In recent years, driven by rising industrial automation demands, global sales and revenue of industrial robots have continued to grow. According to the 2023 World Robotics Report released by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), global industrial robot sales exceeded 500,000 units for the second consecutive year in 2022, with a year-on-year increase of 5%. China is the world's largest robotics market, accounting for over half of global industrial robot sales in 2022. The IFR forecasts that the global robotics market will reach USD 66 billion by 2024.
Application Fields Become More Diverse
Unicraft Nagura Co., Ltd. from Japan primarily produces precision components for automotive steering systems, transmissions, and home appliances. A recent visit to one of its factories revealed several robots equipped with suction cups in the transmission screw manufacturing process section, performing tasks such as feeding, thread machining, drilling, and handling materials across multiple stations... The repetitive positioning accuracy of the robot operations is within 0.02mm, finer than a human hair.
These industrial robots are from Chinese company JAKA Robotics Co., Ltd., which focuses on the innovative R&D of a new generation of collaborative robot bodies and smart factories. Kō Nakamura, head of the technical department at Unicraft Nagura, told the reporter that the JAKA robots support six languages and feature a user-friendly interface, allowing workers to learn to operate them easily within just two hours. These robots also come with dedicated application software, enabling remote control via apps without the need for wired connections to external communication devices, making them highly convenient.
As a new wave of technological revolution and industrial transformation surges, the accelerated integration of new-generation digital technologies like artificial intelligence and sensing with the robotics industry is driving technological innovation. This not only enhances the performance of robots in existing application fields but also opens up new areas for application.
Li Xiaohua, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Modernization Research, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, explained to the reporter that early industrial robots primarily replaced heavy manual labor or performed tasks in harsh environments, such as handling, loading/unloading, welding, and painting in industries like automotive manufacturing, shipbuilding, and chemicals. In recent years, the application of industrial robots has expanded to high-precision scenarios in industries like computers, communications, and consumer electronics.
According to experts, the demand market for global industrial robots is mainly concentrated in countries with large-scale manufacturing sectors and relatively high levels of automation. Currently, over 70% of the world's industrial robots are deployed in China, Japan, the United States, South Korea, and Germany. In 2022, these five major markets accounted for 79.1% of global industrial robot sales. The IFR report shows that 553,000 new industrial robots were installed in factories globally in 2022, with Asia accounting for 73%, Europe for 15%, and the Americas for 10%.
From an industry structure perspective, over half of the global demand for industrial robots comes from the automotive and electrical/electronics industries. Additionally, industrial robots are widely used in production lines for industries like food and pharmaceuticals, helping companies reduce costs and enhance competitiveness by improving production efficiency and accuracy. "Driven by progress in digital technologies, robot suppliers and system integrators are delivering new applications and improving the speed and quality of existing ones. Connected robots are changing manufacturing, and robots will increasingly operate as part of connected digital ecosystems," the IFR report stated.
The Chinese Market Holds Significant Potential
China is the world's largest robotics market. Data shows that industrial robot applications now cover 60 major categories and 168 medium categories of China's national economy. China has been the world's largest industrial robot market for ten consecutive years. In 2022, China's industrial robot output reached 443,000 units, a year-on-year increase of over 20%, and its installation volume accounted for more than 50% of the global total. According to IFR data, approximately 290,000 industrial robots were installed in China in 2022, a 5% increase year-on-year.
In recent years, globally renowned robotics companies such as ABB, FANUC, and Yaskawa Electric have entered the Chinese market. In December 2022, ABB's Robotics Super Factory was officially inaugurated and put into operation in Shanghai's Pudong New Area. This super factory, with an investment of USD 150 million and covering 67,000 square meters, is ABB's largest global R&D, production, and application base for robots. Sami Atiya, President of ABB's Robotics & Discrete Automation Business Area, stated that China is the world's fastest-growing robotics market with huge future potential, and the significant opportunities in the Chinese market are crucial for ABB Group.
"The Chinese market accounted for 52% of the global industrial robot market in 2022. Notably, over the past decade, the number of industrial robots independently produced in China has grown rapidly, with applications of domestic brand robots found in almost half of the economic sectors," Chen Dan, Deputy Secretary-General of the Robotics Branch of China Machinery Industry Federation, told the reporter.
As China's industrial robotics industry develops rapidly, an increasing number of domestic industrial robot enterprises are accelerating their expansion overseas. IFR data shows that China's industrial robot exports reached a new high of 118,300 units in 2023. Popular exported robot products are mainly used in industries such as home appliance manufacturing, automotive manufacturing, communication electronics, and logistics warehousing. Furthermore, applications in the semiconductor and new energy industries are growing relatively fast.
In the Japanese market, companies like Toyota Motor and Aisin are also users of Chinese industrial robots. Wang Yanqi, Sales Director of JAKA Japan, told the reporter that China possesses the world's largest, most comprehensive, and complete manufacturing system. Chinese robotics companies have advantages in application scenarios and practical experience, laying a solid foundation for overseas cooperation. "Besides Japan, we are actively expanding into European and Southeast Asian markets."
Driving Global Manufacturing Transformation and Upgrading
According to the latest data from the International Federation of Robotics, global industrial robot sales are expected to exceed 590,000 units in 2023. From 2023 to 2026, as companies increasingly leverage advanced robotics technology to optimize production processes and improve efficiency and product quality, the global industrial robot market is projected to achieve a compound annual growth rate of 7%, with sales expected to rise to 718,000 units, maintaining a positive growth trend.
An analysis report from the industrial consulting firm Rui Industry suggests that with the gradual recovery of the global economy, rising labor costs in developed countries, and improvements in robot usability and configuration efficiency, countries will place greater emphasis on the robotics industry in the future. The Chinese market has many industries and application scenarios yet to be developed, indicating significant room for future robot penetration, and China will continue to play a supportive role in global robotics growth. Therefore, the global industrial robot market shows positive development prospects and will further promote the transformation and upgrading of global manufacturing.
Deng Zhou, Director of the Industrial Development Research Office at the Institute of Industrial Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, stated that industrial robots are important carriers and platforms for emerging technologies, as well as prerequisites and foundations for the application of new-generation digital technologies like AI, cloud computing, and big data in manufacturing. Industrial robots have prominent advantages in coping with complex environments, ensuring stable and precise operations, enabling uninterrupted work, and achieving information interconnectivity, indicating huge future development prospects.
Facing new opportunities, many industrially developed countries are actively planning their industrial robotics sectors, intensifying systematic planning and policy support. According to experts, while the United States continues to promote the application普及 and functional improvement of traditional industrial robots in large-scale manufacturing, it is also focusing on advancing the R&D of a new generation of human-integrated, highly intelligent robots adapted to new manufacturing models like personalization and flexibility. Japan is forming a complete industrial chain with close links between upstream component suppliers and downstream customers, characterized by symbiotic cooperation and clear division of labor; robotics plays an important role in promoting national economic growth and alleviating a series of social issues arising from an aging population. Germany possesses a world-leading robotics industry and talent echelon; in recent years, emerging low-cost robots have injected new momentum into the German market, driving growth in robot installations.
The International Federation of Robotics predicted earlier this year that the five major robotics trends for 2024 would include Artificial Intelligence, Collaborative Robots, Mobile Manipulators, Digital Twins, and Humanoid Robots. IFR President Marina Bill stated: "Robotics is a multidisciplinary field where converging technologies are creating intelligent solutions for a wide range of tasks. These advancements continue to impact the convergence between the industrial and service robotics fields and the work of the future."
