N. American robot orders decline in the first quarter

The Robotic Industries Association (RIA) tallied a slight decline in orders for robots in North America in the first quarter of this year when compared to the same period last year.

Companies in North America ordered 7,876 robots with a value of $423 million during the first three months of 2019, according to RIA statistics.

That was a decline of 3.5 percent in units and a drop of 3.2 percent in dollars compared to 2018’s first quarter. RIA attributed the change, in part, to a 16 percent decrease in orders by automotive component suppliers and a 16 percent drop in the plastics and rubber sector.

In contrast, automotive OEMs increased their orders by 41 percent, while the food and consumer goods industries’ orders rose 32 percent.