According to Reuters, the internationalRobotThe International Federation of Robotics (IFR) said on Wednesday that global sales of industrial robots rose only 12 percent in 2015 due to a sharp drop in orders from China.
This figure is lower than the 29% growth in global industrial Robot sales in 2014, but higher than the IFR’s previous forecast of 8%.
Growth in sales of industrial robots in China fell from 56 percent in 2014 to 17 percent in 2015.For now, with rising wages and a still low Robot-to-worker ratio, China hopes to achieve moreautomationProduction.
Last year, 248,000 industrial robots were sold globally, with China accounting for more than a quarter.
Growth in industrial robot sales is being driven by emerging automation countries as well as by economies that are already highly developed, IFR said.
Sales of industrial robots in Mexico have more than doubled, largely as the global auto industry has invested heavily in the country to build factories to sell cars to the U.S. and South America.
The Chinese market is still dominated by foreign robot makers, but the IFR says domestic robot makers are gradually developing, with their market share increasing from 25 percent in 2013 to 31 percent in 2015.
Chinese manufacturers still mostly manufacture low-end industrial robots, but they are committed to improving their own level.
Midea, a Chinese home appliance maker, made a takeover bid for German industrial robot Kuka last week.
Sales of industrial robots in Europe rose 10 percent, with Germany leading the way, the Americas grew by 15 percent, but only 3 percent in the U.S. and 16 percent in Asia, the IFR said.
South Korea is the world’s second-largest robot market after China, followed by Japan, the United States and Germany. These five countries account for three-quarters of industrial robot sales.
The auto industry remains the largest buyer of robots, with its share of more than one-third of total sales, but an increase of only 1%.
The industries with the fastest growth in robot purchases are metal, plastic, rubber, and electronics manufacturing.
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