Questions about robotics sales in 2020

The IFR International Federation of Robotics has thankfully again presented the figures for 2020(link). Besides the well-known (boom in China - sales share around 40%), they also show some surprising facts: In the Corona year 2020, Cobot sales slumped from 19,000 to 11,000 units. But that of the classic industrial upper "only" from 404,000 to 389,000. How can this large discrepancy be explained? Perhaps with the longer lead times in industrial robotics? I think these would only be valid as a reason to a limited extent. After all, many large companies have temporarily not let suppliers in at all. This would then have hindered sales despite longer lead times.

Former Automotive Primus loses

Interesting, though not surprising, were shifts within the customer industries (applies to all robot types): Automotive lost significantly, while electronics gained. The same applies to the task areas: Handling lost (certain market saturation?) as well as welding (automotive industry as brakeman?), while assembly and clean room increased.

Perhaps also due to market changes are developments such as the sharp decline in new robot installations in South Korea for semiconductors. In 2020, we did not yet have this boom, but still.

In Germany, Automotive held roughly at the weak 2019 level, i.e. - 35% compared to 2018. (Incidentally, Wolfsburg is building as few cars this year as it last did in 1958.) Actually, the other sectors also lost, but non-specified applications increased by a high 3,000 units. In this respect, there is perhaps a lack of meaningfulness here.

For this year, a global catch-up effect is expected, followed by a rather moderate increase of 6% p.a.

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The author of this blog is significantly involved in the AI/ robotics project Boost-Bot. He advises robotics companies and investors on market (entry)/ business development and funding/subsidies. The standard book on cobots is also written by Guido Bruch (however, the book is already 2 years old and therefore not quite up to date). More about him can be found here.