2019 Robotics Orders Valued at $869 Million [Report]

North American manufacturers and other companies reported an increase in the number of robots ordered in the first half of the year, an industry group said this week.

The Association for Advancing Automation’s Robotic Industries said those businesses ordered 16,488 robots in the first six months of the year, up 7.2% compared to the first half of 2018.

The latest report valued 2019 robotics orders at $869 million. Sales were especially strong in the second quarter when orders increased more than 19% compared to the same period last year.

The automotive industry, in particular, saw a sharp increase in robotics orders in the first half of the year, when totals were up 83% over 2018’s mid-year analysis.

Orders for the electronics and semiconductor segment also increased — by a more modest 12% — as did orders for life sciences companies and the food and consumer goods sector.

“We are currently experiencing the greatest period of robot expansion in history,” AAA President Jeff Burnstein said in a statement. “Over 180,000 robots have been shipped to American companies since 2010, and more than 1.2 million new manufacturing jobs have been created during this time.”