Market Trends of Industrial Robotics Industry
Automotive Industry to Hold Major Share
For the past 50 years, the automotive industry has used robots in its assembly lines for various manufacturing processes. Currently, automakers are exploring the use of robotics in more procedures. Robots are more efficient, flexible, accurate, and dependable for such production lines. This technology enables the automotive industry to remain one of the most significant robot users and possess one of the most automated supply chains globally.
Furthermore, the growing adoption of automation in the automotive manufacturing process and the involvement of AI and digitalization are the primary factors increasing the demand for industrial robots in the automotive sector.
In today's automotive industry, the advancement of robotics technology has accelerated to keep up with the rapid changes in the automotive industry. A robotics solution simulation and virtual commissioning will utilize the maximum benefits of factory automation for OEMs, startups, and suppliers in the present automotive industry.
For instance, For instance, Europe's second-largest car manufacturer, PSA Group, modernizes its European manufacturing sites with Universal Robots' UR10 collaborative robots. According to UBS, around 6.3 billion electric vehicles are forecast to be sold in Europe in 2025.
To cater to the changing landscape of automotive manufacturing, many players in the industry are adopting industrial robots. For instance, in January 2022, Huayu Automotive Systems Co., which does business as HASCO, and ABB Group announced that they have created a joint venture building on their existing relationship "to drive the next generation of smart manufacturing." The companies claimed that the joint venture would enable them to further develop HASCO's leading position with automated solutions that benefit customers in China.
Further, the growing automotive sector worldwide supports the growth of industrial robotics for welding car parts, palletizing, part insertion, pick-and-pale applications, and many other uses. Moreover, in July 2022, Yamaha Motor Robotics announced to showcase of its latest robots for Advanced Automation at Motek 2022. The company will demonstrate SCARA, cartesian and single-axis robots, and the LCMR200 linear conveyor module, highlighting their speed, accuracy, and flexibility.
North America to Hold a Significant Market Share
According to the International Federation of Robotics, Robot installations in the United States increased by 14% to 34,987 units in 2021, making it the second most successful year in the industry's history. This was higher than the pre-pandemic level of 33,378 units in 2019. In 2021, the automobile industry in the United States will have installed 9,782 industrial robots. In 2021 the United States will account for 64% of North American car installations. However, in past years, this percentage was greater than 70%. The metal and machinery industry in the United States increased by 66% to 3,814 units in 2021, placing it second in terms of robot demand. In 2021, the plastics and chemical products industry had 3,466 (+30%) new robots installed.
The government in the region is also encouraging the adoption of robotics by taking initiatives to support the development of modern technologies in the robotics market. For instance, the US federal government has commenced the National Robotics Initiative (NRI) program to bolster the capabilities of building domestic robots and encourage research activities in the field.
In February 2022, United States Steel and Carnegie Foundry, a robotics and AI studio, announced a strategic investment and relationship. The two Pittsburgh-based startups will collaborate to accelerate and expand industrial automation powered by advanced robotics and artificial intelligence. Carnegie Foundry will use this funding to market and scale its industrial automation portfolio of robotics and AI technologies in advanced manufacturing, industrial robots, integrated systems, autonomous mobility, speech analytics, and other areas. According to US Steel, the collaboration keeps the company at the forefront of growing innovation in robotics and autonomous solutions for the industry. According to the steelmaker, the highly advanced technology will be critical to meeting its client's expectations for a robust and resilient supply chain.
In March 2022, Kinova Robotics introduced Link 6, Canada's first industrial collaborative robot. Link 6 is Canada's first industrial collaborative robot, with automation solutions that increase daily productivity while enhancing product quality and consistency. The Link 6 robotic arm is developed and constructed with any user in mind, both for experienced industrial integrators and operators with no particular robotic expertise, achieving quick cycle times through longer reach and fast movements. The Link 6 controller from Kinova has the market's most processing power and memory capacity. It supports an optional GPU, making it ready for use with future AI solutions while keeping the controller compact.
Association for Advancing Automation (A3), companies in North America ordered 9,853 million robots in the second quarter of 2021, which is a significant increase compared to 2020, with 5,196 sales, leading to new job opportunities. Further, according to Robotic Industries Association (RIA), the most critical driver of the year-to-date increase in industrial robots was an 83% growth in units purchased by automotive OEMs for process automation.
