North American robot orders rose 25% in 2007

Materials handling robots accounted for 40% of new orders.

By Corinne Kator, Associate Editor -- Modern Materials Handling, 2/25/2008

After a tough year in 2006, North American robotics companies saw orders increase 25% in 2007 to 17,261 units. Revenue increased 20% to $1.15 billion.

Materials handling robots accounted for 40% of the new orders, says Jeff Burnstein, executive vice president of the Robotic Industries Association (RIA), which compiled the statistics.

Materials handling robot orders, Burnstein says, were up 14% in units and 20% in revenue in 2007. Materials handling tasks such as packaging and palletizing and parts loading and unloading all showed healthy growth, he says.

“We’re obviously very pleased to see strong growth in 2007, especially following the 30% decline in 2006,” says Ake Lindqvist, chairman of RIA’s statistics committee.

But most of last year’s growth, Lindqvist notes, came from automotive manufacturers and their suppliers. “Orders to non-automotive markets grew less than 1% and accounted for just 36% of all orders. The robotics industry’s future expansion depends upon reaching more non-automotive customers and we still have a long way to go,” he says.

RIA has major plans to help reach new customers in non-automotive markets, says Burnstein. “Our Robots 2008 Conference in Boston will focus on industries such as food, medical and pharmaceutical. We’ll present case studies, business justifications for using robots in these industries, and practical applications knowledge that attendees can put to immediate use.”