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Automotive gross sales drove North American robotic gross sales to a file excessive in 2022. | Supply: A3

Regardless of a gradual closing quarter, North American robotic gross sales hit a file excessive in 2022, based on the Affiliation for Advancing Automation (A3). That is the second 12 months in a row North American robotic gross sales have set file highs.

North American firms ordered 44,196 robots in 2022, an 11% improve from 2021. These gross sales had been valued at $2.38 billion, an 18% improve from the 12 months earlier than. 

A lot of these gross sales occurred within the first 9 months of the 12 months. On the finish of 2021, and into 2022, the trade noticed three record-high quarters in a row. Gross sales started to gradual in Q3, although they had been nonetheless greater than in the identical quarter in 2021. 

The ultimate quarter of 2022 noticed the slowest gross sales of the 12 months when North American firms solely ordered 8,392 robots.

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2022’s record-high gross sales had been primarily pushed by a resurgence in orders from the automotive trade. Over ales of gross sales final 12 months got here from automotive firms, with 23,897 robots ordered, a 42% improve from automotive orders in 2021. 

“Though labor scarcity and provide chain points influence almost all industries in North America, automakers’ public dedication to maneuver to electrical autos has set in movement a resurgence of robotic orders on this market,” Jeff Burnstein, president of A3, stated. “Automotive OEMs and elements suppliers alike acknowledge that investing in robots is instrumental to the emergence of EVs in addition to to manufacturing all autos as they compete to satisfy buyer demand.”

Whereas automotive gross sales grew, non-automotive gross sales slowed down throughout 2022. Traditionally, the automotive trade has been the spine of robotics gross sales, however 2020 and 2021 noticed big development in non-automotive gross sales. Within the first 9 months of 2020 and 2021, non-automotive robotics gross sales topped automotive gross sales for the primary time. 

“Whereas the numbers of robots bought to non-automotive firms isn’t as staggering because it’s been over the past couple of years, it’s clear that firms in each trade see automation as vital for fulfillment,” Burnstein stated.

It must be famous A3 solely collects gross sales knowledge on conventional industrial robots. It doesn’t acquire knowledge about autonomous cell robots or collaborative robotic arms. If A3 recorded gross sales for some of these robots, too, gross sales numbers could be even greater.