Robotics and automation
VDMA raises growth forecast
The VDMA has raised its 2017 growth forecast for the German robotics and automation industry from 7% to 11%. This means that the sector's turnover is expected to break the record of 14 billion euros for the first time this year.
"Both incoming orders and sales development in the current year have significantly exceeded our expectations," says Dr. Norbert Stein, Chairman of the Executive Board of VDMA Robotics + Automation. The machine vision industry is leading the way: according to the new forecast, it will achieve an increase in turnover of 18% instead of the 10% initially expected. This corresponds to an industry turnover of 2.6 billion euros.
German robotics is also much more dynamic than expected: the original growth forecast of 8% is now 15%. Industry turnover is thus estimated at 4.2 billion euros. This result confirms the global robotics boom as shown by the statistics of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). According to these statistics, global installations of industrial robots rose by 16% to 294,000 units in 2016. For the current year, the IFR expects the number of units to grow by 18% to 346,000. Germany is the fifth largest robot market in the world and by far the largest in Europe.
Integrated assembly solutions, i.e. assembly and handling technology, remains the largest sub-sector of the German robotics and automation industry. For 2017, the VDMA is forecasting sales growth of 6% to a new record of 7.4 billion euros.
You might also be interested in
"Robots create jobs"
The rapid expansion of industrial robots is leading to a positive job balance in companies: In addition to tasks that are now performed by machines, new activities have been created for employees. This is the conclusion of a ZEW study.
read more...Almost 20 % sales growth for image processing
According to the latest VDMA surveys, turnover in the German machine vision industry rose by 18% to EUR 2.6 billion in 2017, as predicted. And the forecasts for 2018 are also optimistic.
read more...224 billion mark in sight
The VDMA summed up the year to date at its annual press conference: According to this, the forecast raised in July can be met. The association is also optimistic about 2018.
read more...Image processing integrated in Twincat
Two years ago, Beckhoff added a self-developed visualization solution to its Twincat control technology. The next step follows at SPS IPC Drives 2017: the integration of image processing.
read more...First robot factory in Europe
On November 2, Yaskawa broke ground for its new robot factory in Europe in the Slovenian town of Kočevje. The first Motoman robots are to be manufactured there from 2018.
read more...Kuka plans to double production in China
Kuka, the Augsburg-based high-tech company acquired by the Chinese, plans to double its robot production in Shanghai. This was announced by CEO Till Reuter on October 27, 2017 during a conference call with journalists.
read more...International Federation of Robotics
Plus 1.7 million industrial robots by 2020
The global stock of industrial robots will increase from around 1.83 million units in 2016 to over 3 million units in 2020, according to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) in its recently published World Robotics Report 2017.
read more...Delta robot assembles 'traffic lights' for peppers
Who hasn't seen them in the supermarket - the packs of red, yellow and green peppers. Until now, packing them was laborious manual work. At a Dutch vegetable supplier, this has recently been done by a Delta robot with the support of a vision system.
read more...Learning from elephants and octopuses
According to the motto 'Learning from nature', Festo engineers are always looking for new impulses for factory and process automation. As inspiration for future robotics concepts, the focus is on the human arm, the tentacles of the octopus and the...
read more...