The number of robots sold in North America in 2021 rose 28 percent from 2020 levels, according to a report from the Association for Advancing Automation (A3).
Sales in 2021 reached 39,708 units with a value of $2 billion, according to A3 — a 14 percent increase over the previous high set in 2017.
The report is reflected in advances in production and sales reported by several robot manufacturers.
Universal Robots, the Danish manufacturer of collaborative robots (cobots), announced record annual revenue of $311 million for 2021, while Doosan Robotics announced it became South Korea’s first company to reach an annual sales record of 1,000 cobots in 2021. Meanwhile, Danish firm Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR) saw sales of its autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) rise 42 percent in 2021 compared with the previous year.
Universal Robots’ record revenue was a 41 percent increase over its 2020 levels. Company President Kim Povlsen said, “Our growth is driven by several long-term trends, including workforce shortages and growing awareness of the contribution automation can make to productivity. As well as reaching new consumers, we see repeat business from manufacturers extending their use of cobots after seeing the impact of the technology.”
A3’s report attributed much of the demand to orders from the non-automotive sector, which now represents 58 percent of the North American total. Sales to non-automotive industries saw the following increases in 2021:
· Plastics and rubber up 4 percent
· Metals up 91 percent over 2020
· Food and consumer goods up 29 percent
· Semiconductors and electronics/photonics up 2 percent
· Life sciences/pharma/biomed up 4 percent
· All other industries up 65 percent
“More industries recognized that robotics could help reverse productivity declines and fill repetitive jobs human workers don’t want. It is no longer a choice whether to deploy robots and automation,” said Jeff Burnstein, president of A3. “It’s now an absolute imperative. As we’ve long believed — and users continue to confirm — robots help companies compete, ultimately creating more jobs to handle their growth.”
Povlsen said his company has worked hard to overcome supply chain challenges.
“Universal Robots has had a great year,” Povlsen said. “… Our production team in Denmark has broken internal records for the number of cobots built, producing 400 cobots in a single week in Q4. Our supply chain experts have worked hard to keep our business running smoothly despite global supply challenges.”
Doosan is the first South Korean company to be listed among the world’s top five cobot manufacturers, and the company reported that foreign sales accounted for 70 percent of its total sales. It also got an infusion of $33.7 million in investment from Praxis Capital Partners and Korea Investment Partners, which Doosan said it will use to grow its global sales base and expand its R&D capabilities. The company also is planning to pursue an initial public offering.
MiR posted a single-month record in December, with almost 300 robots shipped. “We grew significantly in 2021 despite component shortages as customers recognize the value of our safe, reliable and easy-to-deploy AMRs,” MiR President Søren E. Nielsen said. “We enter 2022 with strong expectations that growth will continue, and with a very strong order book.”
