248,000 industrial robots sold in 2015: IFR

Jul. 6, 2016 – The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) found the worldwide sales of industrial robots reached a record 248,000 units in 2015, a 12-per-cent increase from 2014.

“This sees the continuation of the global automation boom, which commenced in the wake of the financial crisis in 2009. The sales figures for industrial robots have increased almost four-fold since that time (2009: 60,000 units),” said the organization in a statement.

According to IFR, there appears to be “no end in sight” to this growth pattern. It predicts that by 2018, roughly 2.3 million units will be implemented on factory floors around the world.

At a 16-per-cent increase from the previous year, Asia is the strongest growth market, followed by North America (15-per-cent growth), Europe (10-per-cent increase), said IFR. Meanwhile, the sectors that post the strongest growth in industrial robots include the automotive, metal, plastics and rubber, and electronics industries.

“The wave of digital transformation and automation will continue to drive the robotics boom forward until 2018,” said Joe Gemma, president of IFR. “Revolutionary developments in IT connected with all aspects of the Internet of Things, and new networked services are changing the producing industries fundamentally. Machines, logistics and production plants are merging into integrated cyber-physical systems. The aim is to use smart factories to work more flexibly, more cost-efficiently and more productively.”