North American robot sales surge through Q3

The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) said strong sales of robots in North America in the third quarter of this year brought year-to-date sales to unprecedented levels, with nearly 29,000 units sold with a value of $1.48 billion. According to A3, the number of units sold was up 37 percent from the first three quarters of 2020, while the value rose 35 percent — topping the previous record set in 2017 by 5.8 percent and 0.5 percent, respectively.

In the third quarter alone, 9,928 robots with a value of $513 million were ordered by North American companies, topping the numbers from the third quarter of 2020 by 32 percent and 35 percent, respectively.

“With labor shortages throughout manufacturing, logistics and virtually every industry, companies of all sizes are increasingly turning to robotics and automation to stay productive and competitive,” said Jeff Burnstein, president of A3, which is based in Ann Arbor, Mich.