By Warren Miller, contributing writer
2017 is shaping up to be a big year for robots. According to the Association for Advancing Automation’s — or A3 — quarterly report, the first half of 2017 has already set records in the areas of order units, order revenue, shipment units, and shipment revenue, with nearly 20,000 robots at a total cost of a little over a billion dollars being sold so far this year. Those figures represent over a 30% increase in units sold and over a 25% increase in money made compared to the first six months of 2016. The automotive industry has led the way in the robotics purchasing in 2017, with nearly 40% increases in those areas compared to this time last year. Other industries have also invested more heavily in robotics this year, as non-automotive robotics orders have also increased by over 20% compared to the first half of 2016.
The robots themselves aren’t the only ones enjoying success in 2017, however. Orders for motion control and motor products totaled over $1.6 billion in the first half of this year, a 14% increase over 2016. The market for machine-related vision and imaging equipment enjoyed an upswing as well, with sales totaling over $1.2 billion, representing an approximate 11% increase over the first half of 2016.
Growth in industrial robotics should come as no surprise as manufacturers move to more automated factories and processes to improve productivity, reduce cost, and improve quality. This continued growth in highly automated factories will open up new opportunities for non-robot (i.e., human) jobs designing, building, installing, testing, and repairing robots but will displace traditional assembly line workers and less skilled installation, repair, and maintenance jobs associated with less robot-intensive factories.
Advertisement
Learn more about Electronic Products Magazine
