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North American robotics market sets new records in 2015

Robot orders and shipments in North America set new records in 2015, according to Robotic Industries Association (RIA), Ann Arbor, Mich.

North American companies ordered 31,464 robots valued at $1.8 billion during 2015, an increase of 14 percent in units and 11 percent in dollars over 2014. Robot shipments also set new records, with 28,049 robots valued at $1.6 billion shipped to North American customers in 2015. Shipments grew 10 percent in units and 9 percent in dollars over the previous records set in 2014.

The automotive industry was the primary driver of growth in 2015, with robot orders increasing 19 percent year over year. Nonautomotive robot orders grew 5 percent over 2014. The leading nonautomotive industry in 2015 in terms of order growth was semiconductors and electronics at 35 percent.

According to Alex Shikany, director of market analysis for RIA, the fastest-growing applications for robot orders in North America in 2015 were coating and dispensing (up 49 percent), material handling (up 24 percent), and spot welding (up 22 percent). RIA estimates that about 260,000 robots are now in use at North American factories, which is third to Japan and China in robot use.

The recent record performance by the robotics market in North America is concurrent with falling unemployment. In January 2016, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the unemployment rate in the U.S. reached 4.9 percent, its lowest level since February 2008.