422,000 industrial robots were delivered by manufacturers to customers worldwide in 2018. This is 6% more than a year earlier. A total of $16.5 billion worth of industrial robots were sold, which is a record.
This is according to the World Robotics Report by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). The federation expects the number of industrial robots shipped in 2019 to decline slightly compared to 2018. For the period 2020 to 2022, IFR expects average growth of 12%.
Asia is largest sales market
Asia is the largest sales market for industrial robots. The Asian market showed several developments in 2018. For instance, the number of new installations in China and South Korea decreased, while Japan showed significant growth. Overall, 1% more industrial robots were delivered in Asia than in 2017.
Europe shows growth for the sixth year in a row. The number of industrial robots delivered increased by 14%, which is the highest growth rate in six years. The US market grew 20%; also showing the highest growth rate in six years.
36% of all new installations in China
Interestingly, five markets accounted for a whopping 74% of the total number of new industrial robots installed in 2018. They are China, Japan, South Korea, the United States (US) and Germany. China remains the largest outlet with 36% of all new installations. This is 1% less than a year earlier. Despite this, the number of new robots in China still exceeds those in Europe and America combined. Robot installations in China were worth $5.4 billion in 2018, 21% more than in 2017.
IFR points out that Chinese manufacturers have an increasing share of the Chinese industrial robot market. 27% of all robots sold in the country were China-made in 2018, up from 22% in 2017. This shift is in line with the Chinese government's policy of promoting Chinese manufacturers. The number of installations by foreign manufacturers fell 7% to 133,000 units, mainly due to a weaker automotive industry.
Sales in Japan up 21%
Sales in Japan grew 21% to about 55,000 units. The market has shown an average growth rate of 17% since 2013, which IFR calls remarkable for a market where industrial production is already highly automated. Japan is the largest manufacturer of industrial robots worldwide, accounting for 52% of all robots delivered in 2018.
In the United States, the number of robot installations rose to 40,300 units, which is a new record. The number of installations increased by 22% compared to 2017. With this, the US bumped South Korea from third position. By betting on automation, US parties aim to strengthen US industry against both foreign and global markets.
South Korean market shrunk
The South Korean market actually shrank by 5%; about 38,000 industrial robots were sold in 2018. The South Korean sales market is largely dependent on the electronics market, which struggled in 2018. Despite this, the number of installations has increased by an average of 12% a year since 2013.
Germany is the fourth-largest market for industrial robots and the largest in Europe, followed by Italy and France. The number of robots sold in Germany increased by 26% to almost 27,000 units in 2018, which is a new record. This growth is mainly due to the automotive industry, reports IFR.
Automotive industry is largest user
The automotive industry remains the largest user of industrial robots; almost 30% of all robots are used in this sector. Among other things, the introduction of new car models is driving demand for industrial robots from the sector.
In second place, the electronics sector experienced a tough year in 2018. The number of robots installed in the electronics sector decreased by 14% to 105,000 units. Metallurgy and mechanical engineering accounted for 10% of demand, ranking third.
Robot density
Robot density - the number of industrial robots with 10,000 employees - is highest in Singapore with 831 robots per 10,000 employees. South Korea follows closely behind with 774. Germany is by far in third place; Germany has 338 industrial robots active per 10,000 employees. Rounding out the top five are Japan (327) and Sweden (247). By comparison, the robot density in the United States is 217 robots per 10,000 workers, while in China it is 140.
The Netherlands ranks 11th with 182 industrial robots per 10,000 employees. This puts our country ahead of three European countries, including Belgium (188), Italy (200) and Germany (338). The global average is 99.
Collaborative robots
IFR looks at collaborative industrial robots for the first time in its World Robotics Report. These robots are designed to perform tasks in a workspace where humans are also present. According to IFR's definition, a collaborative robot must always meet the requirements for an industrial robot as defined in ISO 8372:2012.
Despite collaborative robots getting a lot of media attention, the installed base is limited. For instance, 3.24% of all industrial robots installed in 2018 were collaborative robots. In absolute numbers, this amounts to less than 14,000 collaborative robots out of a total of 422,000 industrial robots. However, the number of collaborative robots delivered is on the rise; 23% more collaborative robots were installed in 2018 than the previous year.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source: IFR
