Advances in automation technologies in the areas of robotics, machine vision and motion control are being embraced across a variety of new industries, serving as a major contributor to the record setting growth of these market segments in North America. This was revealed in the Association for Advancing Automation’s (A3) recently released annual report.
Across all four statistical categories of order units, order revenue, shipment units, and shipment revenue, the North American robotics market set new records for a total of $1.896 billion in annual sales. 33,575 robots valued at $1.938 billion shipped across North America last year, with non-automotive industries accounting for an 8.7% increase in units and a 6.9% increase in dollars compared to 2016.
In Machine Vision and Imaging, the first quarter achieved $596.5 million in total financial transactions, expanded further in the second quarter to $644.9 million, and reached an all-time high of $696.4 million in the third quarter. While the fourth quarter was slightly lower than the previous quarter, it still was the second best ever with $694.8 million overall.
Motion controls and motor products saw an 8.1% increase in shipments, reaching $3.599 billion in 2017, with motors alone comprising 38.1% of all shipments. Motion controllers stood as the fastest growing category in 2017, with a 20.7% increase over 2016 reaching $196.4 million overall.
While growth records were being set across these automation segments, shipments to automotive manufacturers remained flat in dollars and units compared to 2016. This revealed how other industries are quickly embracing automation in these three segments.
A3’s President, Jeff Burnstein, talked about the findings in a press release, saying that, “What I find most telling about these results is not simply that the automation market continues to grow, but that it is growing in such a wide variety of industries. New industries continue to embrace robotics, vision, and motion, reaping the benefits of automation.”
