A FANUC robotic working in automobile manufacturing. FANUC is a Japanese world chief in robotics and manufacturing unit automation. | Supply: FANUC America
The newest numbers of the Worldwide Federation of Robotics (IFR’s) present automakers within the U.S. have been investing extra in automation. The IFR mentioned that complete installations of business robots within the automotive business elevated by 10.7%, reaching 13,700 models in 2024. These are a part of the group’s preliminary 2024 outcomes.
Against this, the Affiliation for Advancing Automation (A3) reported earlier this yr that U.S. automotive gross sales dropped 15% in 2024 in comparison with 2023. Alex Shikany, the chief vice chairman of A3, advised The Robotic Report earlier this yr that he’s optimistic robotic orders will bounce again within the latter half of 2025.
Moreover, whereas the U.S. is putting in extra robots, it isn’t producing most of them. Nearly all of these robots come from abroad. Globally, 70% of installations are produced by 4 international locations: Japan, China, Germany, and South Korea, the IFR mentioned.
Wanting forward, it’s unclear how the present U.S. administration’s tariffs will have an effect on installations. Nearshoring may imply a rise in automation, nonetheless, the tariffs may additionally lead to costlier robots produced abroad.
“America has one of the crucial automated automobile industries on the earth: The ratio of robots to manufacturing unit employees ranks fifth, tied with Japan and Germany and forward of China,” says Takayuki Ito, president of the Worldwide Federation of Robotics. “It is a nice achievement of modernization. Nonetheless, in different key areas of producing automation, the US lags behind its rivals.”
The automotive business has, traditionally, been the most important purchaser of robots. | Supply: IFR
China additionally has robust automation within the automotive business
Throughout the 4 international locations producing probably the most robots, the IFR mentioned Chinese language producers are probably the most dynamic. Already, these producers produce robots for an enormous home market that greater than tripled from 2019 to 2023. This places them in second place after Japan.
The IFR mentioned China’s success relies on its nationwide robotics technique. Its manufacturing business put in a complete of about 280,000 models per yr between 2021 and 2023. That is in comparison with a complete of 34,300 installations in the US in 2024.
Moreover, in China, robotics and automation are penetrating all ranges of manufacturing. For instance, China has a excessive robotic density of 470 robots per 10,000 staff in manufacturing, the third highest on the earth, surpassing Germany and Japan in 2023.
America, however, ranks solely tenth among the many world’s most automated manufacturing international locations, with a robotic density of 295 robots per 10,000 staff. The nation’s automation is closely concentrated within the automobile sector: Round 40% of all new industrial robotic installations in 2024 are in automotive.
That is adopted by the steel and equipment business with 3,800 models representing a market share of 11%. Installations within the US electrical and electronics business have a market share of 9%, with 2,900 models offered.
A3 recognized meals and client items, life sciences, prescription drugs, and biomedical as among the fastest-growing industries within the U.S. for robotics. With meals and client items seeing a 65% development in orders in 2024, and life sciences, prescription drugs, and biomedical rising by 46%.
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