The success of the global robotics industry continued in 2011, and investments in robot automation again surged in all regions.
This expert view was expressed by Dr. Shinsuke Sakakibara, IFR President, based on the results of the IFR Quarterly Statistics. There was an increase of about 30 per cent in the sales of industrial robots in 2011 as compared to 2010. Thanks to the demand from emerging countries, including China, sales of factory automation apparatus are increasing. However, the growth in sales of machine tools seems to be slowing down under the influence of Europe’s currency crisis and/or a Chinese tight-money policy. But this does not apply to robots, he added.
The IFR Vice President, Arturo Baroncelli, COMAU, Italy, observed: “We were sure about a good year in 2011, but the results have been far better than the expectations. In a still unclear worldwide economic scenario, one thing is certain: the use of robots always guarantees fast return of investments and dramatic improvements in terms of quality. And this is true both in car and general industry, both in emerging countries and nations having a long industrial tradition.”
The robotics industry is looking forward to Automatica 2012 in May in Munich, which will present automation solutions and innovations in all application areas. It is set to give the robotics and automation industry an additional boost. All robot suppliers confirmed this successful development.
Per Vegard Nerseth, Head of ABB Robotics, Switzerland, said: “The recovery in the global industrial robot market that began in 2010 continued strongly through 2011 and resulted in record-breaking numbers. Growth in the automotive sector continued unabated and was strongly supported by an increased uptake in growth segments such as electronics, solar and food and beverage. We fully expect this growth to continue through 2012 with the increased demand throughout the Asia region continuing to be an important factor. Consequently, we also expect the strong trend towards a significant shift in manufacturing footprint to Asia to be maintained. I firmly believe that the value proposition of robotic solutions for manufacturers of all sizes has never been better, and look forward to seeing this reflected in the continued growth of the industry.”
Dr. Michael Wenzel, Managing Director, Reis Group Holding, Germany, has this to say: “These figures clearly show the ongoing demand for industrial automation and robotics as a key component therein. We expect this trend to continue, maybe with a reduced growth rate, which will be a result of the global economic growth rates. However, the positive development in all application fields, in automotive and general industry and in all regions, shows that the robotics industry has a broad market base and a high potential for further growth.”
Manfred Gundel, IFR Board Member and CEO, KUKA Roboter Germany, commented: “The year 2011 was one of the most successful years in the history of the KUKA Robot Group. We increased the turnover in the robotics division again by 40%. With this regard, China was the most rapidly growing robot market. In 2011, we saw a considerable increased demand among all manufacturing industries after 2010 when the automotive industry was the main driver of the growth. Therefore, we decided to increase our production capacities. The potential for robot use is enormous. I am sure that the global mega trends like sustainability, increasing industrialization and the demographic shift will boost the robotics industry.”
Olaf C. Gehrels, President, FANUC Luxembourg Corporation, said: “FANUC’s Robot Division in Europe has experienced a tremendous growth in 2011, achieving record booking levels. Despite the sluggish European economies, demand for yellow robots continuous to be high in the automotive industry as well as in general industry, making FANUC the preferred supplier in most European markets. We forecast a further substantial growth for 2012 and beyond. To support our worldwide expansion, FANUC Corp. Japan increased its robot production platform in 2011 to a staggering level of 60.000 units per year.”
Manfred Stern, President & COO, Yaskawa Europe, Germany, observed: “2011 was a record year for Yaskawa robots in terms of growth for both sales and bookings. This global trend was also seen in Europe, where our sales have grown in the range of some 40%. The demand was mainly driven by the automotive sector, including Tier 1 customers. The demand for 2012 is still high despite of the softening of the general economic environment. A significant growth is expected from applications like packaging, picking and placing, assembly, material handling and medical / life science, based on our Dual Arm Robots and the recently launched Delta Robot.”
Said Dr. Hans Schumacher, President & CEO, Dürr Systems, Germany: “2011 was the best year of the company history in all business sectors. In the area of application technology, the company sold for example 1,800 painting and sealing robots; in the last years before, the number was on average 500-700. In addition, we could report the sale of the 6,000th painting robot.”
Jeff Burnstein, President, Robotic Industries Association, USA, said: “The growing interest in automation, combined with the strengthening of North American manufacturing industries, particularly automotive, contributed to a great year for the robotics industry.”
John Dulchinos, President & CEO, Adept Technology, USA, commented: “I think another factor we saw in 2011 was the decision by many US manufacturing companies to keep manufacturing at home by automating, and in some cases, bringing back manufacturing that had previously been sent overseas.”
Mike Bomya, President, Nachi Robotic Systems Inc., USA, said: “For the worldwide group companies of Nachi-Fujikoshi’s robot division, 2011 continued the strong recovery that commenced in 2010. Shipped units worldwide increased nearly 80%, and in the North American region the growth was over 70%. The automotive sector was the most important driver for the improved turnover, but emerging manufacturing economies also made significant contribution. The general industry segment is experiencing a good rebound and a growing acceptance of robotic solutions as a key to cost competitive manufacturing. Our expectations for 2012 are quite optimistic – for the North American market, new investments in Mexico will figure prominently in the growth.”
IFR was established in 1987 in connection with the 17th International Symposium on Robotics as a professional non-profit organisation by robotics organisations from over 15 countries. Since 1970, an international symposium on robotics is organised every year on a different continent, in a different country and another city. The symposium is systematically organised in conjunction with an International Robot Exhibition.