Worldwide the investments in industrial robots is beginning to increase after two years of falling.  Predictions for 2005-2008 call for continued annual increase.

 

• The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) in cooperation with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) publishes the study World Robotics 2005.
• After two years of falling demand of industrial robots a strong recovery already started in 2003 with a growth of 19% all over the world. In 2004, again 17% more robots were sold than in 2003. 
• In North America ( United States, Canada, Mexico), the number of installations increased by 6% in 2004, to more than 13,400 units, the highest sales of multipurpose industrial robots (strictly defined) ever recorded.
• In 2004, North America was the second largest market for robot installations, behind Japan but just ahead of Germany. Automotive parts producers and other industries were responsible for the growth, whilst car producers did not increase their robot investments.
• In Europe, sales of multipurpose industrial robots rose by 18% in 2000 to 30,600 units. In 2001, sales continued to grow, but only by a modest 3%, reaching 31,600 units. Installations in the automotive industry as a whole – the most important customer for industrial robots in Europe – increased by 5%.  
• Looking at the operational stock of industrial robots, and again comparing Japan's stock (to which all types of robots were added up to and including 2000) of multipurpose robots to those in Europe and North America, the same pattern prevails: the European stock rose from 34% of that of Japan in 1994 to 78% in 2004. 
• Total accumulated yearly sales, measured since industrial robots started to be introduced in industry at the end of the 1960s, amounted at the end of 2004 to some 1,500,000 units, including, as mentioned before, the dedicated industrial robots installed in Japan up to and including 2000. 
• In 2004, demand for robots amongst end producers in the motor vehicle industry decreased, whilst the automotive parts industry boosted its investments in robots. 
• Improvements in robot technology, such as new control systems and safety systems to permit interactive operations of man and machine, as well as improved sensor technology and robot-vision applications, will promote further robot installations.
• The world market for industrial robots is projected to increase from 95,400 units in 2004 to 121,000 in 2008, or by a yearly average of 6.1%.
• Both the price of industrial robots and even more so their relative price, i.e. the price of industrial robots for a given set of performance indicators in relation to labor costs, have fallen sharply in the last decade.
• In 2004, Japan has the highest robot density with 329 robot installations per 10,000 employed in the manufacturing industry. The Japanese operational stock of industrial robots still includes all types. 
• Despite this large range in the robot densities of the European countries mentioned, it is interesting to note that robot density in Europe is about 25% higher than in the United States.
• In 2004, 62.5% of the installed robots were articulated robots, 14.5% linear/cartesian/gantry robots, 9.7% cylindrical robots, 11.6% Scara robots. About 59,600 articulated robots were installed in 2004. In America about 90% of the installed robots were articulated, in Europe 74% and in Asia only 49%.
• Service robots for personal and domestic use are recorded separately, as their unit value is only a fraction of that of many types of service robots for professional use. They are also produced for a mass market with completely different marketing channels.