On the one hand, the advance of automation in factories, on the other hand the growing demand for electric vehicles, which are characterized by high technological contents. These are the two factors that promise to sustain the robot market, even if in the next few years there will be a slowdown compared to the pace held in the last decade. This is what emerges from a study by Morgan Stanley Research entitled “Future of Automation: Automation for the People / Rebooted”.
Slowed growth
After that between 2010 and 2019 the sector recorded a composite annual growth rate of the order of 14%, the projections to 2030 are for an annual rate of progress of the order of 6%. In terms of market value, this means going from the average annual 11 billion dollars of the last decade to an altitude 13 billion. Robots are not new to the market, they have been around since the 1970s. However, it is only at the beginning of this century that the sector has begun to take on important dimensions as technological advances on the one hand have reduced production costs, on the other hand they have allowed a more massive use in the industrial field. And a further broadening of the scope of action is expected in the near future, with the boom of electric vehicles, which on their side have high standardization characteristics and strong technological contents.
So the scenario remains largely positive, even if obviously a large part of the demand from those who were out of stock with these devices has been met. The penetration rate (calculated as the number of robotic installations for every 10 thousand employees in the manufacturing sector) will see a significant increase, reaching 182 units compared to 113 in 2019. A constantly growing trend already supported by incentive policies, increased investments in automation components / semiconductors (on this front the market is facing delays in procurement, but the feeling is that this is a temporary phenomenon) and technological improvements that have made robotics more accessible.
New frontiers
The new demand will also be supported by the evolution of the market. This is the case of cobots, that is to say robots that are conceived to physically interact with humans within a workspace. This is the case with the devices of assisted lifting (built to lift weights safely, but without autonomous movement), as well as robots equipped with integrated vision systems to avoid obstacles. According to the Morgan Stanley report, the collaborative robotics, which today is worth 5% of annual installations globally, in the span of a decade can reach 17%. This is mainly due to the simplification of the offer and to prices that become more and more accessible, as always happens when a technological innovation passes the initial development phase.
Lead China
It is not surprising to read in the study that the China it is the main growth engine for robots. Installations in the Asian giant are worth 38% of the world market, a figure almost three times higher than that of Japan, which has long been the cradle of robots. China’s race will allow it to reach fifth place in terms of penetration by the end of this decade, with 375 units against 189 of the world average.
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