The labor shortage triggered by COVID-19 has been a boon to robot sales as businesses scramble to fill jobs amid increasing consumer demands for goods and services post-pandemic.
Orders for robotics January through October reached 29,000 units for a record $1.48 billion compared to last year’s $1.09 billion, topping 2017’s record for the same time period of $1.47 billion, the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) said in a press release.
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Unit sales reflect a 37% increase over 2020’s sales of 21,072 and moves past the 2017 record by 5.8%. A3 analyzed data from industrial robots, which are generally put to work assembling parts or transporting materials, the industry association said. Non-automotive orders grew faster than automotive-related orders.
“With labor shortages throughout manufacturing, logistics and virtually every industry, companies of all sizes are increasingly turning to robotics and automation to stay productive and competitive,” Jeff Burnstein, A3’s president, said in the press release.
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In the third quarter alone, companies in North America ordered 9,928 robots valued at $513 million, up 32% over the third quarter of last year, and marking the most units ordered in a quarter and the fifth-highest in value.
“As our latest statistics indicate, sales are on track to make 2021 the biggest year ever for robotics orders in North America. We see many current users expanding their applications of robotics and automation throughout their facilities, while first-time robotics users are emerging in a wide range of industries such as automotive, agriculture, construction, electronics, food processing, life sciences, metalworking, warehousing and more,” Burnstein said.
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