The automotive industry has the largest number of robots working in factories around the world, with its operational stock hitting a new record of about 1 million units. This represents about one-third of the total number of robots installed across all industries.
“The automotive industry effectively invented automated manufacturing,” says Marina Bill, president of the International Federation of Robotics.
Robot density is a key indicator that illustrates the current level of automation in the top car producing economies: In South Korea, 2,867 industrial robots per 10,000 employees were in operation in 2021. Germany ranks second with 1,500 units, followed by the United States with 1,457 units, and Japan with 1,422 units per 10,000 workers.
The world´s biggest car manufacturer, China, has a robot density of 772 units, but is catching up fast: Within a year, new robot installations in the Chinese automotive industry almost doubled to 61,598 units in 2021— a