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The latest analysis from global research firm TrendForce reveals that the global demand growth for industrial robots continues to accelerate on account of workforce shortages and loss of demographic dividends. Harrison Po, senior manager of TrendForce’s photonics and innovative technologies research, said that China in recent years has been energetically pushing forward with the transformation of its economy, and sales of industrial robots in the country has been growing rapidly in response to the rising demand for automation. Based on TrendForce’s projection, the industrial robot demand in China is expected to reach 95,000 units in 2016.
The following are some of the major trends that will be developing in the worldwide robotics market in 2016:
Policies of major industrialized nations will drive the market growth for industrial and service robots
Development of robotics industry is now included as an integral part of industrialized nations’ domestic development initiatives, such as Japan’s “New Strategy for Robots,” the United States’ “Advanced Manufacturing Partnerships” and China’s 13th Five-Year Plan and “Made in China 2025.” Taken together, these policies sustain the growth in the industrial robot market as well as greatly accelerating the market expansion of specialized service robots and personal service/domestic robots.
Automotive industry will remain as a major employer of industrial robots
“Currently, the automotive industry is still the largest employer of industrial robots,” said Po. “In 2014, the automotive industries of the U.S., Japan, Germany and South Korea all had a robot density that exceeded 1,000 robot units per 10,000 human workers. In the same year, the Chinese automotive industry had a robot density of 305 robots per 10,000 workers. Since the U.S., Japan, Germany and South Korea are all major car-producing countries, their demand for industrial robots will continue to be driven by their automotive industries.”