North American robotics market falls 30 percent in 2001

Citation

(2002), "North American robotics market falls 30 percent in 2001", Industrial Robot, Vol. 29 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2002.04929eab.001

North American robotics market falls 30 percent in 2001

North American robotics market falls 30 percent in 2001

Keywords: Robots, Statistics, USA

The North American robotics market fell 30 percent in 2001, suffering the same fate as other capital equipment markets impacted by the lingering recession in the USA.

New year-end statistics from the Robotic Industries Association (RIA), the industry's trade group, show that North American customers ordered a total of 8,964 robots valued at $679.9 million in 2001. This represents a decline of 30 percent in units and 35 percent in dollar value. An additional 779 robots valued at $51.9 million were ordered by overseas customers, giving North American robotics manufacturers total sales of 9,743 robots valued at $731.8 million, declines of 32 percent in units and 34 percent in dollars.

"As expected, 2001 ended up a very difficult year for robotics companies," said Donald A. Vincent, Executive Vice President of RIA. "The recession, the tragic events of 11 September, and the continued slowdown in capital equipment purchases combined to make 2001 the weakest year for robot sales since 1995."

While Vincent is hesitant to make predictions given the current uncertainty about when capital equipment purchases are likely to recover, he did see a bright spot in the fourth quarter results.

"New orders jumped 20 percent in the fourth quarter of 2001 over the third quarter of the year. This was definitely a positive sign, although it's much too early to say whether or not this indicates a turnaround for the robotics industry."

While all major application areas suffered steep declines, Vincent noted that orders for material handling robots that handle payloads greater than ten pounds and for arc welding robots declined less than the industry average. "These particular applications could be poised for strong growth once the market turns upward," he said.

RIA estimates that some 118,000 robots are now at work in US factories, making the USA the world's second largest robotics user, trailing only Japan.

Founded in 1974, RIA is the world's largest robotics trade association. Its more than 250 members include leading robot manufacturers, component suppliers, system integrators, end users, research groups, and consulting firms.

RIA collects and reports market statistics each quarter based on actual totals provided confidentially by RIA member companies, which RIA estimates represents over 90 percent of the robotics market activity in North America.

For complete details on RIA and the robotics industry, visit www.roboticsonline. com or contact RIA Headquarters at 734/994-6088.