2011 robot sales rise 30 percent over previous year, says IFR

Frankfurt, Germany--In 2011, sales of industrial robots reached about 150,000 units—an increase of about 30% compared to 2010, according to the results of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) Quarterly Statistics.

In 2010, sales greatly recovered from the dramatic downturn in 2009—particularly in the automotive industry. But for 2011, robot suppliers reported a considerable increase of demand from the general industry.

"Thanks to the demand of emerging countries, including China, the sales of factory automation apparatus are increasing," comments Dr. Shinsuke Sakakibara, IFR president. "However, the growth of sales of machine tools seems to be slowing down under the influence of Europe's currency crisis and/or a Chinese tight-money policy. But this does not apply to robots," he says.

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