INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A FANUC robot working in car manufacturing
FANUC is a Japanese world leader in robotics and factory automation
| Source: FANUC AmericaThe latest numbers of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR : s) show automakers in the United States have
been investing more in automation
The IFR said that total installations of industrial robots in the automotive industry increased by 10.7%, reaching 13,700 units in 2024
These are part of the organization : s preliminary 2024 results.By contrast, the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) reported earlier
this year that United States automotive sales dropped 15% in 2024 compared to 2023
Alex Shikany, the executive vice president of A3, told The Robot Report earlier this year that he is optimistic robot orders will bounce
back in the latter half of 2025.Additionally, while the United States is installing more robots, it isn : t producing most of them
The majority of these robots come from overseas
Globally, 70% of installations are produced by four countries: Japan, China, Germany, and South Korea, the IFR said
Looking ahead, it : s unclear how the current United States administration : s tariffs will affect installations
Nearshoring could mean an increase in automation, however, the tariffs could also result in more expensive robots produced overseas. : The
United States has one of the most automated car industries in the world: The ratio of robots to factory workers ranks fifth, tied with Japan
and Germany and ahead of China, : says Takayuki Ito, president of the International Federation of Robotics
: This is a great achievement of modernization
However, in other key areas of manufacturing automation, the US lags behind its competitors
: The automotive industry has, historically, been the largest buyer of robots
| Source: IFRChina also has strong automation in the automotive industryWithin the four countries producing the most robots, the IFR said
Chinese manufacturers are the most dynamic
Already, these manufacturers produce robots for a huge domestic market that more than tripled from 2019 to 2023
This puts them in second place after Japan.The IFR said China : s success is based on its national robotics strategy
Its manufacturing industry installed a total of about 280,000 units per year between 2021 and 2023
This is compared to a total of 34,300 installations in the United States in 2024.Additionally, in China, robotics and automation are
penetrating all levels of production
For example, China has a high robot density of 470 robots per 10,000 employees in manufacturing, the third highest in the world, surpassing
Germany and Japan in 2023.The United States, on the other hand, ranks only tenth among the world : s most automated manufacturing countries,
with a robot density of 295 robots per 10,000 employees
The country : s automation is heavily concentrated in the car sector: Around 40% of all new industrial robot installations in 2024 are in
automotive.This is followed by the metal and machinery industry with 3,800 units representing a market share of 11%
Installations in the US electrical and electronics industry have a market share of 9%, with 2,900 units sold.A3 identified food and consumer
goods, life sciences, pharmaceuticals, and biomedical as some of the fastest-growing industries in the United States for robotics
With food and consumer goods seeing a 65% growth in orders in 2024, and life sciences, pharmaceuticals, and biomedical growing by 46%.Now
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