Keywords
Citation
(2002), "The robotics industry world-wide", Industrial Robot, Vol. 29 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2002.04929aab.008
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2002, MCB UP Limited
The robotics industry world-wide
Keywords: IFR, Robotics
By 2003, according to IFR estimates, there will be nearly 900,000 multi-purpose robots in use world-wide compared with 750,000 today. Between 1998 and 1999, the world market for industrial robots increased by 15 per cent, mainly as a result of a sharp up-turn in sales in the United States (+38 per cent) and the European Union (+16 per cent). The highest growth was recorded in France with almost 90 per cent over the 1998 level.
The first half of 2000 shows an annual growth rate of 12 per cent, with Europe now heading the investment league.
Plummeting robot prices and radically improved performance have spurred growth in robot investment. The price of an average robot in 1999 was one-fifth the 1990 cost of an equivalent robot. Consequently it is usual these days to hear of payback times of one to two years. At the same time the economic life of a robot can be over 12 years, so the competitiveness of robot users is significantly enhanced.
Robots are becoming more sophisticated and their rapidly improving performance is opening up a range of new applications. In some countries there is a shortage of industrial labour, encouraging investment in robotics. With present demographic trends, this shortage will be even more pronounced in years to come, which will further stimulate investment in robots.