Robot sales down 30%

By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 3/1/2007

North American robotic companies had a record year for sales to non-automotive customers in 2006, but it wasn't enough to offset the drop in orders from the auto industry. Overall North American robot sales totaled 12,765 robots valued at $904.2 million, according to the Robotic Industries Association (RIA, www.roboticsonline.com). That's a 30% drop in units and a 22% drop in revenue.

The number of materials handling robots fell about 27%. "Much of the downturn in material handling appears to be related to the downturn in automotive industry purchases," says RIA spokesman Jeff Burnstein.