First half of 2019 sees continued growth in robotic sales

The Robotic Industries Association (RIA), part of the Association for Advancing Automation, has reported the North American robotics market is up 7.2% in the first half of 2019.

From January to June, North American companies ordered 16,488 robots, valued at $869 million. The largest driver of the year-to-date growth was an 83% increase in units ordered by automotive OEMs. Other industries that saw increases include semiconductor and electronics (12%), life sciences (8%), and food and consumer goods (3%).

In the second quarter alone, North American companies ordered 8,572 robots, valued at $446 million. This represents a growth of 19.2% in number of robots ordered, and a 0.6% boost in dollars compared to the same time period in 2018.

“Robot use continues to grow, which is helping make U.S. companies more competitive and leading to new job growth,” said Jeff Burnstein, president of the Association for Advancing Automation. “We are currently experiencing the greatest period of robot expansion in history—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.”