Frankfurt, Germany – The U.S. economy is one of the front-runners in the global automation race. By 2018, the number of industrial robots will rise by at least 5% annually to a new record of 31,000 units (2014: 26,202). About one-half of these will be installed by car makers and their suppliers.
Viewed according to robotic density, the number of industrial robots per 10,000 employees, the U.S. automotive industry, with 1,141 units, already ranks third in the world’s national economies after Germany (1,149 units) and Japan (1,414 units). So says the 2015 World Robot Statistics, issued by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).
The automobile industry is currently displaying the fastest rate of modernization within NAFTA (the U.S., Canada, and Mexico) with 55% of the total demand for industrial robots coming from the auto sector.
One-fourth of these units is installed by car makers. The drive towards automation has been running at full speed for five years now. This is enabling car manufacturers and suppliers in the US to supply the world’s largest domestic market and to produce the greatest number of cars and light commercial vehicles after China. The U.S. is witnessing very intense investment in the technical renewal of its domestic manufacturing, aimed at improving competitiveness and partly at regaining capacities from abroad.
The automotive supply industry is providing a strong impetus to the deployment of robotic technology in North America. Investments within NAFTA have increased by about 40% every year since 2010, and are forecast to continue rising in coming years. The primary drivers of industrial robot investments among automotive suppliers are new quality standards, more energy efficient production, and new materials.
“Clearly the automotive industry continues to drive innovation in the automation arena and need for optimization, quality, adaptability, and flexibility,” says Joe Gemma, president of the International Federation of Robotics. “The need from the OEM’s has filtered down to the supplier base to work on improved quality, flexibility, and process optimization fostering the requirement for automation technologies to meet the demands as well as quicker deliveries and adapting to a dynamic environment.”
Source: The International Federation of Robotics