President’s Report

These days, the global robotics community will meet at the 23rd iREX, hosted from December 18 to 21 at the Tokyo Big Sight. Robot manufacturers and robot-related companies from around the globe are going to display and demonstrate the latest advancements in robot technology.

Dear Reader,

Prior to the iREX, on December 17, IFR members will already meet at the venue to review recent IFR activities and to exchange and discuss opinions on the market development and future IFR activities.

For me, this IFR meeting will be a special one. It will be my last meeting as IFR’s President, given that my term of office ends this day. I had the pleasure to take over this presidency in late 2017, a year known for the global robotics boom. The following years turned out to be exciting and challenging: We have seen new record figures in many countries and passed the mark of 400,000 new industrial robots globally installed per year. We have seen the global market for service robots expanding to almost USD 13bn. The IFR supports the robotics industry on its growth path by promoting the benefits of robotic automation for human workers, industry and society. Our positioning papers, key messages, and blog posts address the general public. Our press releases have been cited more than 10,000 times every year in newspapers and journals all over the world. IFR representatives participated in numerous politically relevant meetings, conferences and events and communicated our joint positions to policy makers.

I am looking forward to passing on the IFR president’s chair to my successor, whom I wish the best luck and success in guiding us into the future of robotic automation.

Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year,

Junji Tsuda

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