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North American automakers pulled again in robotic orders final 12 months. Supply: A3
After two years of document gross sales, North American robotic orders declined by 30% in 2023, stated the most recent report from the Affiliation for Advancing Automation, or A3. The group stated it expects the slowdown, significantly in automotive manufacturing, to proceed till the second half of 2024.
“Whereas robotic gross sales naturally ebb and move, the return to extra typical robotic gross sales after the final two document years can doubtless be attributed to some apparent points: a gradual U.S. financial system, increased rates of interest, and even the over-purchasing of robots in 2022 from provide chain considerations,” stated Jeff Burnstein, president of A3, in a launch.
“We’ve seen a slowdown within the manufacturing of digital automobiles this 12 months, together with fewer new distribution facilities, each doubtless decreasing the demand for robots,” he added. “From what we’re listening to in our member surveys and at latest occasions, nonetheless, optimism is robust for development, doubtlessly choosing up within the second half of the 12 months. Actually, we anticipate document numbers at our Automate Present in Might as extra firms put together for brand spanking new automation initiatives.”
Each automotive, non-automotive robotic orders dip
In accordance with A3, North American firms bought 31,159 robots in 2023, in contrast with 44,196 ordered in 2022 and 39,708 in 2021. These 2023 robotic orders had been divided virtually equally amongst automotive (15,723 robots offered) and non-automotive firms (15,436 robots offered). This represented a 34% drop in gross sales to automotive OEMs and automotive suppliers over 2022 and a 25% whole lower in all different industries.
The strongest demand for robots from non-automotive firms got here from the steel business, adopted by semiconductor and electronics/photonics; meals and client items; life sciences, pharmaceutical, and biomedical; plastics and rubber, and others, stated A3.
Whereas every of those industries confirmed an total decline in contrast with 2022, the final three months of the 12 months noticed a rise of 20% in automotive –each OEM and elements — and metals, electronics, plastics, and the “all different industries” class over Q3 2023. The “all different industries” class contains firms in areas comparable to development, hospitality, and agriculture, that are newer to robotics, stated A3.
Be taught from Agility Robotics, Amazon, Disney, Teradyne and lots of extra.
A3 is optimistic for late 2024
“Whereas robotic gross sales had been down over the 12 months, 2023 ended with each a rise over the earlier quarter and a virtually equal variety of gross sales from automotive and non-automotive firms,” famous Burnstein. “Each are promising indicators that extra industries have gotten more and more comfy with automation total.”
“Whereas we anticipate to see automotive orders rise once more, there’s little doubt that orders will enhance from all non-automotive industries as they acknowledge how robots will help them overcome their distinctive challenges,” he stated.
The Affiliation for Advancing Automation’s members embrace greater than 1,280 producers, element suppliers, techniques integrators, finish customers, tutorial establishments, analysis teams, and consulting corporations worldwide. The Ann Arbor, Mich.-based group stated its mission is to be a world advocate for the advantages of automating.
A3 will present the most recent applied sciences at Automate in Chicago from Might 6 to 9, 2024. It would characteristic greater than 750 exhibitors of all the things from robotics and movement management to machine imaginative and prescient and synthetic intelligence for quite a lot of industries and functions.