The Rise of Industrial Robots Operating in the U.S. Just Broke a Record [Report]

The number of robots operating in U.S. factories is on the rise, according to the latest report from a global robotics trade group.

The International Federation of Robotics’ "World Robotics 2020 Industrial Robots” found that U.S. plants housed approximately 293,000 operating robots in 2019, an increase of 7% over the previous year and a new record. The group attributed the total to the influence of the U.S. auto industry, which trails only China in market size and production volume.

New installations of robots, however, declined last year. The IFR report said U.S. companies received about 33,000 shipments of industrial robots in 2019, which represented the second-highest on record but a 17% drop compared to 2018. The study added although most robots in the U.S. are produced overseas, the nation is home to many companies that integrate robotics systems.

Worldwide, the report said 2.7 million robots operated in factories last year — up 12% from 2018 — but that sales also fell by 12% over that span. Analysts attributed the slowdown to struggles in the automotive and electronics industries, and they said the robotics sector faces uncertainty amid the coronavirus pandemic. Although the crisis forced many manufacturers to consider and invest in automation technologies, a “major stimulus from large-scale orders is unlikely this year.”

“It will take a few months until this translates into automation projects and robot demand,” IFR President Milton Guerry said in a statement. “2021 will see recovery, but it may take until 2022 or 2023 to reach the pre-crisis level.”