North American industrial robot sales are surging, hitting a record high for the third consecutive quarter.
The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) said 12,305 robots were sold in Q2 2022, a 25 percent increase over the same period in 2021. The automotive industry accounted for 59 percent of those orders, with most of the remaining orders coming from companies in the food and consumer goods sectors.
“While automotive entities have long been the frontrunner in deploying robotics and automation, the last few years have seen food & consumer goods, life sciences and other industries grow at even higher rates,” says A3 President Jeff Burnstein in a press release. “While this quarter shows a marked shift back to historic norms with more robots going to automotive than to any other industry, the continued growth of robotics in food and consumer goods companies especially demonstrates the ongoing need to automate warehouse logistics for handling the exploding growth of e-commerce."
The value of robot sales in the second quarter of 2022 hit $585 million, making it the second-best quarter for sales ever, down 9 percent from Q1 2022, which posted a record $646 million in revenue. The combined robot sales for the first half of 2022 are 23,903 units (up 26 percent over the first half of 2021) at a value of $1.29 billion (29 percent growth year-over-year).
A3 says the North American robotics market enjoyed its best-ever year in 2021, with 39,708 units sold at a value of $2 billion—but 2022 is on pace to break that record.
A record fourth quarter in 2021 resulted in the strongest year ever for North American robot sales, with 39,708 units sold at a value of $2 billion, and 2022 is on pace for another record year.
The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) represents about 1,100 automation manufacturers, component suppliers, system integrators, end users, academic institutions, research groups and consulting firms in the global robotics market.