Robot sales in North America continue ‘record surge’ into 2022, association says

North American companies started 2022 by purchasing the most robots ever in a single quarter, with 11,595 robots sold at a value of US$646 million, according to the Association for Advancing Automation (A3).

The first-quarter 2022 numbers represent growth of 28 per cent and 43 per cent respectively over the first quarter of 2021, A3 officials said in a May 31 news release, and seven per cent and 25 per cent respectively over the previous best quarter, Q4 of 2021. Each industry segment experienced double-digit growth over the same quarter of 2021.

“Every industry, including agriculture, construction, retail and hospitality, is now looking at how they can take advantage of robotics to make their companies more successful,” said Alex Shikany, A3’s vice president of membership and business intelligence. “These companies recognize what we at A3 have long believed, that robots can not only take over the dull, dirty and dangerous jobs that are so hard to fill, but they can save and create jobs as automation helps them grow their business.”

Q1 2022 marks the seventh out of the last nine quarters where non-automotive customers have ordered more robots than automotive customers, A3 said. “Non-automotive customers ordered 6,122 units in the first quarter, compared to 5,476 ordered by automotive-related customers,” it said. “Unit sales to automotive OEMs were up 15 per cent while orders from automotive component companies were up 22 per cent.” Unit sales to non-automotive industries saw the following increases in Q1 over the same period of 2021:

• Metals: up 40 per cent
• Plastics and Rubber: up 29 per cent
• Semiconductors and Electronics/Photonics: up 23 per cent
• Food and Consumer Goods:  up 21 per cent
• Life Sciences/Pharma/Biomed: up 14 per cent
• All Other Industries: up 56 per cent

A3 is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich.