Articulated Robot Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

The articulated robot market is expected to register a CAGR of 12.63%, during the forecast period, 2021-2026. The shift from manual production to automation has been one of the major factors driving the robotics market. The potential of articulated robots to aid in high payload lifting during the manufacturing of automobiles, customization in machinery, is furthering aiding the growth of the articulated robots.

Key Highlights

• Further, another crucial factor that is driving the adoption of articulated robots is the increasing concern for labor safety. The adoption of such robots also helps in reducing operational cost, production & manufacturing cost, and the wastage of the raw material.
• However, the complexity of their installation along with the high cost of these robots is the few factors that is hindering the market growth.
• Over the last few years, the application of an articulated robot has registered significant growth, in several areas, ranging from paint shop applications in automotive sector to assembling any level of complex components.
• The significant usage of articulated robots in the aerospace, oil and gas, and various other industries that commonly manufacture large parts by using articulated robots, has aided the market’s expansion. Consequently, articulated robots are used to yield in bulk with precision and at a much faster rate, thus increasing the production efficiency, minimalize human error and effort, and increase the quality of end products.
• The industrial robot's market has been witnessing a huge demand over the past decade, owing to the rising adoption of smart factory systems, of which these robots play a vital part. The global smart factory market is expected to exceed USD 350 billion by 2023, which provides insights on the scope of the adoption of industrial robots for automation across several end-user industries.
• The rising penetration of the IoT and investments in robotics across multiple regions have been major contributors to the growth of the market. For instance, the “Made in China 2025” announcement, which was aimed at broadly upgrading the Chinese industry by moving toward quality focused and innovation-driven manufacturing.
• Due to COVID-19, manufacturing industries across the world have witnessed a vast decline in revenue and profits, leading to significant cut down of employees and workers, resulting in an overall loss to industrial production activities.

Key Market Trends

Automotive Industry is Expected to Register a Significant Growth

• The automotive industry is the most common user of articulated robots, as it involves a wide variety of tasks such as manufacturing and assembly which involves operations such as welding, cutting, painting, etc. Moreover, the applications of such articulated robots play a vital role to increase productivity, production, efficiency and also for reduction of energy consumption in the automotive industry.
• Moreover, articulated robots have been traditionally used for repetitive and dangerous jobs that humans can't handle. Manufacturing companies have adopted robots in their processes to improve productivity and enhance the quality of their respective vehicles. For instance, Ford Motor Company uses around 450 robots to paint vehicles and carry out processes for body construction at its Sanand plant in India. Further, Maruti Suzuki India makes use of 5,000 robots in one of its plants.
• Demand for automobiles is increasing continuously and with the rising disposable income in the region such as Asia-Pacific, the need for automation increases, thus driving the demand for the articulated robots.
• Further, automation is empowering small American businesses to compete with deep-rooted rivals around the world. The United States is also one of the largest automotive markets in the world and is home to over 13 major auto manufacturers. The automotive manufacturing has been one of the largest revenue generators for the country, in the manufacturing sector.
• With over five heavy-duty assembly plants, over 540 OEM parts manufacturers, 400 dealerships, and many other automotive-related industries, Canada is the 9th largest vehicle producer in the world, and this sector is the biggest contributor to the manufacturing industry of the country.
• According to the Government of Canada, the country’s automotive suppliers export parts globally and are integral to Canada’s automotive sector, which accounts for over USD 34 billion in sales annually.

North America Expected to Witness Significant Growth

• The modern manufacturing facilities in the North American region have been relying on new technologies and innovations to produce higher quality products at faster speeds with lower costs. In order to survive in the current competitive scenario, they are implementing more intelligent software and hardware to enhance their production capabilities.
• Industrial robots such as the articulated robots are providing manufacturers in North America with multiple prominent and measurable benefits, such as decreased operating costs and increased throughput of materials.
• The North American region is one of the leading innovators and pioneers in terms of the adoption of robotics and is one of the largest markets across the globe. The primary reason for the growth of the market is the increasing adoption of robots across numerous industries.
• According to the International Federation of Robotics, the estimated annual industrial robot installations in the North American region reached 54,000 units in 2019 and is expected to reach 69,000 by 2022.
• The formation of the “Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP)” is an initiative undertaken to make the industry, universities, and the federal government to invest in the emerging technologies. This has aided the country to significantly gain a competitive edge in the global economy. Moreover, the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI), consists of developing regional hubs, which are expected to be involved in developing and adopting cutting-edge manufacturing technologies for making innovative products, to be implemented in the manufacturing sector.
• The US manufacturing sector is one of the largest across the globe, with the GDP from the manufacturing sector in the country reaching USD 2190.40 Billion in the third quarter of 2019. The manufacturing production in the country however, witnessed a significant decrease over a year earlier in Apr 2020, which is the biggest decline since May 2009, primarily owing to the coronavirus pandemic which led multiple factories to suspend their operations.

Competitive Landscape

The articulated robot market is highly fragmented with a large robotics manufacturers such as FANUC, KUKA, ABB among others. Product launches, high expense on research and development, etc. are the prime growth strategies adopted by these companies to sustain the intense competition. Few recent developments are:

• January 2020 - Stäubli International AG partnered with Sepro Group to produce a Model 6X-60 6-axis robot and a 3-axis Success 5 unit at Swiss Plastics Expo 2020. It is designed to serve injection-molding machines with up to 100 tons of clamp, it has a maximum payload capacity of 9 kg and an operating radius of up to 920 mm.
• July 2020- ABB Limited’s new 3D quality inspection (3DQI) robot cell, which is capable of detecting defects of less than half the width of a human hair and imperceptible to the naked eye, significantly accelerates the production process by providing fast, accurate testing to make metrology easier and less time consuming.

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