Growing Need for Automation to Lead to Mass Deployment of Industrial Robots

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The global market for industrial robotics is extremely fragmented in nature, states Transparency Market Research (TMR) in a research report. The competition among the players is expected to intensify over the next couple of years as the degree of product differentiation is extremely low and the barrier to entry for new participants is also flexible. As a result of this, the leading players are striving to gain the leading position in the global industrial robotics market and rake a considerable share of the pie. The leading companies have a significant scope of progress in emerging countries such as Brazil and India.

According to a TMR analyst, “The governments in these emerging economies are taking several initiatives to reinforce the industrial sector by improvising productivity. The developing countries basically import components, technology, and machines from developed economies such as Germany, Japan, and France.” As a result of this, the developed countries are a potential market for the leading companies to grow their viability largely. The participants in the global industrial robotics market are Invensys PLC., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Siemens AG, Rockwell Automation Inc., Omron Corporation, Kawasaki Robotics, and Schneider Electric SA.   

Based on the type of robot, the global industrial robotics market has been classified into SCARA robots, Cartesian robots, articulated robots, and cylindrical robots. In 2013, the articulated robots section led the market closely trailed by the Cartesian robots category. The other different types of robots such as cylindrical robots and SCARA robots are also projected to exhibit substantial growth due to the rising deployment of industrial robotics in several industry verticals over the coming years. These robots are extensively deployed in industries such as food and beverages, chemical, metals, precision and optics, rubber and plastics, automotive, and electronics among others. The functions that these robots perform include dispensing, painting, cutting and processing, milling, assembling and disassembling, welding and soldering, and materials handling among others.

Geographically, currently, Asia Pacific is gaining traction in the global market for industrial robots and is the target region for market players to capitalize on. The growth of this region can be attributed to the robust adoption of advanced technologies and the rising demand for mass manufacturing and re-engineering in the industrial sector. The growth of the automotive sector of this region and rising installation of industrial robots in this sector is further expected to propel the growth of the market in Asia Pacific. The high deployment rate of robots in countries such as Taiwan, Japan, Australia, India, and China is also a chief factor propelling the demand for industrial robots in the region. In 2013, Asia Pacific also held the leading share in the global industrial robotics market.

Industrial robots effectively protect workers and labors from severe injuries and improve the safety standards of the workplace. Hazardous tasks such as the lifting of heavy components, welding, and handling of cold or hot objects can cause health problems and put a workers’ life in danger. A manufacturing or industrial robot does the same task as workers and in a much efficient and safe manner. In extreme work environment and in situations when high product quality is required in less time, these robots are really useful. They also help in decreasing the turnaround time by quickly carrying out tasks accurately and without interruption. This will help the industrial sector to be completely automated.