On December 5, 2023, the Robot Branch of China Machinery Industry Federation released the 2022 statistical data for China's industrial robot market at the China Robot Industry Development Conference. The data shows that in 2022, the sales volume of China's industrial robot market reached a new historical high, marking the tenth consecutive year it has ranked first in the world, and for two consecutive years, its sales accounted for over 50% of the global market share.
Robot Density in Manufacturing Continues to Rise
China's robot density in manufacturing increased from 49 units per 10,000 employees in 2015 to 392 units per 10,000 employees in 2022. This is nearly 2.6 times the global average, and China's ranking jumped from 25th globally in 2015 to 5th in 2022, trailing only South Korea, Singapore, Germany, and Japan.
Sales Growth of Domestic Brand Industrial Robots Exceeds the Average
In 2022, cumulative sales of industrial robots in the Chinese market reached 297,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 5.8%. Among these, sales of domestic brand industrial robots exceeded 112,000 units, a year-on-year growth of 19%, higher than the overall growth rate. Domestic brands accounted for 37.8% of the total sales in China's industrial robot market, the highest proportion since 2013.
Articulated Robots Lead the Growth
In terms of mechanical structure, articulated robots remained the top-selling model in the Chinese market in 2022, with annual sales of 199,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 10.7%. This was the highest growth rate among all models, accounting for 67.1% of the total, an increase of 3 percentage points compared to 2021. Among these, sales of domestic brand articulated robots reached 64,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 28%, capturing nearly 30% of the market share. SCARA robot sales for the year were 73,000 units, maintaining a growth trend with a year-on-year increase of 2.3%; domestic brand SCARA robot sales grew by 16.4%. Sales of Cartesian coordinate robots were 14,000 units, with both domestic and foreign brands experiencing a decline. Sales of delta robots saw slowed growth, increasing by 9.4% year-on-year.
Handling and Loading/Unloading Robots Experience Rapid Growth
As the primary application field, handling and loading/unloading saw sales of 155,000 units in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 18.9%. This accounted for 52% of the total sales volume, up 5.7 percentage points from 2021. Domestic brand sales in this segment grew by 35.6%, achieving a 51.1% market share. Welding and brazing robot sales were 51,000 units, a year-on-year decrease of 7.6%; domestic brand sales in this category fell by 19.5%. Assembly and disassembly robot sales were 45,000 units, a slight increase of 1.6% year-on-year; domestic brand sales in this segment grew significantly by 33.6%. Sales of cleanroom robots and processing robots decreased by 33.4% and 24% year-on-year, respectively. Driven by foreign brands, robot sales in the coating and sealing segment saw a substantial increase of 182.7% in 2022. Compared to the previous year, the market share of domestic brand industrial robots increased in the cleanroom, handling/loading/unloading, and assembly/disassembly sectors.
Significant Recovery in Automotive Market Demand
From an application industry perspective, the electrical and electronic equipment and apparatus manufacturing industry remained the primary application sector in China for the seventh consecutive year, with sales of 102,000 units in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 6.6%, accounting for 34.5% of the total sales in the Chinese market. The automotive market showed an overall recovery and positive trend, with a significant rebound in industrial robot purchases. Annual purchases reached 77,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 28.3%, restoring their share of the total Chinese market sales to 26%, an increase of 4.6 percentage points compared to the previous year. Additionally, robot purchases in the metal products and machinery manufacturing industry and the plastics and chemical products industry decreased by 16% and 2.6% year-on-year, respectively. The food manufacturing industry saw sales growth for the ninth consecutive year, with an 8.2% increase in 2022. In terms of market share, domestic brand robots gained market share in the metal products and machinery manufacturing, food manufacturing, and electrical and electronic equipment and apparatus manufacturing industries in 2022, while their share declined in the plastics and chemical products manufacturing and automotive manufacturing industries. The application industries for domestic brand industrial robots continued to expand in 2022, covering 71 major industry categories and 226 medium industry categories within the national economy since 2013.
