GERMANY - According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) in 2017 robot installations are estimated to increase by 21 percent in the Asia-Australia region. Robot supplies in the Americas will surge by 16 percent and in Europe by 8 percent.

Important drivers of this development: robot adoption is a response to faster business cycles and the requirement to produce with greater flexibility tailored to customer demand in all manufacturing sectors. And a new generation of industrial robots will pave the way for ever more flexible automation.

“Robots offer high levels of precision and their connectivity will play a key role in new digital manufacturing environments,” says Joe Gemma, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “Increasing availability enables more and more manufacturers from companies of all sizes to automate.” In terms of units, it is estimated that by 2020 the worldwide stock of operational industrial robots will increase from about 1,828,000 units at the end of 2016 to 3,053,000 units. This represents an average annual growth rate of 14 percent between 2018 and 2020.