North American Companies Are Buying More Job-Killing Robots Than Ever Before April Glaser and Rani Molla - Recode
go to original May 10, 2017

Robots are getting cheaper and smaller, and as a result, sales have grown significantly over the past year, particularly in North America, as more companies move manufacturing operations closer to U.S. markets.

North American manufacturing companies bought a total of 9,773 industrial robots, valued valued at approximately $516 million, in the first quarter of 2017.

That means 32 percent more robots were bought this year than at the same time in 2016 — it’s the strongest first quarter on record for robots ordered by North American companies, according to the Robotic Industries Association.

Last year, 7,406 were ordered by North American companies valued at $402 million.

It’s also a significant jump from the previous year. Between 2015 and 2016, robots sold to North American companies jumped only 7 percent in the first quarter. Manufacturing companies are more often turning to robots to increase productivity, as opposed to chasing cheap labor around the world. And that’s causing some operations to stay in the U.S. or move production facilities closer to major markets.



...And robot sales are expected to increase worldwide. Annual shipments of industrial robots are set to see double-digit growth through 2025, according to projections from ABI Research. In less than 10 years, global shipments could hit one million units annually.

Read the rest at Recode

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