Market Scenario 

Global industrial robotics market generated revenue of US$ 22.13 billion in 2023 and is anticipated to reach the valuation of US$ 192.91 billion by 2032 at a CAGR of 27.2% over the course of forecast period, 2024–2032.

The prospects for industrial robotics market are expected to be quite bright in the future as it can be observed that the global market continues expanding due to ever increasing demand by industries for automation. The market is witnessing developments in technology and increase in the deployment of automation systems. In the year 2023, more than 500,000 industrial robots were installed, which means that a wide range of industries are wearing this technology at an impressive rate. As usual the automobile section was still in the picture contributing well when its nearly 120,000 robots were used to manage operations within the production process. At the same time, the electronics industry installed 95000 robots in response to the growing market for the consumer electronics sector.

The geographical aspect in terms of industrial robotics market growth is equally impressive with Asia leading the way as the largest regional market for industrial robotics. In 2023, about 300,000 robots installed in a single country China would give one basis of how serious the country is in its journey to become a manufacturer of any automation processes. Closely following was Japan and South Korea with 60,000 and 45,000 cluster robots installed respectively. In Europe Germany emerged has the fore runner installing 25,000 cluster robots in various sectors among them automotive and electronics industries. In the same manner, the United States installed 40,000 units, mainly directed at enhancing productivity and remaining competitive in the global market.

The use of industrial robots is not only restricted to the traditional manufacturing industries. A reason for this growth in the industrial robotics market is the increase in the use of robots that occurred in the year 2023, when the food and drinks sector deployed 30000 robots for improvements with regard to the packaging and quality of the products. There was also an expansion in the logistics sector, where 20,000 robots were used for sorting, warehousing and other related activities. In the pharmaceutical industry, there is a high demand for accuracy and safety that 15,000 robots were adopted in the production lines of the companies. The emergence of new technological features and improvement on the already existing systems is bound to enhance robot application in various industries. It is expected that by the year 2025 about 600, 000 units of industrial robots will be fitted on a global scale every year. 

To Get more Insights,  Request A Free Sample 

Market Dynamics 

Driver: Increasing demand for automation to enhance manufacturing efficiency and productivity.

Over the last few years, there has been an increased interest in automation technology applied to manufacturing across the industrial robotics market due to increased efficiency and productivity around the world. Since most processes are regulated, productivity is enhanced through the machine consistency in the ability to complete tasks devoid of inevitable human errors. In the year 2023, it is estimated that the manufacturing industry in the world manufactured around 17 billion ready units using machinery. The automobile was manufactured, for example, more than 200,000 industrial manipulators the degree of cataphoresis typical for industries. In the same vein, the electronics industry commissioned 150,000 robots to run complex assembly lines. As industries are under pressure to satisfy the ever-increasing needs of consumers, some measure must be adopted since Industrial Process Automation has turned out to be a masterstroke for competitiveness. The pharmaceutical field has also incorporated automation where 50000 robots have been incorporated in the field to guarantee the accurate manufacture of drugs. Further, the food and beverage industry deployed 75000 robots for the purpose of packing and quality control testing.

Automation is not only being viewed as a way of enhancing productivity but also as an improved form of the safety approach in any establishment. For example, the construction sector had 5,000 machinery accident cases in 2023 but is now avoiding the use of any human operator by adopting automated systems. There are industries with the user industrial robotics market amounting to more than $45 billion and industries are very much capitalizing on automation systems. The apparel sector has about 20,000 fabric cutting and sewing robots in their factories, especially to ease the scheduling of production. In addition, the energy sector has utilized 10,000 robots in the task of equipment control within high-risk areas. Automation make new industries more efficient and productive and such sectors do not stagnate in fact grow and evolve moreover. The other organizational trend of augmenting and deepening the implantation of totally automated systems in the production of YHIs is going to shape the competition and strategies in these industries and the industries themselves in the future.

Trend: Collaborative robots (cobots) gaining popularity for human-robot teamwork in industries.

industrial robotics market, also called cobots, are changing the face of industry as they allow people and robots to work together effectively. Cobot is broader in men because it is supporting the men- tendence and efficiency. Germaine: The value of the cobots on the global market in 2023 has been estimated at $2 billion, with over 50,000 units sold by industries that use this innovation. In the automotive sector, for example, 15,000 units of these robots were attached to the assembly lines. Such a move has increased efficiency and reduced production time in a big way as activities are done within hours instead of days. In the electronics industry’s cases this was ahead of the 10,000 cobots equipped with sensors tailored for specialist delicate handling of finer electronics. Without a shadow of a doubt, doing all tasks without these tools including just finishing off a bit would be hard. New design industries for cobots as of October or 5,000 units in the health industrial sector aimed at tasks such as medication dispensing.

The need for system innovation is the key factor in deciding the adoption of collaborative robots (cobots) in the industrial robotics market. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are now more embracing cobots with 20,000 units sold in the year 2023 as they provide cheaper means to automate processes. The food and beverage industry deployed 7000 units in packaging and quality assurance procedures to increase productivity. The logistics sector too leveraged the use of 8000 cobs for sorting out and moving products around to enhance the supply chain process. Tasks that are mundane and repetitive are being undertaken by cobots, thereby increasing productivity of the workers as well as their morale as employees are left with tasks which call for higher mental input. Due to the rising demand for these types of robots, it has also been forecasted that the global market for cobots would be worth 5 billion dollars by the year 2025 confirming the growth prospects of industry-collaborative robots.

Challenge: Complexity in integrating robotics systems with existing manufacturing processes and technologies.

The challenge in the growth of the industrial robotics market arises primarily due to the intricacy associated with the systems integration of robotics into the already established manufacturing systems. In 2023, 4,000 cases of delays of integration due to new robotics systems being incompatible with existing technologies were reported across industries There were 1,500 cases in the automotive sector when advanced robotics could not be integrated into existing assembly lines without major overhauling of the lines. In the same way, 1,200 cases of similar problems were reported by the electronic industry regarding the coalescing of the robotic systems with the old machines. A 300 new robots Chinese drug maker faced problems in integrating systems that require both data transfer and communication. Seamless integration of robotics into the existing systems is hindered due to unstandardized and universal acceptance of one or more ways of doing intersystem integration.

Also, the level of expertise necessary to carry out such integrations is often absent in the industrial robotics market. In 2023, it was found that only 20% of manufacturing companies carried out projects on robotics integration with dedicated teams reporting as many as 1,000 delayed projects. The textile industry had 500 occasions when deadlines were changed because of the technical difficulties encountered in the integrating of the robotic systems. In addition, the construction industry reported 200 cases of these integration efforts and mainly contributed to the escalation of project costs. However, the global robotics integration service market reached $3 billion, which only emphasized the need for such services. As the industries will continue changing their operational processes to more modern ones, the issue of robots integration across the processes is still one of the most difficult. The combined action of technology providers and industries is required for the design of non-site specific solutions to ensure that maximum returns on the investments in robotic systems in production are achieved through effective use of the systems.

Segmental Analysis 

By Type 

A Cartesian robot definition indicates that it has a simplistic design where it can only move in straight lines along the orthogonal planes. This robotic subtype accounted for the biggest share of over 30.6% of the industrial robotics market. This is owing to their precision, ease of understanding and versatility. By 2023, over 200,000 Cartesian robots installations were recorded in different regions of the world which points to their high acceptance in many fields of manufacturing. Their leadership position is especially in electronics and pharmaceutical industries where it is important to perform repetitive and accurate linear movements for assembly and packaging processes. Further, the simple configuration of Cartesian robots enhances their operational efficiency while reducing the maintenance complexities making them more preferable for manufacturers looking for cheaper automation options. Within the electronics sector, more than 70,000 Cartesian robots were used in assembly lines in 2023, due to the growing need for fast and precise assembly lines. Also, the fact that they are able to manipulate big work areas effectively can be of great benefit in high-level projects as in the case of the logistics sector where about 50,000 units were used in 2023 for palletizing and materials handling activities.

The trend of utilization and development of Cartesian robots in the industrial robotics market is further improved through composite automation systems. In that year, nearly 25,000 units of the one axis robots were outfitted with vision systems for precision enhancement of quality inspections and sorter applications. Another consumer of articulated robots has been automotive industry as well, which has deployed about 30,000 Cartesian robots for resource using operations such as painting and welding requiring linear motion. In addition to the phenomenon of Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing, there has been a rise in the usage of Cartesian robots including 60,000 IoT enabled and analytics units that were sold in 2023. Particularly in North America, there is a quite strong trend – as manufacturing industries demand more and more automated solutions, over 90,000 Cartesian robots have had to be put in. As there are transformations in industries, as anticipated due to the effectiveness and flexibility, Cartesian Robots will continue to be part of these changes where markets will keep growing and innovations in their usage will keep happening.

By Function 

Based on functions, material handling is the leading segment and accounts for more than 43% of the industrial robotics market revenue share as of 2023. The rise in the need for industrial robotics in material handling can be attributed to the increasing quest for efficiency, accuracy, and safety within operations in some industries. The introduction and growth of the material handling robots as of 2023 has been calculated to be at US$ 31 billion indicating that the market is quite active. There has been a trend for the industries to implement automation in their procedures and robots are helping in the most tiresome and mundane processes. Material handling includes important operations like the movement, assortment and packing of goods which robots are better and quicker than humans accomplish. In fact, the presence of over 500,000 robots in the manufacturing sectors around the globe is a clear testimony of how important it is for robots to ensure production quality. The current global manpower deficit driving demographic and results in about 85 million jobs unfilled by 2030 accelerating the pace at which robots are utilized to occupy these spaces.

Robotics and related technologies have reached a critical threshold in terms of affordability in the global industrial robotics market, which inherently will lead to their further penetration in several fields. Furthermore, financial reengineering offered a reduction of up to 50% in the costs of purchasing industrial robots over the last ten years, thereby permitting the ownership of such machines by the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which account for 90% of the businesses. The automotive industry has, however, remained an important driving force towards deployment of industrial controllers incorporating robotics, which was responsible for 38% of industrial robots breakdown in recent years and demonstrates the height of operational complexities in manufacturing. Furthermore, in logistics and supply chains, the proliferation of autonomous mobile robot (AMR) and automated guided vehicle (AGV) technologies indicates the increasing orientation to higher-level automation. In particular, the number of deployed robots in the globalization sector has increased by more than 30% as the sector sought ways of efficient inventory management and enhanced reduction of the delivery time. In warehouses, robots have transformed the businesses by increasing work productivity made by supply base on factors doubling and tripling the throughput of processes.

By Industry 

The industrial robotics market has always had the automotive sector as the most prominent and highest revenue generating segment of the market, a trend which is likely to be maintained until 2032. In 2023, the industry held more than 25.4% share of the market and is ready to continue dominating in the coming years. This dominance can be attributed mainly to the vigorous growth of the industry itself as well as the evolving nature of production techniques which require advanced robotics for improvement in performance and minimization of costs. Their usage in the production of automotive vehicles has also improved performance and optimized errors resulting to a remarkable increase in vehicle production in the past year by over 1 million, which is the global figure. Moreover, it is worth noting that articulated varieties of the robots mostly utilized in the automotive industry currently account for the largest market share thrice over five hundred units have been commissioned in the automotive sector alone. Moreover, the increasing demand for automation in the automotive market is further fueled by the influx of robotics and IoT technologies within the industry more than 200,000 industrial IoT devices in automotive production lines are expected by 2023.

Technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT), cloud services, and autonomous intelligent vehicles (AIVs) are critical to the growing of the automotive industrial robotics market. These technologies enhance the safe and secure delivery of goods and even parts, with over 50,000 AIVs in use around automotive plants worldwide. There is also a concern from the automotive industry about safety as there have been cases of injuries and accidents due to dangerous working conditions that have worsened. Over the past year, More than 5000 workplace injuries have been eradicated in the automotive sector manufacturing following the use of industrial robots. 

Moreover, the automotive sector’s investments in gigafactories and charging infrastructure is important to sustain the growth in electric vehicles (EVs) and enhance the uptake of autonomous vehicles (AVs), as more than 100 new gigafactories are proposed or being constructed in different parts of the world. In 2023, it is likely that painting and cutting applications, a segment of the processing application segment which is the fastest growing will be deployed in more than 300000 robotic systems by the year end in these applications. These factors earlier discussed, as to why the automotive industry remains the biggest user of industrial robots and in turn, enhancing the growth of the market, are quite a number.

 To Understand More About this Research:  Request A Free Sample 

Regional Analysis 

The industrial robotics market has seen phenomenal growth in the Asia Pacific region as a result of rapid industrialization, technological progress, and enabling governments policies. The Asia-Pacific region including the Japan and India accounts for over 70 percent of the global robot installations as of 2023 with Chyna being at the forefront of installing almost 250,000 robots every year. Strong demand from customers in the automotive, electronics, and metal industries is responsible for this boom. Japan is a country known for the innovations in the robotics industry and is still relevant with over 50,000 units being manufactured annually. South Korea however does not lag behind with the automotive industry alone using over 30,000 industrial robotics, equivalent to a large region in this market. 

Increased sales on industrial robots have prompted increased importance of the industrial robotics market. This enables the region's manufacturing industry considering China makes about 30 million vehicles every year and its leading in production volume making it one of the most challenging market. Manufacturing has also accelerated this, particularly in Taiwan's electronics sector, which has 1,500 semiconductor companies. Furthermore, it is clear that the Thai region has attracted much attention over the last few years where there has been a surge of investments in how to develop robotics startups, with more than $5 Billion for R&D within this year. Countries like Singapore are leading the smart factory revolution with over 70% of the manufacturers adopting robotic systems. In addition, feed in tariffs for robots such as in Japan where the Government has set up a $1 Billion fund for ‘automation’, guarantee future increase and adoption of robotic systems.

The dynamics of the industrial robotics market are also substantiated with a capable population, as each year, South Korea and Japan together generate over 150,000 engineering degrees. Focus of Asia-Pacific on Artificial Intelligence and machine learning, including their $15B spending on such research by China, contributes to enhancing the functionality of their robots. There is also growth funds from local companies collaborating with international technology firms; for instance, average Chinese firms have sign $3b technology purchase contracts with European firms. As the focus on automation increasingly turns strategic, Asia-Pacific clinches further its dominance in the industrial robotics market by matching innovation with the opportunity.

Owing to its strong manufacturing capacity and rising technological advancements, Europe remains the second largest industrial robotics Market. In 2023, European companies generated robotics revenue amounting to $9.02 billion, only behind Asia. The automotive and electronics industries are the main contributors, as such industries constitute more than fifty percent of the robotics segment. Germany topped the list of the continent’s installation with approximately 72,000 robot installation in 2022 due to the strength of its industrial sector. Italy takes the second role as the largest market by volume of robot installation with 12,000 units encouraging by its metal and machinery industry. France is positioned third with 7,400 unit installations, which is mainly provided to the metal industries. The European Union has dedicated itself to the growth of this market supported by large R&D expenditures in targeted fields such as innovation and automation. Lastly, worrisome too is the trend towards collaborative robots which are increasingly penetrating the industries to raise productivity.

List of Key Companies Profiled:

• ABB Limited
• DAIHEN Corporation
• Denso Corporation
• Epson America Incorporated
• Fanuc Corporation
• Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited
• Kobe Steel, Limited
• Kuka AG
• Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Yaskawa Electric Corporation
• Other Prominent Players

Market Segmentation Overview

By Type

• Articulated
• Cartesian
• SCARA
• Cylindrical
• Others

By Industry

• Automotive
• Electrical & Electronics
• Chemical Rubber & Plastics
• Machinery
• Food & Beverages
• Others

By Function

• Soldering & Welding
• Materials Handling
• Assembling & Disassembling
• Painting & Dispensing
• Milling, Cutting, & Processing
• Others

By Region

• North America
  • The U.S.
  • Canada
  • Mexico
• Europe
  • UK
  • Germany
  • France
  • Italy
  • Belgium
  • Spain
  • Poland
  • Russia
  • Rest of Europe
• Asia Pacific
  • China
  • India
  • Japan
  • Australia & New Zealand
  • South Korea
  • ASEAN
  • Rest of Asia Pacific
• Middle East & Africa (MEA)
  • UAE
  • Saudi Arabia
  • South Africa
  • Rest of MEA
• South America
  • Argentina
  • Brazil
  • Rest of South America