Industrial robots have been at the forefront of modern automotive manufacturing since the 1960s. Today, this use continues to grow. The following are statistical data on robotics in the automotive industry.

Since the birth of industrial robots more than 50 years ago, it has been associated with the automotive industry. However, it was not until about 20 years later that industrial robots became synonymous with the automotive industry. During this time, manufacturers began to turn to robotics to achieve more automated processes than ever before, including welding, painting, assembly, die casting, and extensive part transfer. Fast forward to today, the automotive industry continues to dominate the use of robots around the world, and the installation of robots has reached a record high.

In the past few years, the automotive industry has greatly increased its investment in global industrial robots. In 2013, nearly 70,000 new robots were installed, a record high. With global vehicle production reaching approximately 90 million units in 2014, it is expected that the installed capacity will increase in the next few years.

Global influence

In recent years, the United States has been in the midst of manufacturing revival, which is evident in recent US statistics on industrial robots. Since 2010, US auto production has grown at an average annual rate of 15.86%, and manufacturers have noticed this. Compared with 2010, the employment rate of the automobile industry increased by 21% in 2013. As the number of people employed increased, automation also increased. At present, the US automotive industry ranks third in the world in terms of robot density, with a density of 1,111 units. Robot density is defined as the number of industrial robots that are operated by every 10,000 employees in the automotive industry. In addition, 56% of all industrial robot orders in North America are produced by automakers.

In addition to the United States, when discussing the robotics of the automotive industry, people can't help but mention China. China is the world's largest auto market, producing more than 23 million vehicles in 2014. This huge automotive market is by far the largest robot consumer in China, accounting for about 40% of China's total robot supply. The International Federation of Robotics estimates that the automaker’s competition to build factories in China and rising wages will more than double the operating inventory of Chinese industrial robots to 428,000 in 2017.