US Robot Density in Car Industry Ranks 7th Worldwide

The robot density in the US automotive industry hit a new record of 1,287 installed units per 10,000 employees. The United States ranks seventh worldwide. The density is similar to Germany (1,311 units) and Japan (1,248 units). China is in twelfth place with 938 units.

“Automation is the key not only to post-pandemic recovery, but to post-pandemic growth and progress,” says Milton Guerry, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “In the upswing after the 2008 financial crisis, companies like General Motors, Ford, Fiat-Chrysler, and Tesla invested extensively in robotics and automation. As a result, thousands of new jobs were created within the automotive industry. So many years and technological advancements later, we have the opportunity to learn from this success story and emerge even stronger than before.”

Growing interest by “general industry”

Robot density in the general industry is still comparatively low with only 139 units per 10,000 employees. Overall in all surveyed countries worldwide, the potential for robot installations in the general industry is tremendous. In the United States for example, yearly orders of robots from non-automotive sectors surpassed automotive robot orders for the first time. Sales of robotic units in the US increased 7% in 2020 from 2019. Year-over-year orders in life sciences increased by 72%, food and consumer goods grew by 60%, and plastics and rubber saw a 62% increase.

How to apply robotics

“To help educate companies about how to successfully apply robotics, AI, machine vision and related automation technologies, we’ve launched AUTOMATE FORWARD, a virtual show and conference taking place March 22-26,” says Jeff Burnstein, President of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). “High-profile industrial experts and over 250 automation suppliers report about cutting-edge use cases for automation and what they recommend for the automation journey of companies either just starting or expanding their automation journey.”