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Charlotte Stonestreet
Managing Editor |
Worldwide industrial robot sales increase by 29%
29 June 2018
The initial findings of the World Robotics Report 2018, published by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) show global sales of industrial robots reaching the new record of 380,550 units in 2017. This represents an increase of 29% compared to the previous year (2016: 294,300 units). China saw the largest growth in demand for industrial robots, up 58%. Sales in the USA increased by 6% and in Germany by 8% compared to the previous year.
Broken down by industry, the automotive industry continues to lead global demand for industrial robots: In 2017, around 125,200 units were sold in this segment – equivalent to growth of 21%. The strongest growth sectors in 2017 were the metal industry (+54%), the electrical/electronics industry (+27%) and the food industry (+19%).
In terms of sales volume, Asia has the strongest individual markets: China installed around 138,000 industrial robots in 2017, followed by South Korea with around 40,000 units and Japan with around 38,000 units. In the Americas, the USA is the largest single market with around 33,000 industrial robots sold, and in Europe it is Germany with around 22,000 units sold.
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