Robot sales hit record high in North America for third-straight quarter

For the third-straight quarter, robot sales in North America hit a record high, driven by a resurgence in sales to automotive companies and an ongoing need to manage increasing demand to automate logistics for e-commerce.

According to the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), of the 12,305 robots sold in Q2 2022, 59 per cent of the orders came from the automotive industry with the remaining orders from non-automotive companies largely in the food and consumer goods industry, which saw a 13 per cent increase in unit orders over the same period, April through June, in 2021.

Image Credit: Association for Advancing Automation

The 12,305 units sold in Q2 2022 is 25 per cent more than sold in the same period in 2021 and 6 per cent more than sold in the first quarter of 2022, which saw 11,595 robots sold. “The Q2 2022 value of $585 million is the second best quarter ever for revenue, down nine per cent from the previous record quarter, Q1 2022, which saw $646 million in revenue,” A3 officials said. “When combined with 2022’s first quarter results, the previous record, the North American robotics market is off to its best start ever, with 23,903 robots ordered at a value of $1.249 billion.” The market grew 26 per cent and 29 per cent for units ordered and revenue, respectively, over 2021, A3 said.

“A record fourth quarter in 2021 resulted in the strongest year ever for North American robot sales, with 39,708 units sold at a value of $2 billion, and 2022 is on pace for another record year,” said Alex Shikany, vice president, membership and business intelligence, A3. “The larger trend towards robots being used to benefit more companies in North America continues.”

Ann Arbor, Mich.-based A3 is a global advocate for automating. Members of A3 represent nearly 1,100 automation manufacturers, component suppliers, system integrators, end users, academic institutions, research groups and consulting firms.