World

Robotics
Industrial Robots
2023

Statistics, Market Analysis, Forecasts and Case Studies

World Robotics 2023 – Industrial Robots
Produced by VDMA Services GmbH, Lyoner Str. 18, 60528 Frankfurt,
Germany.

The robot statistics are based on consolidated world data reported by

robot suppliers as well as on the statistics and support of the national
robotics associations of North America (A3), Spain (AER), People’s
Republic of China (CRIA), Denmark (DIRA), Poland (FAIRP), Japan
(JARA), Republic of Korea (KAR), Italy (SIRI), Sweden (SWIRA), and
Chinese Taipei (TAIROA)

The cover and the editorial are sponsored by ABB Management

Services.

Assisting in statistics evaluation, text and charts processing: Nina

Kutzbach, IFR

We express our most sincere gratitude to all partners!

Dr. Christopher Müller

Director
IFR Statistical Department

Tel: +49 69 66 03-11 91

E-Mail: statistics@ifr.org
Internet: http://www.worldrobotics.org
Copyright ©2023 VDMA Services GmbH

All rights reserved.

Suggested citation: Müller, Christopher: World Robotics 2023 – Industrial Robots, IFR Statistical
Department, VDMA Services GmbH, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 2023.

Short citation: World Robotics 2023 – Industrial Robots

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Department).

ISBN 978-3-8163-0760-0
8 Contents

Contents
Foreword ...................................................................................................................3

Editorial......................................................................................................................5

Contents ....................................................................................................................8

Executive Summary World Robotics 2023 Industrial Robots ...........................12

1 Introduction: Sources and methods ......................................................18

1.1 Contents, access to data for previous years, and contact ........................18
1.2 Data sources, revisions, reliability, and validity .........................................20
1.2.1 Sources ......................................................................................................20
1.2.2 Quality, reliability, and validity ....................................................................21
1.2.3 Data revisions since the previous edition ..................................................22
1.3 Compliance ................................................................................................23
1.4 Forecasts ....................................................................................................25
1.5 Definition of “shipments” and “installations”...............................................26
1.6 Definition of “operational stock” .................................................................27
1.7 Definitions: “robot”, “service robot”, “industrial robot” ................................28
1.7.1 Statement on Revised ISO vocabulary definitions (ISO 8373:2021) ........28
1.7.2 ISO 8373:2012 vocabulary definitions .......................................................28
1.7.3 Deviations of IFR definitions from ISO definitions and IFR refinements of
ISO definitions –industrial Robots..............................................................29
1.7.4 IFR definition: multipurpose industrial robot ..............................................31
1.8 Scope of IFR industrial robot statistics ......................................................32
1.9 IFR definition of robot types .......................................................................33
1.10 IFR classification of industries ...................................................................41
1.11 IFR classification of applications................................................................43
1.12 IFR geography classification ......................................................................44
1.13 Distribution and sales channels for industrial robots and their impact on
IFR data collection .....................................................................................47
1.13.1 Definition of the market players .................................................................48
1.13.2 Distribution channels ..................................................................................48
1.13.3 Sales channels ...........................................................................................50
1.13.4 Data collection for IFR industrial robot statistics .......................................51

2 Worldwide distribution of industrial robots..........................................54

2.1 Unit installations .........................................................................................55
2.2 Worldwide operational stock of industrial robots .......................................62
2.3 Worldwide market value of robots from 2017 – 2022................................67
2.4 SCollaborative robots .................................................................................69
Contents 9

2.5 Analysis of the development of robot density in selected countries/regions

....................................................................................................................72
2.5.1 Definition of robot density and sources of data .........................................72
2.5.2 Robot density in the manufacturing industry .............................................74
2.5.3 Robot density in the automotive industry and in all other industries .........78
2.6 Installations and stock of industrial robots from 2017 – 2022 by application
areas...........................................................................................................83
2.7 Installations and stock of industrial robots from 2017 – 2022 by customer
industries ....................................................................................................92
2.8 Comparison between the automotive industry and all other industries ..104
2.9 Installations of industrial robots in 2021 and 2022 by mechanical structure
(type) and country/region .........................................................................121

3 The Structure of the Distribution of Industrial Robots in Individual

Countries.................................................................................................132
3.1 Introduction...............................................................................................132
3.2 Americas...................................................................................................133
3.2.1 North America ..........................................................................................142
3.2.2 Brazil.........................................................................................................173
3.2.3 Rest of South America .............................................................................183
3.3 Asia/Australia ...........................................................................................188
3.3.1 The People´s Republic of China ..............................................................197
3.3.2 India ..........................................................................................................214
3.3.3 Indonesia ..................................................................................................225
3.3.4 Japan ........................................................................................................235
3.3.5 Republic of Korea.....................................................................................250
3.3.6 Malaysia ...................................................................................................263
3.3.7 Singapore .................................................................................................273
3.3.8 Chinese Taipei .........................................................................................283
3.3.9 Thailand ....................................................................................................294
3.3.10 Vietnam ....................................................................................................304
3.3.11 Other South East Asia..............................................................................314
3.3.12 Australia and New Zealand ......................................................................322
3.4 Europe ......................................................................................................332
3.4.1 Balkan Countries ......................................................................................341
3.4.2 Czech Republic ........................................................................................352
3.4.3 Hungary ....................................................................................................363
3.4.4 Poland ......................................................................................................374
3.4.5 Romania ...................................................................................................385
3.4.6 Russian Federation ..................................................................................395
3.4.7 Slovakia ....................................................................................................406
3.4.8 Other Eastern Europe ..............................................................................416
3.4.9 Austria ......................................................................................................423
3.4.10 Belgium and Luxembourg ........................................................................434
3.4.11 France ......................................................................................................444
10 Contents

3.4.12 Germany ...................................................................................................456

3.4.13 Italy ...........................................................................................................472
3.4.14 Netherlands ..............................................................................................483
3.4.15 Portugal ....................................................................................................493
3.4.16 Spain ........................................................................................................503
3.4.17 Switzerland ...............................................................................................514
3.4.18 United Kingdom ........................................................................................524
3.4.19 Denmark ...................................................................................................535
3.4.20 Finland ......................................................................................................545
3.4.21 Norway .....................................................................................................555
3.4.22 Sweden.....................................................................................................564
3.4.23 Türkiye ......................................................................................................575
3.4.24 All other European Countries ...................................................................586
3.5 Africa ........................................................................................................591
3.5.1 South Africa ..............................................................................................591
3.5.2 Rest of Africa ............................................................................................601
3.6 Other countries .........................................................................................606

4 Forecast of industrial robot installations 2023-2026 .........................608

4.1 General conditions: Supply chains improve, inflation remains high – as
does the demand for robots .....................................................................608
4.2 The main customer industries ..................................................................610
4.3 New markets and new business models .................................................614
4.4 Trends in robot technology ......................................................................616
4.5 Conclusion and forecast 2023-2026 ........................................................621

5 Case studies on robots in manufacturing and beyond .....................630

5.1 Introduction...............................................................................................630
5.2 Case Study 1 - How to increase your robotic cell utilization ...................633
5.3 Case Study 2 - Deep vision system for logistics .....................................636
5.4 Case Study 3 - Collaborative robots equipped with AI learning helps
companies automate surface finishing tasks...........................................639
5.5 Case Study 4 - New colleague: LBR iisy assists plastic finishers during
quality inspection......................................................................................642
5.6 Case Study 5 - AI advances robotics automation in the home appliance
sector ........................................................................................................647
5.7 Case Study 6 - When technology and know-how make the difference,
excellence becomes a standard ..............................................................653
5.8 Case Study 7 - Simple thanks to AI: automatic gripping of difficult
components ..............................................................................................657
5.9 Case Study 8 - Innovative by tradition .....................................................662

6 IERA Award .............................................................................................668

6.1 Winner of the IERA Award 2023: Fourier Intelligence.............................668
Contents 11

7 Annex.......................................................................................................672

References ............................................................................................................688