The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) published the "World Robotics" report this week. The report shows that 2021 was a record year for robot installations, with a total of 517,385 newly installed robots, representing an annual growth rate of 31 percent.
In the service robots segment, which includes various robots used in transportation and logistics, the number of robots increased by more than 121,000, corresponding to an annual growth rate of 37 percent. Service robots for use in transportation and logistics increased by 45 percent, reaching 45,500 units during the year, and thus accounted for nearly 38 percent of all service robots sold in 2021. Most of these robots are purchased through traditional channels, but the share provided as Robot as a Service (RaaS) increased by 86 percent in 2021, reaching a total of 5,200 units.
87 percent are well-established
The IFR estimates that there are more than 1,000 service robot manufacturers and notes that, although the industry is still young and growing, 87 percent of manufacturers are considered to be established or mature. The report shows, for example, that AMRs (Autonomous Mobile Robots) for use in warehouses have been growing for many years and that several of the manufacturers have therefore expanded significantly and become well-established.
Most Manufacturers in Europe
828 companies (82%) are classified as manufacturers of professional service robots. Most of these companies—400 (48%)—are located in Europe, followed by North America (211) and Asia (204).
Many system integrators
Other service robot providers are considered to be system integrators, since they base their products on collaborative industrial robots purchased from other manufacturers and combine them with other hardware and software components.
