Setback for global robotics

The run of previous years is not replicated and for new robot installations worldwide 2023 marks a setback, the first since 2019. In any case, automation placements remain close to record levels, 541,000 (almost 1,500 per day, Saturdays and Sundays included), but this is still a 2% reduction compared to the previous year.

Italy in this respect is no exception and even deepens the descent, with 10,400 installations, down 9% from the previous year's record.

If in terms of additions there is a slowdown almost everywhere, with the exception of Germany and India (+59%), in terms of stock, the additions obviously produce a new all-time high, bringing the total global installed base close to 4.3 million units, 10% more than the previous year: which means that in 10 years the mass of automation equipment in factories worldwide has more than tripled.

Absolute master in terms of volume is once again China because it is precisely in Beijing that almost 280,000 robots are installed per year, more than half of the total. They are followed at a wide distance by Japan and then the United States, South Korea and Germany. Italy is sixth in this ranking, although given the progress made by India, which has now reached 8,5oo new installations a year, it is possible that by 2024 we will have to climb down one position.

The slowdown in 2023 volumes is similar for traditional and collaborative robots, with the latter able to maintain the share gained in a few years of growth, reaching 10% of the total.