEEE RAS will select the winner of this year's IERA Award for innovation and entrepreneurship in robotics and automation.

As this President's Report will also be my last one, I would like to take the opportunity to thank you all for contributing to the IFR work during my Presidency and for your active support and participation in numerous virtual meetings. Despite the difficult times, IFR substantially increased its membership base, we were able to futher develop the IFR strategy over the two years, and we drafted a vision and mission for the federation. This should smooth the way for my successor, who I am happy to introduce in Munich next week.

Take care and see you soon!

Milton Guerry

The North American robotics market experienced its best quarter ever to begin the year: Companies from the US, Canada and Mexico ordered 11,595 industrial robots – up 28% compared to the first quarter of 2021. Revenue rose by 43% and reached a value of USD 664 million. These results are in line with a positive trend worldwide: Preliminary data for 2021 show, that 486,700 industrial robots have been installed globally (+27% year-on-year).

“A strong recovery of the international robotics markets is currently in progress: Worldwide installations of industrial robots in 2021 even exceed the record year 2018,” says Milton Guerry, President of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). “In North America, first quarter order volumes for both units and revenue were at all-time highs. Across industries, the post-COVID crisis boom creates double-digit growth over the same quarter of last year.”

Automotive orders up

In North America, car makers and manufacturers of components accounted for 47% of robot orders in Q1 2022, their orders grew by 15% year-on-year. Several car manufacturers have announced investments to further equip their factories for new electric drive car models or to increase capacity for battery production. These major projects will continue to create demand for industrial robots in the next few years. The United States has the second largest production volume of cars and light vehicles in the world, following China. Worldwide installations of industrial robots in the automotive sector reached 109,400 units in 2021 (+37% year-on-year).

Non-automotive sectors surpassed automotive

Continuing a trend, non-automotive customers have ordered more robots than automotive customers. Worldwide, the electrical & electronics industry is the strongest adopter with a record of 132,200 units installed in 2021. In North America, automotive customers orders in Q1 2022 were 5,476 units, while non-automotive customers ordered 6,122 units the same period. In seven out of the last nine quarters, orders from non-automotive customers surpassed orders from automotive customers.

How Robotics and Automation Are Transforming the North American Economy

At Automate 2022 trade fair in Detroit, robotics industry leaders discussed how robotics and automation are transforming the North American economy in an executive roundtable co-sponsored by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) and the Association for Advancing Automation (A3).

A videocast by IFR will feature the event with key statements of executives from FANUC America, Teradyne, UPS, Zebra and NVIDIA: IFR YouTube Channel.

IFR Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• Graph North American installation 2021 - preliminary result (433KB)
• Graph global installations of industrial robots 2021 - preliminary result (424KB)
• IFR Pressemeldung Nordamerikanischer Markt - deutsch (139KB)
• Market presentation with preliminary results (1.3MB)

The final IERA Award session, the International Symposium on Robotics and the IFR Executive Roundtable will get the stage such events deserve. The automatica trade show in Munich will host these highlights - and many more - from 21 to 24 June.

We are glad that our established events once again take place on-site, after a covid-19 pause of two years. 

IERA Award final session

Since 2005, IFR and IEEE Robotics and Automation Society have jointly sponsored this award honoring outstanding achievements in commercializing innovative robotics and automation technology. 

This year, four finalists have been nominated: 

• Smart Flex Effector by Bosch Rexroth AG, Michael Danzberger
• AI-powered production that empowers humans on the production lines by Drishti, Prasad Akella
• MIRAI: Flexible automation for complex manual workstations by Micropsi Industries GmbH, Dominik Boesl
• MAiRA® - The world’s first cognitive robot by NEURA ROBOTICS, David Reger

The session will be part of the International Symposium on Robotics (ISR) on 20 June. The winner will be officially announced and honored during the ISR gala dinner the same day, together with the awardees of the Joseph E. Engelberger Award. 

54th International Symposium on Robotics (ISR)

The Symposium will be held on June 20 and 21 at the Conference Center North Messe München. In three conference tracks and a poster session over two days, the ISR Europe 2022 will offer an insight into state-of-the-art robot technologies to participants from both industry and research. Selected conference topics include Modeling, Planning and Control, as well as Components and Technologies or Future Industrial and Service Robotics Applications. The Business Track will offer invited speakers from the industry the opportunity to present current product developments. The traditional Conference Gala Dinner will be complemented by the Scientific Society for Assembly, Handling and Industrial Robotics' (MHI) festivities - celebrating its 10th anniversary - in the presence of esteemed guests from politics, business and robotics research. Presentations of the final nominees for the Joseph F. Engelberger Award and the IERA Award are further highlights of the ISR 2022 Gala Dinner.

IFR Executive Roundtable 

On June 21, “Sustainable! How robots enable a green future” will be the theme of the first European IFR Executive Roundtable to be held as an in-person event after four years of enforced break due to the pandemic. 

IFR President Milton Guerry will present preliminary figures on the global robotics market in 2021. Then, experts from ABB, MERCEDES BENZ, STÄUBLI, VDMA and the EUROPEAN COMMISSION will discuss the transformation and how robotics helps to reach sustainable development goals across industries. Please find the details on our extra page. 

Meet the IFR staff

Please visit us at our booth in hall B5, 121B. You will have a chance to take a look at World Robotics 2021 and meet and greet the IFR staff in person. We are looking forward to welcoming you in Munich.
And don't forget to register for the numerous IFR meetings taking place in a hybrid format.

The use of robots plays an important role in reaching the sustainable development goals set out by the United Nations (17 SDGs). The International Federation of Robotics identified 13 SDGs, where robots help to create a better planet.

“The use of robots responds to the UN´s call for action,” says Milton Guerry, President of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). “The IFR supports the United Nations´ sustainable development goals. There are fantastic new ways in which robots save resources and produce green technologies of the future.”

“The transformation on the way to a sustainable use of resources is proving robotics and automation to be key technologies,” says Dr Susanne Bieller, General Secretary of the International Federation of Robotics. “Intelligent automation reduces production costs: This helps battery technology achieve a breakthrough in e-mobility for example or fuel cells production for hydrogen-power as an alternative to fossil energy. At the same time, highly efficient production technology reduces CO2-emissions.”

Clean energy, industrial innovation and sustainable agriculture are just three examples which show how the use of robots contribute to achieve these UN sustainable development goals:

Energies of the future - electricity and solar heat – Clean Energy (UN´s SDG 7)

Pivoting away from fossil fuel makes solar heat and electricity energies of the future: Solar panels are predicted to provide roughly a third of the world's total electricity demand by 2050 – says the International Energy Agency. Heat usage makes up for half of the world’s energy usage. Keeping pace with this booming customer demand for solar panels and reflectors mean being able to produce units in greater quantities.

Industrial robots are now used as part of an automated factory production line in Sweden. Solar energy company Absolicon has developed what it sees as a gamechanger for the widespread adoption of solar heat as an energy source: A parabolic reflector focuses the solar irradiation on a receiver and turns it into steam with a temperature of up to 160 degrees for the use in industrial production. Almost all industries require heat for production processes. The solar collector´s emission-saving potential: every square meter of a solar thermal collector can produce the equivalent energy of 100 liters of oil.

The automation at Absolicon´s factory in Härnösand using two ABB robots has increased production drastically. Where the company previously produced three solar collectors per day with manual production methods, the newly installed robotic production line now has the capacity to produce a finished collector every six minutes.

“Prepare-to-repair” - Industrial Innovation (UN´s SDG 9)

Prepare-to-repair is a successful strategy for robot manufacturers and their customers to save costs and resources. This takes into account that a robot has an average service life of up to thirty years. Using less parts translating into lower risk of future failure is the first step of this approach. To offer long-term repair to customers, storage of parts is a challenge. In order to keep the large number of spare parts in stock, Japanese robot manufacturer Fanuc e.g. runs a central warehouse for Europe. It is located in Luxembourg and has the size of a football pitch with 600,000 spare parts on stock.

Since every hour of machine downtime costs the customer money, it is oftentimes more resource-efficient to transport the spare parts to the customer and repair the machine on site – rather than to manufacture and ship new machines. Manufacturers like ABB, Fanuc, KUKA or Yaskawa all run dedicated repair centers where thousands of industrial robots are refurbished and upgraded for a second life.

“Robots eliminate chemical agents” - Smart Agriculture (UN´s SDG 2)

In agriculture, new field robots eliminate the use of chemical agents. These agricultural robots travel slowly up and down the rows of crops. Equipped with cameras and artificial intelligence software, they are able to locate weeds and burn them selectively with a laser shot. The new technology does not only completely eliminate the use of herbicides. Organic farmers now have an alternative to a related process called “flaming” using propane torches to kill weeds. Flaming could only operate before crops were planted - otherwise it would also have killed the crops.

The Fraunhofer EZRT research centre and partners equipped a farming robot with navigation technology for mechanical weed control in sugar beets. The BlueBob 2.0 also does the job autonomously, so that farmers can devote their time to tasks with higher added value than manual or chemical weeding. Since manual weeding is a very tedious task for humans, the new technology also helps to improve conditions of farm work. Taking over dirty, dull and dangerous tasks is something robots excel at.

IFR Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• IFR Pressemeldung UN Goals DEUTSCH (390KB)
• IFR press release United Nations - JAPANESE (289KB)
• UN SDGs related to Robotics (287KB)
• Absolicon collector production (59KB)
• Absolicon solar collectors (54KB)

On February 20, the global community was rocked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. We are saddened to see the impact of this violence, particularly that which is directed toward civilians. IFR strongly opposes any use of weaponized automation. Our mission is to support robotics for peaceful use, human efficiency and economic progress.

Dear Reader,

On February 20, the global community was rocked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. We are saddened to see the impact of this violence, particularly that which is directed toward civilians. IFR strongly opposes any use of weaponized automation. Our mission is to support robotics for peaceful use, human efficiency and economic progress.  

This sad and disturbing news hit our community after two years defined by the pandemic, just as the world was about  to roll back restrictions and trade fairs were opening their doors again.  It is too early to predict how quickly this conflict will be resolved or what kinds of implications it will have on our sector. Nonetheless, I would like to look forward, to focus on the opportunities available within the robotics community today.

From March 9-12, iREX 2022 fair in Tokyo once again opened its doors to present the latest developments in industrial as well as service robots. Although the event was based in Japan, there was an online extension to allow the rest of the world participate in the show. This year's theme, "The Way towards Friendlier Society, bridged by Robots", is timely and certainly should set an example to other parts of the world.

At the end of March, Advanced Factories 2022 in Barcelona is showcasing robotics and industry 4.0 technologies, mainly to the southern Europeans.

The busiest time of the year for roboticists certainly will be June. Automate (June 6-9 in Detroit) and then automatica (June 21-24 in Munich) will both physically open their doors for the public for the first time in three and four years, respectively.

We are looking forward not only to face-to-face business meetings and networking, but also in-person meetings of the various IFR bodies. For those who cannot join in-person, we will hold IFR meetings in hybrid format, so that the latter can join us at least virtually.

In two Executive Roundtables, we will take a closer look at two of the most important questions for the robotics industry at the moment:

1. How is robotics and automation transforming the economy? What impact will the pandemic, reshoring, supply chain issues, and the labor shortage have on the market development?
2. How do robots enable a green, sustainable future? Are circular economy, sustainable mobility, and the shift to renewable energy sources enabling sustainable production?

The Roundtables will gather executives from leading robot suppliers, end users, and politics. For those who cannot attend on-site, we will provide a summary afterwards.

On June 20-21, the 54th International Symposium on Robotics – ISR Europe 2022 - will gather participants from both industry and research in Munich and offer an insight into state-of-the-art robot technologies. The new Business Track will offer invited speakers from the industry the opportunity to present their latest developments. Last but certainly not least, a jury from IFR and IEEE RAS will select the winner of this year's IERA Award for innovation and entrepreneurship in robotics and automation.

Take care and see you soon!

Milton Guerry

Japan is the world´s number one industrial robot manufacturer – delivering 45% of the global supply. In recent years, the country’s robot suppliers have increased their production capacity considerably: Their export ratio rose to 78% in 2020, when 136,069 industrial robots were shipped. These are results published by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) ahead of the International Robot Exhibition (iREX) in Tokyo, March 09 to 12, 2022.

“Exports of Japanese industrial robots on average had a compound annual growth rate of 6% in the last five years”, says Milton Guerry, President of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). “At the same time, imports of robots have always been extremely low. In 2020, only 2% of Japanese installations were imported. The domestic Japanese robot market is the second largest in the world after China.”

Japan´s success in China

36% of the Japanese exports of robotics and automation technology were destined for China. Like other international robot suppliers, Japanese manufacturers also serve the Chinese market directly from their factories in China. These factories on the world´s largest market for industrial robots proved to be a major advantage in 2020, when international supply chains were disrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Japanese suppliers were able to benefit comprehensively from the Chinese post-crisis boom that started in the second quarter of 2020 and gained momentum in the second half of the year.

Rebound from the Covid-19 pandemic

With a market share of 22%, the United States is the other top market for Japanese exports of robotics and automation technology. Both countries – the US and China - are expected to further rebound from the Covid-19 pandemic. Together with the domestic market, the major export destinations will secure demand for Japanese robotics.

“Robots in Daily Life” - iREX Tokyo

“Japan is a highly robotized country and a global frontrunner in the use of robots for everyday life”, says Dr Susanne Bieller, General Secretary of the International Federation of Robotics. “This year´s iREX exhibition in Tokyo will focus on ways towards a friendlier society, bridged by robots. iREX will display how robots are increasingly shaping our daily lives, e.g. by improving the quality and availability of the products we receive, the reduction of carbon emissions, health outcomes or care for elderly people.”

Downloads

For more background information about “Robots in Daily Life” – please download the Information Paper here.

iREX International Robot Exhibition Tokyo Big Sight, East Halls – March 9 – 12, 2022

The International Robot Exhibition was first held in 1974, and it has since been held once every two years, marking its 24th exhibition this year. The previous exhibition, held in 2019, saw participating exhibitors from 637 companies and organizations, with a total of 3060 booths which is the largest number ever. Exhibitors from outside Japan grew to 95 companies and organizations from 16 countries. Total visitor numbers exceeded 140,000 people, and the exhibition continued to capture attention from around the world as one of the largest robot trade shows in the world, with approximately 7,000 overseas visitors from 64 countries. This year, the fair will be held in a hybrid format for the first time: iREX

IFR Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• Graph Operational Stock Japan 2020 (433KB)
• IFR Pressemeldung - Japan groesster Hersteller (143KB)
• IFR Press Release in Japanese language 10 Mar 2022 (296KB)

The International Federation of Robotics updated its paper on Artificial Intelligence in Robotics. The paper analyzes current applications of AI in robotic applications, future directions, and safety and certification considerations.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds great potential for robotics, enabling a range of benefits in sectors as diverse as manufacturing and healthcare. Though AI is already making its mark on robotics, it is at a much slower pace and in a far narrower field of application than is commonly assumed. This paper summarizes the most common applications of AI in robotics currently in commercial use and provides an overview of market potential over the next 5 to 10 years.

This paper looks at the most common uses of AI in commercial robotic applications and discusses market trends. It also discusses safety standards and regulation for AI in robotics. The impact of AI in robotics on work and jobs is also a topic. 

Download the paper for free at https://ifr.org/papers

Marina Bill has been appointed as new Vice President of the International Federation of Robotics with immediate effect. She represents IFR along with IFR President Milton Guerry.

The IFR Executive Board has elected Marina Bill as IFR Vice President, following Klaus Koenig’s resignation from his positions at IFR.  

Marina Bill is Global Head of Marketing and Sales Robotics at ABB, member of the IFR Executive Board and current Chair of the Robot Suppliers Committee.

"There hasn’t been a more exciting time to be in our industry than right now," states Marina after her election. "We are in a period of unprecedented transformation, for robotic automation itself, and in the rapid acceleration and adaptation of its use across a wide range of industry sectors.  I’m looking forward to help steer that transformation, through the IFR.”

Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• Marina Bill 1600x900 (120KB)
• Marina Bill (420KB)
• 2022-03-01_Pressenotiz_Marina_Bill_zur_IFR_Vizepräsidentin_gewählt.pdf (128KB)

The operational stock of industrial robots hit a new record of about 3 million units worldwide – increasing by 13% on average each year (2015-2020). The International Federation of Robotics analyzes the top 5 trends shaping robotics and automation around the globe.

“Transformation for robotic automation is picking up speed across traditional and new industries,” says Milton Guerry, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “More and more companies are realizing the numerous advantages robotics provides for their businesses.”

1 - Robots adopted by new industries

Segments that are relatively new to automation are rapidly adopting robots. Consumer behavior is driving companies to address demand for personalization of both products and delivery.

The e-commerce revolution was driven by the pandemic and will continue to accelerate in 2022. There are thousands of robots installed worldwide today that did not exist in this segment just five years ago.

In an effort to address labor shortages, companies that have not previously considered automation will reconsider. Businesses that rely on service workers, such as retail and restaurants, are unable to fill job openings, and as a result, we can expect to see them invest in automation to meet patrons’ needs. Relatively new robotics customer industries like delivery and logistics, construction, agriculture and many more benefit from technologies advancing by the day.

2 - Robots easier to use

Implementing robots can be a complex task, but new generations of robots are easier to use. There is a clear trend towards user interfaces that allow simple icon-driven programming and the manual guidance of robots. Robot companies and some 3rd party suppliers are bundling hardware packages together with software to ease implementation. This trend may seem simple, but offerings that focus on complete ecosystems are adding tremendous value by reducing the effort and the time to operation.

The trend for low-cost robotics also comes with easy setup and installation, with specific applications pre-configured in some instances. Suppliers offer standard programs combined with grippers, sensors, and controllers. App stores provide program routines for various applications and support lower-cost robot deployment.

3 - Robots and Humans up-skilling

More and more governments, industry associations, and companies are seeing the need for basic robot and automation education at an early stage for the next generation. The journey of data-driven production lines will focus on education and training. In addition to the training of workers in-house, external education routes can enhance staff learning programs. Robot manufacturers like ABB, FANUC, KUKA, and YASKAWA all register between 10,000 and 30,000 participants in their robot classes across more than 30 countries every year.

Robotics is changing job profiles of factory workers for the better. As the recent “Great Resignation” shows, people want to work in a modern environment where they can build a career. New training opportunities with robotics are a win-win strategy for companies and employees alike: Dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks get automated while people learn key skills for the industrial workplace of the future and increase their earning potential throughout their careers.

4 - Robots secure production

Trade tensions and COVID-19 are driving manufacturing back closer to the customer. Supply-chain issues lead companies to consider nearshoring with automation as a solution.

One particularly revealing statistic from the US shows how automation is helping businesses get back to business: According to the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), robot orders in the United States in the third quarter of 2021 were up 35% over the same period in 2020. More than half of the orders are from non-automotive sectors.

And this record growth isn’t just robotics either—machine vision, motion control, and motors are also seeing big increases. “The pandemic and the resulting disruptions to supply chains and labor availability appear to have been the push that many needed to justify the investment,” says Dr. Susanne Bieller, General Secretary of the IFR. “The companies most likely to invest in automation are those that have been considering it for a while but just hadn’t taken the final step.”

5 - Robots support digital automation

In 2022 and beyond, we see an emphasis on data as key enablers of future manufacturing. Data collected from intelligently automated processes will be analyzed by producers to make more informed decisions. With a robot’s ability to share tasks and learn through AI, companies can also adopt intelligent automation more easily in new environments, from construction to food and beverage packaging facilities to healthcare labs.

AI for robotics is maturing and learning robots are becoming mainstream. The industry is past the pilot phase, and we can expect to see a larger deployment of these technologies in 2022. 

Press contact

econNEWSnetwork
Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Videos on YouTube

• FACTS about INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS - worldwide 2021 
• FACTS about SERVICE ROBOTS – worldwide 2021

Downloads

Further robot pictures are availabe for download at our press area. 

• IFR Pressemeldung - 5 Top Trends Robotik 16.02.2022 (149KB)
• 2022-02-IFR_India_press_release_Top_5_Trends-HINDI.pdf (166KB)
• BlueBotics Cleanfix low res (2.1MB)
• BlueBotics Cleanfix hig res (2.1MB)

The new 5-year plan for the robotics industry in China, released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) in Beijing, focuses on promoting innovation - making China a global leader for robot technology and industrial advancement. The statistical department of the International Federation of Robotics reports about the domestic and foreign engagement on the world's largest market.

“China is by far the biggest robot market in the world regarding annual sales and the operational stock,” says Milton Guerry, President of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). “IFR´s robot density statistics is a useful indicator of China´s dynamic developments, counting the number of industrial robots per 10,000 employees: China´s robot density in the manufacturing industry currently ranks 9th globally (246 units) - compared to 25th (49 units) just five years ago.”

Automation Race in China

The automation race in China today is mainly catered by foreign robot manufacturers with a combined market share of 73%. With some volatility in the past 8 years, this share has been constant. In 2020, installations of robots from abroad - mainly imported from Japan, Korea and Europe - grew strongly by 24% to 123,030 units. This number also includes units produced in China by non-Chinese suppliers. Chinese robot manufacturers mainly deliver to their domestic market, where they held a market share of 27% in 2020 with 45,347 units shipped.

Second robotics development plan

“China released the second five-year development plan for the robotics industry – following 2016-2020,” says Song Xiaogang, Executive Director and Secretary-General of the China Robot Industry Alliance (CRIA). “The plan has great guiding significance for promoting the high-quality development of China's robotics industry during the 14th period. Robots are the key equipment of modern industry. The new 5-year plan leads the digital development and intelligent upgrading in China and also helps to promote the global robot technology progress.”

IFR China data overview - new peak in 2020

Sales

• 168,377 new robots installed (thereof, 45,347 units from Chinese suppliers), 
  20% higher than in 2019
• CAGR 2015-2020: +20%
• Global ranking 2020: No.1
• Shares of total supply: Handling operations 42%, welding 21% 
  electrical/electronics industry 37%, automotive industry 16%

Stock of operational robots

• About 943,200 units, 21% higher than in 2019
• CAGR 2015-2020: +30%
• Global ranking 2020: No. 1

Please see also FACTS about Industrial Robots on our YouTube channel. 

IFR Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• Graph Chinese and Foreign Robot Suppliers 2020 (79KB)
• IFR Pressemeldung zum neuen 5-Jahresplan für China (147KB)
• IFR press release China 5-Year Plan in Chinese (443KB)

Another year is coming to an end - a year of many ups and downs. In January, there were hopes around the globe for a return to normal. In the recent weeks, Europe is speeding towards new lockdowns and restrictive measures to fight the pandemic. Last-minute cancellations of trade fairs felt more like the prior year. At the same time, China seems to have the situation under control by compromising freedom of travel and other restrictive measures intended to keep infections low.

Dear Reader,

Another year is coming to an end - a year of many ups and downs. In January, there were hopes around the globe for a return to normal. In the recent weeks, Europe is speeding towards new lockdowns and restrictive measures to fight the pandemic. Last-minute cancellations of trade fairs felt more like the prior year. At the same time, China seems to have the situation under control by compromising freedom of travel and other restrictive measures intended to keep infections low.

2021 brought about the phrase "new normal", but we long for the "old normal", being able to travel freely and meet each other in person.

Looking to our market there are encouraging signs.  Robotic sales are on the rise. A record 3 million industrial robots are operating in factories around the world. Despite the global pandemic, robot sales grew slightly in 2020 at a rate of +0.5%. China led the rebound ahead of the Americas and Europe. Overall, 2020 was the third most successful year on record for the robotics industry. The outlook for 2021 is even more optimistic with a double-digit growth projected.

Several market trends are propelling the growth outlook. Localization and regionalization of supply chains will make them more resilient by bringing production closer to the customer. New business models such as Robots-as-a-service (RaaS) or Pay-as-you-use lower entry barriers. The growing supply of low-cost robots will further reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO) opening robot usage in new markets. Lastly, “Batch size 1” production allows customized product variations at the unit costs of serial production. These trends will be a driver for advanced robotics systems and provide a platform for fully digitalized production from order to delivery. The case for robots has never been stronger.

Looking to COP 26, sustainability in manufacturing is no longer a "nice-to have". This initiative will increasingly impact investment decisions where robotics have a multitude of impact:

First, robots are crucial for cost-efficient production of green technology, for example solar panels and batteries for electric vehicles.

Second, robotic production reduces the share of rejects, lowering the carbon footprint by improving input-output ratios.

Third, robot manufacturers play a crucial role in further reducing the overall energy consumption of production systems, by designing energy-efficient units and end-of-arm tools.

With a bit of luck, 2022 will be the year where we are back meeting face to face, with all three major international robotics events taking place within the first six months. We are looking forward to our industry coming together again for lively discussions, Executive Roundtables and physical IFR meetings.

I wish you a peaceful holiday season and a happy and successful start to the New Year.

Milton Guerry
IFR President

The use of industrial robots in factories around the world is accelerating at a high rate: 126 robots per 10,000 employees is the new average of global robot density in the manufacturing industries – nearly double the number five years ago (2015: 66 units). This is according to the 2021 World Robot Report.

By regions, the average robot density in Asia/Australia is 134 units, in Europe 123 units and in the Americas 111 units. The top 5 most automated countries in the world are: South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Germany, and Sweden. 

“Robot density is the barometer to track the degree of automation adoption in the manufacturing industry around the world,” says Milton Guerry, President of the International Federation of Robotics.

Asia

The development of robot density in China is the most dynamic worldwide: Due to the significant growth of robot installations, the density rate rose from 49 units in 2015 to 246 units in 2020. Today, China’s robot density ranks 9th globally compared to 25th just five years ago.

Asia is also the home of the country with the world´s highest robot density in the manufacturing industry: the Republic of Korea has held this position since 2010. The country’s robot density exceeds the global average seven-fold (932 units per 10,000 workers). Robot density had been increasing by 10% on average each year since 2015. With its globally recognized electronics industry and a distinct automotive industry, the Korean economy is based on the two largest areas for industrial robots.

Singapore takes second place with a rate of 605 robots per 10,000 employees in 2020. Singapore’s robot density had been growing by 27% on average each year since 2015.

Japan ranked third in the world: In 2020, 390 robots were installed per 10,000 employees in the manufacturing industry. Japan is the world´s predominant industrial robot manufacturer: The production capacity of Japanese suppliers reached 174,000 units in 2020. Today, Japan´s manufacturers deliver 45% of the global robot supply.

North America

Robot density in the United States rose from 176 units in 2015 to 255 units in 2020. The country ranks seventh in the world – ahead of Chinese Taipei (248 units) and China (246 units). The modernization of domestic production facilities has boosted robot sales in the United States. The use of industrial robots also aids to achieve decarbonization targets e.g. in the cost-efficient production of solar panels and in the continued transition towards electric vehicles. Several car manufacturers have announced investments to further equip their factories for new electric drive car models or to increase capacity for battery production. These major projects will create demand for industrial robots in the next few years.

Europe

Europe´s most automated country is Germany - ranking 4th worldwide with 371 units. The annual supply had a share of 33% of total robot sales in Europe 2020 - 38% of Europe’s operational stock is in Germany. The German robotics industry is recovering, mainly driven by strong overseas business rather than by the domestic or European market. Robot demand in Germany is expected to grow slowly, mainly supported by demand for low-cost robots in the general industries and outside traditional manufacturing.

France has a robot density of 194 units (ranking 16th in the world), which is well above the global average of 126 robots and relatively similar compared to other EU countries like Spain (203 units), Austria (205 units) or The Netherlands (209 units). EU members like Sweden (289 units), Denmark (246 units) or Italy (224 units), have a significantly higher degree of automation in the manufacturing segment.

As the only G7 country – the UK has a robot density below the world average of 126 units with 101 units, ranking 24th. Five years ago, the UK´s robot density was 71 units. The exodus of foreign labor after Brexit increased the demand for robots in 2020. This situation is expected to prevail in near future, the modernization of the UK manufacturing industry will also be boosted by massive tax incentives, the “super-deduction”: From April 2021 until March 2023, companies can claim 130% of capital allowances as a tax relief for plant and machinery investments.

Please see also FACTS about Industrial Robots on our YouTube channel. 

IFR Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• Graph World Robotics - Robot Density 2020 by nation (569KB)
• IFR Pressemeldung zur Roboterdichte (141KB)

The market for professional service robots reached a turnover of 6.7 billion U.S. dollars worldwide (sample method) – up 12% in 2020. At the same time, turnover of new consumer service robots grew 16% to 4.4 billion U.S. dollars. This is according to World Robotics 2021 – Service Robots report, presented by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

“Service robots continued on a successful path proving the tremendous market potential worldwide,” says IFR President Milton Guerry. “Sales of professional service robots rose an impressive 41% to 131,800 units in 2020.”  

Five top application trends for professional service robots were driven by extra demand of the global pandemic:

One out of three units were built for the transportation of goods or cargo. Turnover for Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) and delivery robots grew by 11% to over 1 billion US dollars. Most units sold operate in indoor environments for production and warehouses. The trend goes towards flexible solutions, so that the AMR´s act in mixed environments together e.g. with forklifts, other mobile robots or humans. There is also a strong market potential for transportation robots in outdoor environments with public traffic, e.g. lastmile delivery. Marketing and monetarization options will depend on the availability of regulatory frameworks which currently still prevent the large-scale deployment of such robots in most countries.

Demand for professional cleaning robots grew by 92% to 34,400 units sold. In response to increasing hygiene requirements due to the Covid-19 pandemic, more than 50 service robot providers developed disinfection robots, spraying disinfectant fluids, or using ultraviolet light. Often, existing mobile robots were modified to serve as disinfection robots. There is a high ongoing potential for disinfection robots in hospitals and other public places. Unit sales of professional floor cleaning robots are expected to grow by double-digit rates on average each year from 2021 to 2024.

In terms of value, the sales of medical robotics accounts for 55% of the total professional service robot turnover in 2020. This was mainly driven by robotic surgery devices, which are the most expensive type in the segment. Turnover increased by 11% to 3.6 billion U.S. dollars.

A tremendously growing number of robots for rehabilitation and non-invasive therapy make this application the largest medical one in terms of units. About 75% of medical robot suppliers are from North America and Europe.

The global pandemic created additional demand for social robots. They help e.g. residents of nursing homes to keep contact with friends and family members in times of social distancing. Communication robots provide information in public environments to avoid personal human contact, connect people via video for a business conference or help with maintanance tasks on the shopfloor.

Hospitality robots enjoy growing popularity generating turnover of 249 million US dollars. Demand for robots for food and drink preparation grew tremendously - turnover almost tripled to 32 million US dollars (+196%). The Covid-19 pandemic created increased awareness to avoid contact with food products. There is still a huge potential for hospitality robots with medium double-digit annual growth predicted.

Service robots for consumer use

Robots for domestic tasks are the largest group of consumer robots. Almost 18.5 million units (+6%), worth 4.3 billion US dollars, were sold in 2020.

Robot vacuums and other robots for indoor domestic floor cleaning were up 5% to more than 17.2 million units with a value of 2.4 billion US dollar. This kind of service robot is available in almost every convenience store, making it easily accessible for everyone. Many American, Asian, and European suppliers cater to this market.

Gardening robots usually comprise lawn mowing robots. This market is expected to grow by low double-digit growth rates on average each year in the next few years.

Service robotics industry structure

“The service robot industry is developing at a high pace,“ says IFR President Milton Guerry.” “Lots of start-up companies appear every year, developing innovative service robot applications and improving existing concepts.  Some of these young companies disappear as quickly as they emerged. The activity remained high in the service robotics space with acquisitions by incumbents and acquisitions by companies from industries with a desire to expand and work in this exciting area.”

Worldwide, 80% of the 1.050 service robot suppliers are considered incumbents that were established more than five years ago. 47% of the service robot suppliers are from Europe, 27% from North America and 25% from Asia.

World Robotics 2021 edition

Orders for World Robotics 2021 Industrial Robots and Service Robots reports can be placed online. Further downloads on the content are available here.

Downloads

Graphs, presentations and German press release are available below. 

Press Contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

#WorldRobotics

• Presentation World Robotics press conference extended version (5.9MB)
• Presentation World Robotics press conference short version (8.5MB)
• Graph: TOP 5 applications for professional use (98KB)
• Graph: Service Robot company structure (90KB)
• Overview: TOP Five Service Robot Trends 2021 (202KB)
• Pressemeldung Service Robots auf deutsch (173KB)

The World Robotics 2021 Industrial Robots report shows a record of 3 million industrial robots operating in factories around the world – an increase of 10%. Sales of new robots grew slightly at 0.5% despite the global pandemic, with 384,000 units shipped globally in 2020. This trend was dominated by the positive market developments in China, compensating the contractions of other markets. This is the third most successful year in history for the robotics industry, following 2018 and 2017.

“The economies in North America, Asia and Europe did not experience their Covid-19 low point at the same time,” says Milton Guerry, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “Order intake and production in the Chinese manufacturing industry began surging in the second quarter of 2020. The North American economy started to recover in the second half of 2020, and Europe followed suit a little later.”

“Global robot installations are expected to rebound strongly and grow by 13% to 435,000 units in 2021, thus exceeding the record level achieved in 2018,” reports Milton Guerry. “Installations in North America are expected to increase by 17% to almost 43,000 units. Installations in Europe are expected to grow by 8% to almost 73,000 units. Robot installations in Asia are expected to exceed the 300,000-unit mark and add 15% to the previous year’s result. Almost all Southeast Asian markets are expected to grow by double-digit rates in 2021.”

Asia, Europe and the Americas - overview

Asia remains the world’s largest market for industrial robots. 71% of all newly deployed robots in 2020 were installed in Asia (2019: 67%). Installations for the region´s largest adopter China grew strongly by 20% with 168,400 units shipped. This is the highest value ever recorded for a single country. The operational stock reached 943,223 units (+21%). The 1-million-unit mark will be broken in 2021. This high growth rate indicates the rapid speed of robotization in China.  

Japan remained second to China as the largest market for industrial robots, though the Japanese economy was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic: Sales declined by 23% in 2020 with 38,653 units installed. This was the second year of decline following a peak value of 55,240 units in 2018. In contrast to China, demand from the electronics industry and the automotive industry in Japan was weak. Japan’s operational stock was 374,000 units (+5%) in 2020.

The outlook for the fiscal year 2021 is positive with an expected GDP growth rate of 3.7%. The Japanese robotics market is expected to grow by 7% in 2021 and continue to do so by 5% in 2022. Independent of the domestic market for robotics, the major export destinations will secure demand for Japanese robotics. Even though a major share of production today takes place directly in China, 36% of the Japanese exports of robotics and automation technology were destined for China. Another 22% of the exports were shipped to the United States.

The Republic of Korea was the fourth largest robot market in terms of annual installations, following Japan, China and the US. Robot installations decreased by 7% to 30,506 units in 2020. The operational stock of robots was computed at 342,983 units (+6%).

The export-oriented economy has coped with the pandemic remarkably well so far. In 2020, GDP was down by just 1%, and for 2021 and 2022 strong GDP growth of +4% and +3% is expected. The electronics industry and the semiconductor industry, in particular, are investing heavily.  An investment support program launched in May 2021, will further boost investment in machinery and equipment. The demand for robots both from the electronics industry as well as from the automotive suppliers is expected to grow substantially by 11% in 2021 and by 8% annually on average in the next years following.

Europe

Industrial robot installations in Europe were down by 8% to 67,700 units in 2020. This was the second year of decline, following a peak of 75,560 units in 2018. Demand from the automotive industry dropped by another 20%, while demand from the general industry was up by 14%.

Germany, which belongs to the five major robot markets in the world (China, Japan, USA, Korea, Germany) had a share of 33% of the total installations in Europe. Italy followed with 13% and France with 8%.

The number of installed robots in Germany remained at about 22,300 units in 2020. This is the third highest installation count ever - a remarkable result given the pandemic situation that dominated 2020. The German robotics industry is recovering, driven by strong overseas business.  Robot demand in Germany is expected to grow slowly, mainly supported by demand for low-cost robots in the general industry and outside of manufacturing.

In the United Kingdom, industrial robot installations were up by 8% to 2,205 units. The automotive industry rose by 16% to 875 units - representing 40% of the installations in the UK. The food and beverage industry almost doubled their installations from 155 units in 2019 to 304 units in 2020 (+96%). The food and beverage industry had a high share of foreign workers, often from Eastern Europe, is facing a massive labor shortage. With continued Covid-19-related travel restrictions as one reason and Brexit another, the demand for robots in the United Kingdom is expected to grow strongly at two-digit percentage rates in 2021 and 2022. [struggling to connect] The modernization of the UK manufacturing industry will be boosted by a massive tax incentive. The newly installed 2,205 units in the UK are about ten times less than the shipments in Germany (22,302 units), about four times less than in Italy (8,525 units) and less than half the number in France (5,368 units).

North America

The USA is the largest industrial robot user in the Americas, with a share of 79% of the region´s total installations. It is followed by Mexico with 9% and Canada with 7%.

New installations in the United States slowed down by 8% in 2020. This was the second year of decline following eight years of growth. While the automotive industry demanded substantially fewer robots in 2020 (10,494 units, -19%), installations in the electrical/electronics industry grew by 7% to 3,710 units. The operational stock in the United States increased by 6% CAGR since 2015.

The overall expectations for the North American market are very positive. A strong recovery is currently in progress and the return to pre-crisis levels of industrial robot installations can be expected for 2021. Robot installations are expected to grow by +17% in 2021. A post-crisis boom will create additional growth at low double-digit rates 2022 and beyond.

Outlook

The “boom after crisis” is expected to fade slightly in 2022 on a global scale. From 2021 to 2024, average annual growth rates in the medium single-digit range are expected. Minor contractions may occur as a statistical effect, ‘catch-up’ occurs in 2022 or 2023. If this anomaly takes place, it will not break the overall growth trend. The notable mark of 500,000 units installed per year worldwide is expected to be reached in 2024.

World Robotics 2021 edition

Orders for World Robotics 2021 Industrial Robots and Service Robots reports can be placed online. Further downloads on the content are available here.

Video

FACTS ABOUT ROBOTS on our YouTube channel. 

Downloads

Graphs, presentations and press releases on the German, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, US, UK, Swedish and Spanish/Brazilian/Latin American market are available below. All graphs are also part of the presentations.

Press Contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

#WorldRobotics

• Presentation World Robotics press conference extended version (5.9MB)
• Presentation World Robotics press conference short version (8.5MB)
• Graph: Total Shipments of Industrial Robots 2010 to 2020 (101KB)
• Graph: Operational Stock 2010 to 2020 worldwide (104KB)
• Graph: Annual shipments of Industrial Robots with forecast 2015 to 2024 (101KB)
• Graph: 15 largest Markets in 2020 (97KB)
• Graph: Main Industries 2018 to 2020 worldwide (110KB)
• Graph: Cobots and traditional robots 2017 to 2020 (95KB)
• Pressemitteilung Langversion auf deutsch (156KB)
• Chinese market press release (344KB)
• Chinese market press release - mainland language (261KB)
• Japanese market press release (281KB)
• Korean market press release (263KB)
• Spanish/Brazilian/Latin American market press release (127KB)
• Swedish market press release (117KB)
• UK market press release (143KB)
• North American market press release (145KB)
• German market press release (185KB)

A push to automate is changing the way humans and machines work together. The number of industrial robots installed in factories reached about 3 million units worldwide in 2020 – more than doubling in ten years. The IFR has researched how robotics training shapes current and future workforce education, enhancing skills development for employees.

“Automating dull, dirty and dangerous tasks is changing job profiles of factory workers for the better,” says Milton Guerry, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “Academies run by robot manufacturers play a key role in making this transition possible. Employers send thousands of workers to robotics training every year.”

Robot manufacturers drive education

Robot manufacturers like ABB, FANUC, KUKA, and YASKAWA all register between 10,000 and 30,000 participants in their robot classes across more than 30 countries every year. The training programs range from basic programming for the first-time user to complex workshops: “The automotive industry traditionally plays a leading role in upskilling workers for the use of robotics,” says Gerhard Müller, Vice President Global Customer Services at KUKA. “Volkswagen, for example, decided to host one of our KUKA colleges directly at their headquarter factory in Wolfsburg, Germany. We start with basic training for people who have never used a robot before. For professionals, we offer about 70 different modules ranging from basic operation and programming to complex commissioning of entire robot systems.”

“Training programs set up by international robot manufacturers provide key skills for the industrial workplace of the future,” says Alexander Bongart, Head of the FANUC Academy Germany. “What participants learn in our headquarter school near Mount Fuji in Japan is what they also get in our training schools established in the United States, Europe or China. Robotic certificates for workers are valid around the globe and qualify for fantastic new career opportunities. This is not limited to the classic adopters of robotic and automation like the car industry but also true for small and midsized companies from a wide range of branches.”

As more industries move towards automation than ever before, robotics training also becomes part of public education in the US, Europe and Asia: “In China for example, ABB Robotics’ cooperation with vocational schools dates back to 12 years ago,” says Arno Strotgen of ABB`s Robotics & Discrete Automation business area. “Today, 700 vocational schools are part of the project. We use industrial robots for our trainings and provide 1,000 new robots every year, only to China. At the same time, simulation software and augmented reality open up new ways of teaching. The days, when everyone needed to be an engineer to handle a robot, are definitely over.”

With more than 50 academy facilities around the globe, Yaskawa sets the stage to be in touch with their customers - not only with production but especially with services: “Trainings are part of the core of our strategy” says Armin Schlenk, Director Marketing and Business Development of Yaskawa Europe. The company headquartered in Japan, also partners with public schools. The Hans-Dietrich-Genscher-Schule near Bonn, Germany, for example runs a program for participants to gain a foundation in programming and operating industrial robots. Students can earn a certificate that recognizes their proficiency in operating a robotic arm from manufacturer Yaskawa — the same certificate as adults.

Education policies need updates

“Governments face the need to update their education policies. The qualification to program and use a robot is an essential skill required of workers before they even enter a job on the shop floor,” says IFR´s president Milton Guerry. “To enable the transition, robot manufacturers are the best possible partners, providing the right skills necessary to work with intelligent automation systems. The International Federation of Robotics invites public authorities to team up with the experts and to use their know-how to deliver education for the workplace of the future.”

IFR Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• IFR Positioning Papers “Workplace of the Future” and “Next Generation Skills” 
• German Press Release and photo below

• IFR Pressemeldung zu Education 2021-09-29 (134KB)
• FANUC educates students © FANUC America (149KB)

The global robotics industry looks at the proposed European Artificial Intelligence Act. What impact will it have on our economy and the automation industry?

Dear Reader,

On October 28, IFR will publish the final figures of World Robotics 2021. In the meantime, we would like to share a first outlook:

The COVID-19 pandemic presented both a challenge and an opportunity to the robotics industry. The electronics industry strongly benefited from the transition to work from home and the push in digitization, thus heavily investing in robots and automation. Regionally, declining figures in Europe and in the Americas were compensated by growth in Asia.

Robotics have proven to be key for organizations requiring the flexibility to quickly adapt production and respond to changes in demand as well as smaller batch sizes. The benefits of increased productivity safeguards jobs by keeping companies competitive. The outlook for the robotics industry is optimistic. OECD projects global GDP growth to be 5.5% in 2021 and 4% in 2022.

Robotics and Automation increase economic competitiveness, enable technology development through advancing manufacturing capability and reduce our carbon footprint with localized production. Individuals, companies and countries recognize the roles robotics and automation are playing and welcome their future potential, which - at least to a certain extent - will hinge on developments like Artificial Intelligence (AI) for robotics. Not without certain concern does the global robotics industry looks at the proposed European Artificial Intelligence Act. What impact will it have on our economy and the automation industry?

While lawful, safe, and trustworthy AI applications are imperative, we are alarmed that this future piece of legislation may hamper innovation. Ensuring legal certainty for investments and creating acceptance for new technologies certainly will help our industry. On the other hand, we are concerned that the role of "unpredictable AI" in industrial applications is overemphasized and overestimated, leading to disproportionate barriers and huge administrative burdens. This could result in a lack of competitiveness and sustainability for the European manufacturing industry and society at large.

The opportunity for leadership is once again in front of our industry. Responsible and transparent development will promote reassurance of the intent for good. IFR is working on a joint position of the global robotics industry to support its members to start the dialogue with the legislators. Reach out to the IFR secretariat to learn more.

Stay safe, and all the best to you.

Milton Guerry
IFR President

Robot mobility is booming worldwide: Unit sales of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) in the logistics sector e.g. will increase by 31% between 2020 and 2023 annually. At the same time, the use of AMRs in public environments will also go up rapidly – IFR predicts unit sales will grow by 40% per year worldwide.

How mobility is reshaping robotics and why this is a game-changing revolution has been researched by the International Federations of Robotics and published in the new paper “A Mobile Revolution”.

“Mobile robots have traditionally operated in industrial settings to transport parts throughout the factory or feed machines,” says Milton Guerry, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “Today, AMRs also work in applications where contact with the general public is intended. They provide information to shoppers, deliver room service orders in hotels or support police officers by patrolling city areas. IFR´s mobile revolution paper gives an overview of the main use cases for mobile robots and their most significant impacts.”

A short history of autonomous mobility

While researchers have worked on technologies for autonomous mobility since the 1940s, autonomous mobile robots have only become commercially viable over the last decade. This is primarily due to the availability of far more powerful and cheaper computing power. This has led to rapid developments in sensor, vision and analytics technologies which enable robots to connect in real-time to their environment. Today, “Autonomous Mobile Robots” show double digit growth. AMRs navigate and perform functions autonomously in industrial and service sectors and pave the way for mobile robot adoption around the world.

Outlook

“Mobile robotics is a dynamic field of development and we expect exciting advances over the next decade,” says Milton Guerry. These advances will take place in both hardware and software. Mobile robots will become lighter and more flexible. AMRs and service robots will be able to navigate in a range of indoor and outdoor environments more easily as advances in sensors and software algorithms mean that navigation and vision become more and more precise.

IFR Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

• “A Mobile Revolution - How mobility is reshaping robotics” - paper download
• Graph, photo and press release in German - please see below
• further mobile robot photos are available here
• case studies on mobile robots are available here
• Video FACTS about SERVICE ROBOTS on YouTube

• Graph Service Robots by professional use 2019 to 2021 (68KB)
• Bluebotics_Handling_2021_300_dpi.jpg (2.1MB)
• Pressemeldung - Mobile Roboter - deutsch (83KB)

"IFR is a unique international association having members from groups, companies and research institutes from around the world who are involved in robotics. IFR widely offers useful data, opportunities and other benefits not only to its members, but also to the world at large. There are high expectations that IFR will enhance the synergy and mutual support among all its members to become drivers to energetically establish a sustainable society."

“Joining IFR is a source of pride, the sharing expertise of the worldwide members is key to progress rapidly in the deployment of robotics, build up a powerful innovation ecosystem and drive excellent research. IFR strengths are the possibility to create new opportunities of partnerships, to promote the transfer of knowledge in order to shrink the distances between robotics world and the society and the excellent research networks”.

ABB announced it will acquire ASTI Mobile Robotics Group (ASTI), a leading global autonomous mobile robot (AMR) manufacturer with a broad portfolio across all major applications enabled by the company’s software suite. This will expand ABB’s robotics and automation offering, making it the only company to offer a complete portfolio for the next generation of flexible automation.

The acquisition, a key part of ABB’s external growth strategy, was signed on July 19 and is expected to close in mid-summer 2021. Both parties agreed not to disclose any details regarding the purchase price.

Founded in 1982, ASTI is headquartered in Burgos, Spain and employs over 300 people in Spain, France and Germany. It is majority owned by Veronica Pascual Boé, who is also CEO. Other shareholders include European Growth Buyout investor Keensight Capital. Today it supports one of Europe’s largest installed fleets of AMRs and has a broad customer base in automotive, logistics, food & beverage and pharmaceuticals in 20 countries. Since 2015, the company has enjoyed close to 30 percent growth on an annual basis and is targeting approximately $50 million in revenue in 2021.

“With their industry-leading portfolio, comprehensive suite of software and deep domain expertise across growth segments, ASTI is the perfect choice for us as we support our customers with the next generation of flexible automation,” said Sami Atiya, President of ABB’s Robotics & Discrete Automation business. “With this acquisition, ABB will be the only company to offer a full automation portfolio of AMRs, robots and machine automation solutions, from production to logistics to point of consumption. This is a gamechanger for our customers as they adapt to the individualized consumer and seize opportunities presented by significant changes in consumer demand.”

AMRs will support an unprecedented degree of flexibility, from production, logistics, intralogistics and fulfillment through to retail and healthcare environments. This will enable ABB’s and ASTI’s common vision to help customers replace today’s linear production lines with fully flexible networks, where intelligent AMRs autonomously navigate materials, parts and finished products between smart connected workstations, in factories, logistics centers, laboratories, shops or hospitals.

Veronica Pascual Boé, ASTI CEO said: “ABB’s vision is a perfect match for us, as we both support our customers’ flexibility and competitiveness through accelerating automation in the workplace. This is the next exciting stage of our journey and together we will accelerate our innovation plans, expand our global customer service, partner network, production and execution capacity and leverage ABB’s market access globally and particularly in China. I am delighted to join the extended Robotics management team and lead the AMR business to deliver this ambitious growth plan.”

ASTI’s industry-leading AMR portfolio includes autonomous towing vehicles, goods-to-person solutions, unit carriers and box movers as well as a comprehensive software offering, ranging from vehicle navigation and control, fleet and order management and cloud-based traceability systems.

These will be integrated with ABB’s portfolio of robots, machine automation, modular solutions and software suite including RobotStudio®, ABB Robotics’ simulation and programming tool, creating a unique and comprehensive automation portfolio for ABB’s customers.

ABB and ASTI offer deep domain expertise in manufacturing industries including automotive, food & beverage and consumer packaged goods, as well as in new growth segments including logistics, e-commerce, retail and healthcare.

With global AMR sales expected to reach approximately $14 billion by 2025 with a CAGR of approximately 20 percent (Internal ABB analyses), ABB plans to expand AMR sales and service support globally to 53 countries.

ASTI’s headquarters in Burgos, Spain will become ABB’s AMR business headquarters, led by Pascual Boé, with core functions, including R&D, engineering, product and project value chain, continuing at ASTI’s facilities. ABB will significantly expand production capacity at the AMR business headquarters to support the planned sales expansion in Europe and the Americas. To facilitate the growth potential for AMRs in China and Asia, ABB will also establish an Asia AMR hub, including full value chain and manufacturing, at its new robotics factory, which will open in Shanghai in 2022. China, the world’s largest robotics market, is projected to account for $1.8 billion of AMR sales annually by 2025.

ABB Robotics’ acquisition comes shortly after the company’s announcements to expand robotics automation for new sectors and first-time users, including the launch of its new GoFa™ and SWIFTI™ collaborative robot families and its announcement that it will advance automation in the construction industry.

"IFR brings opportunity to network and engage with other professionals and entrepreneurs in the field of robotics to together ensure both that more companies and more people benefit from adopting technologies. I believe we are witnessing one of the greatest technological shifts in the history of mankind, during which Robotics, AI and related technologies have the potential to transform every industry and aspect of our lives within the next decade."

The preliminary World Robotics data for China released by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) shows a sales increase of industrial robots by 19% in 2020.

“The outlook for the robotics industry is optimistic”, says Milton Guerry, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “In China, where the coronavirus lockdown came into force first, the robotics industry started to recover already in 2020. In total 167,000 industrial robots were shipped.”

Market growth in China also has a strong positive impact on foreign suppliers – up 24% or 123,000 industrial robots were shipped from abroad. Japanese suppliers have a dominant market share. Domestic suppliers delivered 44,000 units to their home market which is an increase of 8% compared to 2019.

Worldwide, North America and Europe

Global robot installations in 2020 were down 2%, particularly under the impact of the Corona pandemic. Still the decline in sales was more moderate than expected.

OECD projects global GDP growth to be 5.5% in 2021 and 4% in 2022. Nevertheless, the situation is mixed in different countries.

The order intakes of the robotics industry 2021 give reason to expect strong growth in North America and Europe. Order books in the US for example are filling up fast. In Germany, the forecast for the current year shows a strong recovery and signifies a positive turning point for the industry. Even better sales figures will be achievable if the current supply bottlenecks for key components can be quickly overcome.

Reduction of carbon footprint

The global path to climate neutrality is generating new business. In order to achieve the ambitious climate targets, economies have started to scale renewable energies and environmental technologies to unprecedented dimensions. Robotics and automation enable companies of all sizes to produce the components needed, e.g. fuel cells for hydrogen-powered cars or batteries in the transport sector and solar panels in the energy sector. The new generation of easy-to-use robotics helps to optimize performance in the production process and move manufacturing closer to regional markets at competitive cost.

“Robotics have proven flexibility to quickly adapt production and respond to changes in demand as well as smaller batch sizes,” says Milton Guerry. “The benefits of increased productivity safeguards jobs by keeping companies competitive.”

Please see also video FACTS about INDUSTRIAL ROBOTS on YouTube.

IFR Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads
 

• Graph: global annual shipments - preliminary data for 2020 (39KB)
• 2021-07-01 IFR Pressemeldung vorlaeufige Zahlen - deutsch (133KB)

FANUC Corporation, one of the world's most prominent suppliers of automation technology, produced its 750,000th industrial robot, which is more than any other manufacturer in this segment.

At present, FANUC produces around 8,000 industrial robots every month at its factories in Japan, although monthly capacity is available up to 11,000 units. The company is renowned for its highly automated production facilities, where thousands of robots demonstrate reliability, dexterity and speed in the build of FANUC products that include robots, controllers and machine tools. The company will deliver its 750,000th robot to a European customer.  

FANUC’s largest customer group are car producers and their suppliers, although manufacturers from other industries - such as electronics, food, pharmaceutical and medical - are also growing their base of industrial robots. While the coronavirus pandemic initially led to a decline in robot orders, FANUC has since witnessed a strong rebound in sales, especially from Asia and the USA.

“In Europe, the recovery has truly begun,” states Shinichi Tanzawa, President & CEO of FANUC Europe Corporation. "Although FANUC’s overall order intake for robots in Europe increased only slightly during the past fiscal year, sales in the past few months are at a historical high.”

FANUC is pursuing ambitious plans in Europe, where the company is steadily expanding its sales and service network. In the past four years alone, FANUC has invested more than €120 million in new facilities across Europe. Further underpinning its growth plans, the company will invest another €100 million in the coming three years.

Tanzawa says: “We are confident that the trend towards robotization will grow further and that FANUC robots will help customers to automate their manufacturing plants and save cost like FANUC does at its own factories. We will do everything necessary to support our customers in these endeavours.”

While many countries around the globe are still struggling to seize control of the global pandemic, we are already on the road of global recover. In the recent months, global economic prospects improved markedly, and, according to OECD, by mid-2021 the worldwide output is expected to rise above the pre-pandemic level. Global GDP growth is projected to be 5.5% in 2021 and 4% in 2022.

Dear Reader,

While many countries around the globe are still struggling to seize control of the global pandemic, we are already on the road of global recover. In the recent months, global economic prospects improved markedly, and, according to OECD, by mid-2021 the worldwide output is expected to rise above the pre-pandemic level. Global GDP growth is projected to be 5.5% in 2021 and 4% in 2022. Nevertheless, the situation is mixed in different countries, and some may remain below the level expected prior to the pandemic.

The outlook for the robotics industry is optimistic at the moment, although the recent IFR quarterly surveys confirmed a mixed picture. Asia has already started to recover in Q3/2020, while North America and Europe still were slightly below pre-crisis level in the first quarter of this year. The current order intake gives good hope for strong growth. Yet, we also have to concede that there is a large spreading between different reporting companies, so some companies were more successfull to overcome the crisis, while others were somewhat left behind. The chances for our sector overall are promising, but we now need to reap our industry’s potential to support the overall economic growth.

In the past months, robotics could already prove its flexibility to quickly adapt production and respond to changes in demand and smaller batch sizes. We see a need for improved resilience to deal with production peaks and withstand systemic shocks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic or the blockage of the Suez Canal. Moreover, the global endeavor to lower our carbon footprint and thrive towards carbon neutral production greatly are esupported by robotics - both by optimized performance in the production process and the possibility to move manufacturing closer to the customer - thus lowering the energy consumption by logistics. Last but not least, increased productivity safeguards jobs by keeping companies competitive and finally robotcs can significantly increase the workplace quality for manufacturing employees. So in a nutshell: long-run perspectives for robotics remain excellent.

IFR support the robotics industry in staying on top of the trends, by providing joint positions and information on topics highly relevant to the industry, e.g. cobots, robotics and AI, smart robots transforming manufacturing and -soon to be published - mobile robots. Not less important: monitoring the effects of robotics on the employment, the workplace of the future and future skills needs is covered by our positiong papers.

The IFR has a very unique structure, which significantly contributes to its strength: serving as a federation of assocations on one hand, but at the same time connecting companies and R&D institutes in direct membership. Not least important is to serve as a platform for global exchange - collect the insights from different parts of the world and openly communicate. This strong and growing association will keep pushing the industry forward - at your service.

Stay safe, and all the best to you.

Milton Guerry
IFR President

The 2021 “Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics & Automation” (IERA) goes to PixelPaint technology of ABB. Two high-precision robots make car painting faster, more sustainable and flexible – helping manufacturers to efficiently respond to individual demands. Two-tone and customized designs are applied in one pass. The technology eliminates overspray benefitting the environment.

“The jury is pleased to honor ABB’s PixelPaint technology,with the 17th IERA Award,” says Jury Chair Rob Ambrose. “The innovative solution for automated car painting combines more flexibility and customization with reduced wasted paint for the well-being of the environment.”

No more paint is lost

In the past, 20 to 30 percent of paint was wasted due to overspray. By contrast, the inkjet head of PixelPaint applies 100 percent of the paint to the vehicle surface – improving environmental impact. The technology also significantly increases efficiency in car painting. Previously, applying a two-tone or customized design was a time and labour-intensive process. The vehicle had to be put through the painting line twice. With the new technology, customized painting speeds increased by 50 percent. PixelPaint also eliminates the process of masking and de-masking each car, helping to reduce bottlenecks.

© ABB Robotics

“In today’s fiercely competitive automotive manufacturing market, vehicle producers need solutions that can help them to improve their flexibility, efficiency and cost competitiveness while delivering a high-quality paint finish, including individualized options to meet the growing demand for non-standard and customized designs,” said Joerg Reger, Managing Director of ABB Robotics Auto OEM Business Line.

International Federation of Robotics (IFR) congratulates

“I congratulate ABB on winning the IERA award 2021 against strong competition,” said Milton Guerry, President of the IFR. “The four finalists have all presented a success story of an innovative product in robotics and automation which combine the needs of today’s manufacturers with a high degree of user-friendliness.”

The finalists

Barcelona-based INFAIMON presented its InPicker – a universal pick and place system for industrial applications. Berlin-based Micropsi Industries took part with its MIRAI software – an AI-driven control system that enables industrial robots to deal with variance in production. Mobile Industrial Robots from Odense in Denmark presented the MiR250, a user-friendly mobile robot that optimizes material handling workflows across industries.

About IERA-Award

The IERA Award highlights and honors the achievements of innovators with value creating ideas and entrepreneurs who propel those ideas into world-class products. The IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (IEEE/RAS) and the IFR jointly sponsor the award - underlining their determination to promote stronger collaboration between science and industry in robotics.

IFR Press contact

Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads

Copyright for all pictures and video: ABB Robotics

• ABB PixelPaint 3D (177KB)
• ABB PixelPaint with IERA logo (652KB)
• 2021-06-09 IFR Pressemeldung ABB gewinnt IERA Award final - Deutsch (131KB)

As the economies reopen from the pandemic, Asia, Europe and America adjust their robotics research funding programs (R&D). What are the targets of the officially driven government programs today? This has been researched by the IFR and published in the 2021 update paper of “World Robotics R&D Programs”.

“The first version of World Robotics R&D Programs was introduced in June last year. Since then, dozens of countries have updated their robotics R&D programs.” says Prof. Dr. Jong-Oh Park, Vice-Chairman IFR Research Committee and member of the Executive Board. “The five most advanced robotics countries, South Korea, Japan, Germany, USA and China follow up a very different strategic focus.”

Robotics R&D programs - officially driven by governments

The strategic plan Made in China 2025 comes as a blueprint to upgrade the manufacturing capabilities of Chinese industries. In order to promote the rapid development of intelligent robot technology, the key special projects of “Intelligent Robots” are being deployed in accordance with the requirements of the “Innovation Chain”. The focus is on basic cutting-edge technologies of intelligent robots, new-generation robots, key common technologies, industrial robots, service robots and special robots. The development objectives aim to generate continuous growth of the industrial scale. China wants to cultivate at least three leading enterprises with international competitiveness and create more than five clusters of robot-supporting industries. The statistical yearbook “World Robotics” by IFR shows that China reached a robot density of 187 units per 10,000 workers in the manufacturing industry – the country ranks 15th worldwide.

In Japan, the “New Robot Strategy” aims to make the country the world´s number one robot innovation hub. The rate of robotization in the manufacturing sector targets an increase of 25% for large-scale companies and 10% for SMEs. Key performance indicator also is an expansion of the system integrators market – they are intermediate between the user and the manufacturer. The action plan includes important service sectors like agriculture, infrastructure and healthcare. Nursing & Medical alone has a budget of 997.3 million USD and supports the data health reform by promoting practical applications of robots and the use of artificial intelligence. According to the statistical yearbook “World Robotics” by IFR, Japan is the world´s number one industrial robot manufacturer and delivered 47% of the global supply in 2019.

The Intelligent Robot Development and Supply Promotion Act of Korea is pushing to develop the robot industry in Korea as a core industry in the fourth industrial revolution.
Focus areas are: manufacturing businesses (with a special program to enhance competitiveness of SMEs Manufacturing Sites), selected service robot areas (including healthcare and logistics), next-generation key components and key robot software.

For the trans-governmental Full Cycle Medical Device Development project, the government is planning to budget 1.07 billion USD (1.2 trillion KRW) from 2020 to 2025. The statistical yearbook “World Robotics” showed a new record stock of about 319,000 operational industrial robots in the Republic of Korea in 2019 (+13%). Within five years, the country has doubled its number of industrial robots in operation. Following Japan and China, the country ranked third in 2019.

The new European Framework Program Horizon Europe has been launched on research and innovation over the period of 2021 to 2027. Building on the achievements and success of Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe will support top researchers, innovators, and general citizens to develop the knowledge and solutions needed to ensure a green, digital, and healthy future.

The robotics-related work program is embedded in Cluster 4: Digital, Industry, and Space. Robotics-related R&D&I projects will focus on the digital transition of the manufacturing and construction sectors, autonomous solutions to support workers, enhanced cognition, and human-robot collaboration. The robotics-related work program 2021-2022 in Cluster 4 will provide total funding of 240 million USD (198.7 million EUR).

Germany´s High-Tech Strategy 2025 is the fourth edition of the German R&D and innovation program. The goal is for good ideas to be translated quickly into innovative products and services. Most of the framework of the High-Tech Strategy promotes partnership between companies, universities, and research institutions in order to bring together institutional research and entrepreneurial expertise. It has been set the target of 3.5 percent of GDP per annum investment in R&D by 2025. In several program lines of the mission “Shape Technology for the People”, the robotics-related program “Together Through Innovation” was launched in 2020. With this research program line, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) will provide around 84 million USD (70 million EUR) annually until 2026.

The National Robotics Initiative (NRI) in the USA was launched for fundamental robotics R&D supported by the US Government. With NRI-2.0, collaboration between academic, industry, non-profit, and other organizations is encouraged in order to accomplish better connections between fundamental science, engineering, technology development, deployment, and use. one A key sector is “Space Robotics”, where NASA launched a lunar program named “Artemis”. The purpose of the Artemis lunar program is to return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2024 and to construct promising capabilities for Mars missions after 2024. The Artemis lunar program is a joint spaceflight program by NASA, the US commercial aerospace institution, and international partners including the ESA (comprising 22 countries), Canada, Japan, and Russia. The US government is planning a budget of 35 billion USD from 2020 to 2024. The largest investor in unmanned systems technologies remains the United States Department of Defense (DOD) with 7.3 billion USD budget projected in 2020 and 2021. According to the statistical yearbook “World Robotics” by IFR, robot density in the manufacturing industry had been growing by 7% CAGR since 2014 to 2019 with 228 robots per 10,000 employees – ranking 9th worldwide. Regarding annual installations of industrial robots, the country takes third position.

Files for Download

Please find the information paper “World Robotics R&D Programs” by IFR here.

Further IFR Position Papers are available here.

Press contact

International Federation of Robotics
Press Office
econNEWSnetwork
Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

• 2021-05-27 IFR Press Release Update World Robotics R&D Paper - German (159KB)
• 2021-05-27 IFR Press Release Update World Robotics R&D Paper - Japanese (501KB)

It has now been a full year of facing the coronavirus pandemic and although we see some faint light at the end of the tunnel, we are still far from the “old” normal.

Dear Reader,

It has now been a full year of facing the coronavirus pandemic and although we see some faint light at the end of the tunnel, we are still far from the “old” normal.

By now, we can clearly state that the pandemic has accelerated automation adoption. We especially see a push towards robotization in sectors beyond automotive, sectors that have so far been more ambivalent to the opportunities offered by automation technologies. Technological advances, e.g. in sensing and AI, spiced up with further progress in usability and ecosystems, are lowering the hurdles and will drive further deployment of robotics solutions, making robotics a mainstream technology.

Mobile robots are conquering warehouses and e-commerce, and are also poised to revolutionize smart factory solutions. - Early examples are deployed in the automotive industry; other sectors are likely to follow.

The automotive industry will presumably be the driver for another critical trend: reducing energy consumption and optimizing resource efficiencies in manufacturing processes. Combined with efforts to shorten the supply chains and produce closer to consumption (driven by insights gained in the past 12 months), this has the potential to massively reduce the carbon footprint of the goods produced.

Soon you will have the opportunity to find out more about these and other trends, which the robotics community will showcase during the fully virtual trade show and conference Automate Forward (March 22-26, 2021). We are looking forward to an exciting exhibition highlighting the latest innovations, lively panels and enlightening keynotes.

IFR is co-sponsoring an Executive Roundtable on “How Collaborative Automation is Driving Productivity” on March 25, 2021. Please join us for the conference and check the IFR booth in the exhibition area.

Stay safe, and all the best

Milton Guerry
IFR President

The robot density in the US automotive industry hit a new record of 1,287 installed units per 10,000 employees. The United States ranks seventh worldwide. The density is similar to Germany (1,311 units) and Japan (1,248 units). China is in twelfth place with 938 units.

“Automation is the key not only to post-pandemic recovery, but to post-pandemic growth and progress,” says Milton Guerry, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “In the upswing after the 2008 financial crisis, companies like General Motors, Ford, Fiat-Chrysler, and Tesla invested extensively in robotics and automation. As a result, thousands of new jobs were created within the automotive industry. So many years and technological advancements later, we have the opportunity to learn from this success story and emerge even stronger than before.”

Growing interest by “general industry”

Robot density in the general industry is still comparatively low with only 139 units per 10,000 employees. Overall in all surveyed countries worldwide, the potential for robot installations in the general industry is tremendous. In the United States for example, yearly orders of robots from non-automotive sectors surpassed automotive robot orders for the first time. Sales of robotic units in the US increased 7% in 2020 from 2019. Year-over-year orders in life sciences increased by 72%, food and consumer goods grew by 60%, and plastics and rubber saw a 62% increase.

How to apply robotics

“To help educate companies about how to successfully apply robotics, AI, machine vision and related automation technologies, we’ve launched AUTOMATE FORWARD, a virtual show and conference taking place March 22-26,” says Jeff Burnstein, President of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). “High-profile industrial experts and over 250 automation suppliers report about cutting-edge use cases for automation and what they recommend for the automation journey of companies either just starting or expanding their automation journey.”

REGISTER - AUTOMATE FORWARD

Please register for free at the organizer’s webpage.

IFR Video – The World´s Top 10 automated countries on YouTube

Press contact

International Federation of Robotics
Press Office
Carsten Heerphone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

Downloads
 

• Densities_Automotive_vs_General_industry.png (208KB)
• KUKA Automotive Production (256KB)
• IFR Pressemeldung US Markt - deutsch (187KB)

Fast Forward to Automation - that is the motto of Automate Forward, the trade show and conference held virtually for the first time, as the in-person Automate show had to be postponed to 2022.

The event - taking place from March 22 to 26, 2021 - has its finger on the pulse of the time and promises its attendees that they will learn how automation will help them to move forward.

Industry has to do more with less. Whether it’s less manpower or tighter budgets, demand is increasing even if resources are not. Automation is the key to not just getting through these difficult times, but to growing during them.

Automate Forward offers a mix of virtual exhibition hall, networking center and conference.

The conference is featuring more than 80 speakers on robotics, machine vision, motion control, artificial intelligence, and smart automation technologies in eight keynote presentations, four executive roundtables and a series of technology sessions.

On Thursday, March 25, 10-11 am EDT, the Executive Roundtable co-sponsored by IFR is looking at “How Collaborative Automation is Driving Productivity”. IFR President Milton Guerry (President of Schunk USA) will discuss with

Joe Gemma (Global Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Calvary Robotics), Greg Smith (President of the Industrial Automation Group at Teredyne) and David Robers (Robotics Sales Manager - Americas, Denso Robotics).

Join the panelists for further insights.

IFR is also happy to welcome you at our booth in the exhibition area. Come by and find out more about World Robotics, our latest positioning papers, and how to become part of our network.

View the full agenda:
https://www.automateshow.com/automate-forward-agenda

Register for free:
https://a3.a3automate.org/a3/events/EventDetail?EventKey=AUTOFWD21

IFR Statistical Department is still accepting contributions to the service robot statistics 2020. This survey will be the data source for global service robotics market statistics published in chapter two of World Robotics Service Robots 2021.

Service robot suppliers who contribute their data will receive the statistics for free.

For more information please contact Dr. Christopher Müller and Ms. Nina Kutzbach ([email protected]).

Annual installations of industrial robots more than tripled within ten years (2010-2019) reaching 381 thousand units in factories around the world. The International Federation of Robotics shows top 5 trends shaping industries around the globe.

“The mission to combine traditional production with ´go digital strategies´ puts robots in a pole position,” says Dr Susanne Bieller, General Secretary of the IFR.

Robots learn new tricks
 

Artificial intelligence software in combination with vision and other sensing systems, allow robots to master difficult tasks. One such task is bin picking, that in the past was only feasible for a human hand. New generations of robots are easier to install and program and they are connectable. Advances in communication protocols integrate robots seamlessly into automation and Industry 4.0 strategies.

Robots work in smart factories

The automotive industry pioneered smart factory solutions utilizing industrial robots throughout assembly lines that have dominated traditional automobile production for more than 100 years. The future belongs to networked interaction of robots and autonomous guided vehicles - or rather autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). Equipped with the latest navigation technology, these mobile robots are much more flexible compared to traditional production lines. Car bodies are conveyed on driverless transport systems. They can be decoupled from the assembly line flow and redirected to assembly stations where individually equipped variants can be assembled. When models are changed completely, it is only necessary to reprogram the robots and AMRs rather than to dismantle the entire production line. With the integration of human-robot collaboration workstations picking up momentum, robot suppliers report robots working hand-in-hand with humans without fencing.

LARA (Lightweight Agile robotic assistant) mounted on MAV (Multi-Sensing Autonomous vehicle) palletizing products © NEURA Robotics GmbH

Robots enter new markets

The connectivity breakthroughs contribute to increased robot adoption in manufacturing sectors that have only recently turned to automation, such as food and beverage, textiles, wood products and plastics. Ongoing digital transformation will lead to completely new business models, because producers can diversify more easily than ever. In the smart factory, different products are assembled subsequently by the same equipment - the traditional production line no longer exists.

Robots reduce carbon footprint

Investments in modern robot technology will also be driven by the requirement for a smaller carbon footprint. Modern robots are energy-efficient, thus directly reducing energy consumption of production. Through higher precision, they also produce fewer rejections and substandard goods, which has a positive impact on the ratio of resource input over output. In addition, robots help in the cost-efficient production of renewable energy equipment, such as photovoltaics or hydrogen fuel cells.

Robots help to secure supply chains

The pandemic situation has made the weakness of globalized supply chains visible. Manufacturers have the opportunity to rethink supply with a completely different outlook. When productivity is leveled through automation, manufacturers have increased flexibility that may not have been available in high-wage countries like most of the European Union, North America, Japan or the Republic of Korea. Robotic automation offers productivity, flexibility and security.

“Advances in robot technologies are contributing to increased robot adoption,” says Dr Susanne Bieller, General Secretary of the IFR. “The COVID-19 pandemic hasn`t started any new trends but it accelerated the use of robotics beyond established practice. In this respect, the pandemic has proven to be the biggest single driver for change in industry.”

For more trends on the global robotics market please check this website

Downloads

Please find pictures and press release in German language for download below.

Press contact

International Federation of Robotics
Press Office
Carsten Heer
phone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

• KUKA Smart production 300 dpi (3.7MB)
• NEURA Robotics LARA mounted on MAV 300 dpi (1.8MB)
• 2021-FEB-17_IFR_Pressemeldung_top_5_trends.pdf (129KB)

The average robot density in the manufacturing industry hit a new global record of 113 units per 10,000 employees. By regions, Western Europe (225 units) and the Nordic European countries (204 units) have the most automated production, followed by North America (153 units) and South East Asia (119 units).

The world´s top 10 most automated countries are: Singapore (1), South Korea (2), Japan (3), Germany (4), Sweden (5), Denmark (6), Hong Kong (7), Chinese Taipei (8), USA (9) and Belgium and Luxemburg (10). This is according to the latest World Robotics statistics, issued by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

“Robot density is the number of operational industrial robots relative to the number of workers,” says Milton Guerry, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “This level measurement allows comparisons of countries with different economic sizes in the dynamic automation race over time.”

The country with the highest robot density by far remains Singapore with 918 units per 10,000 employees in 2019. The electronics industry, especially semiconductors and computer peripherals, is the primary customer of industrial robots in Singapore with shares of 75% of the total operational stock.

South Korea comes second with 868 units per 10,000 employees in 2019. Korea is a market leader in LCD and memory chip manufacturing with companies such as Samsung and LG on top and also a major production site for motor vehicles and the manufacturing of batteries for electric cars.

Japan (364 robots per 10,000 employees) and Germany (346 units), rank third and fourth respectively. Japan is the world´s predominant robot manufacturing country - where even robots assemble robots: 47% of the global robot production are made in Nippon. The electrical and electronics industry has a share of 34%, the automotive industry 32%, and the metal and machinery industry 13% of the operational stock. Germany is by far the largest robot market in Europe with 38% of Europe’s industrial robots operating in factories here. Robot density in the German automotive industry is among the highest in the world. Employment in this sector rose continuously from 720,000 people in 2010 to almost 850,000 people in 2019.

Sweden remains in 5th position with a robot density of 274 units operating with a share of 35% in the metal industry and another 35% in the automotive industry.

Robot density in the United States increased to 228 robots. In 2019, the US car market was again the second largest car market in the world, following China, with the second largest production volume of cars and light vehicles. Both USA and China are considered highly competitive markets for car manufacturers worldwide.

The development of robot density in China continues dynamically: Today, China’s robot density in the manufacturing industry ranks 15th worldwide. Next to car production, China is also a major producer of electronic devices, batteries, semiconductors, and microchips.

Downloads

Please find graph and press releases in other languages for download below.

Press contact

International Federation of Robotics
Press Office
Carsten Heerphone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284
E-Mail: [email protected]

• Robot Density by Country in 2019 (234KB)
• IFR Pressemeldung Roboterdichte deutsch 2021-01-27 (292KB)
• IFR press releease Robot density - Korean (408KB)
• IFR press releease Robot density - Japanese (423KB)
• IFR press releease Robot density - Chinese (566KB)

The 2020 Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics & Automation (IERA) goes to Photoneo’s high resolution MotionCam-3D. This 3D scanner captures quick moving objects and delivers the sharpest eyes in the world for industrial robots.

“The jury is pleased to announce the selection of Photoneo’s Motion Cam-3D as the winner of the 16th IERA Award,” says Jury Chair Robert Ambrose from IEEE-RAS. “The award celebrates the combination of innovative concepts with entrepreneurial efforts to bring those ideas to market. This year’s winner is a novel 3D imaging system merging the benefits of both stereo vision with structured light approaches to yield a fast and accurate perception system with applications in society and industry.”

From left to right at the virtual award presentation: Alexander Verl, Chairman ISR; Enrico Krog Iversen, OnRobot, IERA finalist; Robert Ambrose, IERA Awards Chair; Milton Guerry, IFR President; without mask: Svorad Stolc, Photoneo, IERA Award winner.

Eyes for robots that spot submillimeters

„MotionCam-3D gives eyes to robots with the highest resolution and accuracy in the world,“ said Jan Zizka, CEO of Bratislava-based maker Photoneo. „Our camera is able to inspect objects moving as fast as 140 kilometres per hour. Its qualities are useful in various fields: e.g. in e commerce and logistics, for object sorting and autonomous delivery systems. The camera also helps in food processing and waste sorting as well as harvesting in agriculture. Thanks to accurate machine vision, robots can also analyse objects with high resolution images, which is important in quality control.“

Making automation affordable for SMEs

Smart cobot applications like the IERA award winner considerably lower the hurdles for small and medium-sized companies to use robotics for automation. “A traditional industrial robot can easily be equipped with new tools to transform them into truly collaborative helpers”, said Milton Guerry, President of the IFR.

IERA Award 2021

In 2021 the IERA Award session will be hosted by IEEE RAS at the ICRA conference from May 30 to June 5, 2021 in China. The call for application has been released and is available below. Applications must be submitted until February 28, 2021.

Downloads

• IERA Award winner 2020 (456KB)
• MotionCam-3D © Photoneo (118KB)
• IERA_Award_2018_1600x900.jpg (209KB)
• CN-IERA_Winner_press_release-20-11-25_IFR.pdf (234KB)
• IERA Award 2021 - Call for Application (194KB)

A very unique year, in many aspects, is coming to an end. Back in January, no one would have expected nor predicted the events that unfolded.

Dear Reader,

A very unique year, in many aspects, is coming to an end. Back in January, no one would have expected nor predicted the events that unfolded. It is uncertain when we will be able to meet again in person to bring together the robotics community from around the globe. There is optimism the first vaccines will become available early next year, so we will look forward to future face-to-face collaboration with enthusiasm.

For the time being, we have learned to adapt to a new normal. December will be busy with the full series of virtual IFR meetings. Web-based teamwork has proven to be more important than ever. I’m proud to see that reflected in record participation by the IFR community.

Other positive effects of the pandemic are the growing interest in robotics and automation. Industrial sectors and organizations that had been reluctant in the past to invest in this technology are showing renewed interest. Additionally, the IFR has registered an increased number of media requests resulting in an all-time high in press citations.

Robots will play a vital role in automating production and accelerating the post pandemic economy. At the same time, robots are driving demand for skilled workers. Governments and companies around the globe must focus on providing the right skills necessary to work with robots and intelligent automation systems. Educational programs must effectively adjust to this demand. The IFR has prepared a position paper on Next Generation Skills, creating awareness and a call to action for all stakeholders involved.

The IFR Executive Roundtable on December 8 will be hosted in collaboration with the automatica fair organized as a virtual event that is focused on “Next generation workforce - upskilling for robotics”.

The 52nd International Symposium on Robotics (ISR) will be held on December 9 and 10. For the first time in its history this event will take place as a purely virtual conference. Another first, a business track has been added, giving companies that cannot exhibit at fairs the opportunity to showcase their latest developments.

Organized with the ISR will be the 16th Annual Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics & Automation (IERA Award), two finalists will present their impressive innovations followed by the presentation of the prestigious award.

In closing, I wish you a peaceful holiday season and a happy successful start of the New Year.

Stay safe!

Milton Guerry
IFR President

Executives from robot suppliers, end-users and policy-making will draw a picture of the future of work in the factory and discuss what it takes to support the current and next generation workforce with the proper skills and develop a culture of lifelong learning.

With the online format automatica Talk, Messe Munich is expanding its digital presence of automatica. Top-class experts as well as automation suppliers and users illuminate current issues and trends around robotics and automation in each episode. In the next edition on December 8, 2020 from 13:00 to 14:30 CET, automatica Talk will represent the IFR Executive Roundtable. The focus of the English-language panel discussion is on the topic:

Next generation workforce - upskilling for robotics

Increasing needs for flexibility and resilience of production as well as an urge towards more energy and resource efficiency are currently driving automation. This trend is even speeding up with the coronavirus pandemic.

Increased robot adoption provides also great benefits for the manufacturing workers, by creating new, interesting roles with new skills profiles. With further advances in robotics this trend will continue over the next 10 and more years.

However, there is already today a shortage of properly skilled manufacturing workers – and if no action is taken, this shortage will further increase and hamper the competitiveness of this important industry sector. Manufacturers, education institutes and governments must collaborate to promote attractive career paths in manufacturing especially for young people.

The Panel

• Jeff Burnstein, President of Robotics Industries Association (RIA)
• Mike Cicco, President & CEO of FANUC America
• Felix Rohn, Policy Officer at European Commission’s Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion
• Anna Byhovskaya, Senior Policy Advisor of TUAC (The Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD)

To whom is this session addressed?

To users and suppliers of automation technology who are interested in how the impending shortage of skilled workers in production can be averted and / or who would like to find out more about future job profiles in production.

You missed the live discussion?

Please follow the recorded discussion on the automatica webpage.

The finalists of the 16th Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics & Automation (IERA) showcase the latest skills robots have acquired to assist humans at work.

The finalists of the 16th Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics & Automation (IERA) showcase the latest skills robots have acquired to assist humans at work: OnRobot’s applicant is an intelligent gripper named RG2-FT: With the fingertips it “feels” and picks up delicate materials like thin glass or test samples and passes them on to humans. The second finalist is Photoneo’s high resolution MotionCam-3D. This 3D scanner captures quick moving objects and delivers the sharpest eyes in the world for industrial robots.

“We are very impressed by the creativity that the participants of the IERA Award 2020 demonstrated,” said Milton Guerry, President of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). “This year’s finalists yet again show great ingenuity put into practice: Both applications show how automation can further develop how humans and robots work together in industry.” The Award for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics & Automation is one of the most important distinctions in the world of robotics. It is jointly sponsored by The IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (IEEE/RAS) and the International Federation of Robotics.

Robot with fingertip sensibility like humans

“The gripper RG2-FT has the same fingertip sensibility as a human hand,” said Enrico Krog Iversen, CEO of the Danish collaborative application company OnRobot. “Our gripper thus handles very delicate work pieces, such as thin glass or medical testing samples - even without knowing the exact location in a box.” To do this, the RG2-FT uses advanced proximity and force-torque sensors. The way it works can be compared to humans picking up a pencil with closed eyes: Proximity sensors “feel” the object until the grip is perfect – substituting the human eye. The gripper then doses its force precisely: It picks up the object, safely passes it on to humans, knowing to let go when handing over.

RG2-FT gripper © OnRobot

Eyes for robots that spot submillimeters

„MotionCam-3D gives eyes to robots with the highest resolution and accuracy in the world,“ said Jan Zizka, CEO of Bratislava-based maker Photoneo. „Our camera is able to inspect objects moving as fast as 140 kilometres per hour. Its qualities are useful in various fields: e.g. in e commerce and logistics, for object sorting and autonomous delivery systems. The camera also helps in food processing and waste sorting as well as harvesting in agriculture. Thanks to accurate machine vision, robots can also analyse objects with high resolution images, which is important in quality control.“

MotionCam-3D © Photoneo

Making automation affordable for SMEs

Smart cobot applications like the IERA award finalists considerably lower the hurdles for small and medium-sized companies to use robotics for automation. “A traditional industrial robot can easily be equipped with new tools to transform them into truly collaborative helpers”, said Milton Guerry, President of the IFR. Smaller plug and produce solutions are ready for immediate use, no external programmers are needed and the investment starts to pay off quickly.

IERA award session and ceremony at the International Symposium on Robotics ISR

The award session will take place during the 52nd International Symposium on Robotics ISR – held virtually on 9th December 2020, 14:45-15:45 CET. The award ceremony takes place 10th December, 13:20-13:40 CET. The two-day conference will offer an insight into the latest state-of-the-art robot technologies to participants from both industry and research. The new Business Track will provide an overview on the latest trends and developments in industry. Please find the ISR program for download here.

Register for ISR (December 09-10, 2020) and attend the “IERA award session” online, December 9th at 14:45 CET.

Videos

OnRobot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWNP6lHeWkc
Photoneo: https://youtu.be/HOnQFhkQNaI

Downloads

• RG2-FT gripper © OnRobot (2.2MB)
• MotionCam-3D © Photoneo (944KB)
• MotionCam-3D © Photoneo (2.9MB)
• IFR Pressemeldung IERA-Award Nominees 2020 deutsch (134KB)

The International Symposium on Robotics (ISR) will be held as online event after the cancelation of the automatica trade fair. Five keynote speakers will support the program.

The “International Symposium on Robotics” (ISR) is not only one of the oldest, but also the world’s leading robotics conference. The 52nd edition is going to take place for the first time as online event from December 9th to 10th, 2020.

Organized by VDMA Robotics + Automation and the Information Technology Society in the VDE (ITG), the English-language conference offers insights into the latest technologies - with exciting insights on industry and research trends.

The topics? Everything that moves the industry

The thematic spectrum includes components and technologies, robots in new markets and applications, industrial / service robots and artificial intelligence in robotics. For the first time in 2020 there will be two parallel conference tracks. The newly created business track offers international guest speakers from the industry the opportunity to present their current products and innovations.

The following keynote speakers are already been confirmed

• Carl Doeksen - 3M
• Carme Torras - Institut de Robòtica i Informàtica Industrial (CSIC-UPC)
• Alin Albu-Schäffer - German Aerospace Center (DLR)
• Anna Valente - SUPSI Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana
• Andrew A. Goldenberg - University of Toronto

Business track presentations

• KUKA AG
• Wandelbots GmbH
• FANUC Deutschland GmbH
• Kawasaki Robotics GmbH
• YASKAWA Europe GmbH
• Hahn Automation GmbH
• Photoneo
• Universal Robots (Germany) GmbH
• Wipro

IEEE/IFR Joint Forum on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics and Automation

Two applicants for the IERA Award 2020 have been nominated and will introduce their story of the genesis of a successful innovative product in robotics and automation from its very inception to the final state of commercialization.

• Photoneo - MotionCam-3D
• OnRobot - Smart Gripper RG2-FT

The ultimate winner will be chosen by an evaluation board consisting of distinguished individuals from industry and academia (IEEE and IFR).

Award ceremonies at the ISR

The highlight of the robotics conference marks the presentation of the IERA Award.

More information about the event at: www.isr-robotics.org

Sales value of professional service robots increased by 32% to USD11.2 billion worldwide (2018-2019). The COVID-19 pandemic will further boost the market. High demand for robotics disinfection solutions, robotic logistics solutions in factories and warehouses or robots for home delivery are examples of this trend.

In terms of value, the sales of medical robotics accounts for 47% of the total professional service robot turnover in 2019. This was mainly driven by robotic surgery systems, which are the most expensive type in the segment. Sales hit a new record of 5.3 billion U.S. dollars – up 28%. By 2022, medical robot sales have the potential to more than double by reaching 11.3 billion U.S. dollars. About 90% of medical robots are from American and European suppliers. This is according to World Robotics 2020 – Service Robots report.

Professional Service Robots – logistics

The market value of logistics robots sold or leased was up 110% to 1.9 billion U.S. dollars. Almost all of the logistics turnover was generated with robots for indoor use. Autonomous mobile robots have initially been used in warehouses but with digitalization of production, they are also part of today’s smart factory. Therefore, a continued strong turnover growth of 40% or more per year seems possible. “The investment in service robots for logistics in manufacturing processes is amortized rapidly,” says IFR President Milton Guerry. “Assuming 24 hour operation, the investment in service robots for logistics may be repaid within 2‐3 years and often much quicker. Given a 15 year lifetime, operating costs are around 5% of the annual investment. Highly developed systems often provide operational availability in the 98% plus range.”

Graph Service Robots © World Robotics 2020

The trending Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) business models lower the hurdle for customers to automate with robots. The benefit is not to invest in hardware, so the companies have no fixed capital, no fixed costs and no need for robot operators. The use of logistics systems in non-manufacturing industries has been strongly driven by warehouse solutions for major e-commerce companies. A strong potential can also be found in hospitals running their logistics with the help of professional service robots. In the segment of professional service robotics, about 90% of the sampled logistics robots were produced in Europe and North America - about 10% in Asia.

Professional Service Robots – field

The segment of field robotics consists of robots for agriculture, dairy, livestock farming and other field applications. Sales value increased by 3% to USD 1.3 billion U.S. dollars. The Covid-19 pandemic might have an impact for further supply of such robots. Travel restrictions for workers from Eastern Europe for instance, who usually travel to Western Europe in harvest season, caused a shortage of labour supply. Farmers might compensate this with the use of field robots. Sales value growth rates of more than 30% for agricultural robots seem possible.

Personal and Domestic Service Robots

Service robots for personal and domestic use, which are produced for a mass market, are mainly in the areas of household robots. This include vacuuming and floor cleaning robots, lawn-mowing robots or entertainment robots. The total number of service robots for personal and domestic use increased by 34% to more than 23.2 million units sold in 2019. The value was up 20% to 5.7 billion U.S. dollars. Unit prices for the two major segments, robot vacuums and toy robots, have been declining in recent years. Today, basic robot vacuums are already available for less than 100 U.S. dollars. 75% of the sampled domestic service robots - vacuum and floor cleaners, lawn mowers and other domestic robots - were produced by American companies in 2019. Asian companies had a share of 19% - European companies of 6%.

Graph Service Robots © World Robotics 2020

A growing market is the use of assistance robots for elderly or handicapped persons. The estimated sales value increased by 17% to 91 million U.S. dollars. Numerous national research projects in many countries focus on this huge future market for service robots. In contrast to most entertainment robots, these robots are high-tech products.

“We expect sales of both professional and personal service robots will continue to increase strongly,” says Milton Guerry, President of the International Federation of Robotics.

Orders

Orders for World Robotics 2020 Industrial Robots and Service Robots reports can be placed online and grant immediate access to the 2019 figures.

Downloads
 

Please find graphics, press releases in other languages and presentation for download below.

Press contact

International Federation of Robotics
Press Office
Carsten Heerphone +49 (0) 40 822 44 284 
E-Mail: [email protected]

#WorldRobotics2020

• Presentation World Robotics - Service Robots 2020 Report (1.0MB)
• Graph Service Robots professional use major applications 2018 to 2023 (39KB)
• Graph Service Robots domestic use sales value (110KB)
• Graph Service Robots domestic use 2018 to 2023 (113KB)
• Photo Service Robot at automatica © Thomas Plettenberg for Messe München (4.2MB)
• French version IFR - SERVICE ROBOTS press release (163KB)
• German version IFR - SERVICE ROBOTS press release (137KB)
• Chinese version IFR - SERVICE ROBOTS press release (356KB)
• Japanese version IFR - SERVICE ROBOTS press release (230KB)
• Korean version IFR - SERVICE ROBOTS press release (238KB)

With the new online format "Let's talk" by automatica, Messe Munich is further expanding the digital presence of automatica. The third edition features the World Robotics Report 2020 of the IFR with an English-speaking panel discussion.

Especially in the time between the big events, the regularly held webinars offer additional orientation knowledge and exchange opportunities. Top-class experts as well as automation suppliers and users illuminate current issues and trends relating to robotics and automation in each episode. The third edition features the World Robotics Report 2020 of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) with an English-speaking panel discussion. The focus on October 15, 2020 from 13:00 to 14:00 CEST will be on the question:

The global robotics market – where are we headed?

After years of booming robotics sales, the COVID-19-induced economic slowdown has not left the robotics industry unaffected. But the medium- to long-term prospects for increased robotics use around the world are bright. Both developed and emerging economies will continue upgrading their manufacturing sectors to achieve higher levels of quality and competitiveness. New products, many of them related to increased sustainability, rely on robotics to be manufactured. Indeed, the COVID-19-crisis itself is seen by many expert commentators as a booster for robotics and automation in the longer term.

“World Robotics” is the most authoritative source of robotics data, used by governments, researchers, the financial community, businesses and think tanks around the world.

The webinar provides:

• World Robotics 2020 – market data “hot of the press”
• Medium- to long-term outlook
• COVID-19: a driver for robotics
• Insight on Mega trends: what role will robots play?

Our Panel

• Marina Bill, Chair IFR Robot Supplier Committee and Global Head of Marketing & Sales of ABB Robotics & Discrete Automation Business
• Milton Guerry, IFR President and President of SCHUNK USA
• Klaus König, IFR Vice President and CEO KUKA Robotics
• Moderator: Ken Fouhy, Editor in Chief, VDI Nachrichten

To whom is this session addressed?

To users and suppliers of automation technology who would like to find out more about the state of the international robotics market and the future of automation.

Let’s talk by automatica is organized in cooperation with the VDMA Robotics + Automation Association and the Informationstechnische Gesellschaft (ITG) of the VDE.

In case you missed the event

You may watch the panel discussion here.

Download the presentation by IFR President Milton Guerry:

• The global robotics market – where are we headed? (796KB)