The results of its global study are in and the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), Frankfurt, Germany, has found that China will have more industrial robots operating within its production plants than any other country by 2017, according to its 2014 World Robot Statistics report.
Comparatively, China now has a very low robotic density, even though the country already is the world's largest market in the sale of industrial robots. IFR put it in perspective with these numbers: China only has 30 industrial robots per 10,000 employees in manufacturing industries. By comparison, Germany's robotic density is 10 times higher; in Japan, it is 11 times higher. For North America, robotic density is five times higher than in China.
IFR had a top official from ABB Robotics provide his perspective on the market potential.
"The automation of China's production plants has just started," said Per Vegard Nerseth, managing director, ABB Robotics, Zurich. "As the first foreign robot manufacturer to arrive here, we have observed the market and developments for years now. We have witnessed swift, almost explosive growth over the last two or three years, surpassing even our expectations."
The industry is getting a boost from the Chinese government, which is pushing forward with robotics research, says IFR.
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