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The automated labor force: Record number of robots now employed by auto industry
- June 1, 2023: Vol. 10, Number 6

The automated labor force: Record number of robots now employed by auto industry

by The International Federation of Robotics

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 in second place 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— accounting for 52 percent of the total 119,405 units installed in factories around the world.

Ambitious political targets for electric vehicles are forcing the car industry to invest. The European Union has announced plans to end the sale of combustion vehicles by 2035. The U.S. government aims to reach a voluntary goal of 50 percent market share for electric vehicle sales by 2030, and all new vehicles sold in China must be powered by “new energy” by 2035. Half of them must be electric, fuel cell or plug-in hybrid, and the remaining 50 percent hybrid vehicles.

Most automotive manufacturers who have already invested in traditional “caged” industrial robots for basic assembling are now also investing in collaborative applications for final assembly and finishing tasks. Tier-two automotive parts suppliers are slower to automate fully. Yet, as robots become smaller, more adaptable, easier to program, and less capital-intensive this is expected to change.

 

This story was excerpted from a report by The International Federation of Robotics. Read the original version of this article here.

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