Staff Shortage Boosts Service Robots – Sales Up 48%
October 12, 2023 | IFREstimated reading time: 2 minutes
The total number of service robots sold for professional use hit 158,000 units in 2022 - an increase of 48%. Shortage of staff is a strong driver for companies to automate.
“The service robot industry is developing at a fast pace,” says Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics. “Shortage of skilled workers and a lack of staff applying for service jobs boosts demand. IFR identified almost 1,000 service robot suppliers worldwide delivering autonomous services.”
Five top applications for professional service robots by units sold
Mobile robot solutions in transportation and logistics established a strong market share: more professional service robots were built for the transportation of goods or cargo, than any other function. Sales grew by 44% with more than 86,000 units sold in 2022. Robot sales for open indoor environments with public traffic were up 78% and reached almost 37,300 units. Many of these robots are intended for food and beverage delivery in restaurants.
Hospitality robots enjoy growing popularity: More than 24,500 units (+125%) were sold in 2022. Robots for mobile guidance, information, and telepresence account for most of these robots.
Sales of medical robots were down 4% to about 9,300 units. Almost 4,900 surgery robots (+5%) were sold, but sales of robots for rehabilitation and noninvasive therapy were down 16% to less than 3,200 robots.
Robotics sales in agriculture grew by 18% with almost 8,000 units shipped in 2022. More than 5,800 robots (+9%) were sold for agricultural tasks like milking and barn cleaning. The lack of human workforce in agricultural regions and demand for more sustainable agriculture make service robots a key player in this market.
The market for professional cleaning robots grew by 8% and reached almost 6,900 units sold. The main application is floor cleaning with 4,900 units sold – up 10%. This represents more than 70% of shipments in this application group.
Service robots for consumer use
Service robots for consumer use are produced for a mass market, which makes it a very different segment compared to service robots for professional use. Sales of robots for consumer use reached about 5.1 million units in 2022 vs. 158,000 units sold for professional use.
Today, we find the strongest consumer demand in areas of domestic household robots. Almost 4.9 million robots were sold in 2022. The most used application is indoor domestic floor cleaning with about 2.8 million robots sold. Robot vacuums are common in private households for many years now. Apart from cyclical volatility, IFR´s statistical department predicts growth potential in the low double-digit range over the next few years.
Like robot vacuums, gardening robots are already familiar in people´s daily live: Sales of lawn mowing robots reached 1.1 million units in 2022.
Social interaction and education robots are the second largest consumer application group with 157,000 units sold in 2022. While sales of education robots reached almost 104,000 units, shipments of social interaction and companion robots were reported with about 53,000 units.
Suggested Items
IMI Welcomes New CEO
05/03/2024 | IMIIntegrated Micro-Electronics, Inc. (IMI),The IMI Board of Directors announced, in a disclosure dated April 25, 2024, the appointment of Louis Sylvester Hughes, Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Benchmark Reports Q1 2024 Results
05/03/2024 | PRNewswireRevenue decreased quarter over quarter and year over year primarily due to decreases in Medical, Advanced Computing and Next-Generation Communication sales, which were partially offset by an increase in Complex Industrials sales quarter-over-quarter and increases in Semi-Cap and A&D sales year-over-year.
Ansys Announces Q1 Financial Results
05/03/2024 | ANSYSANSYS, Inc. reported first quarter 2024 revenue of $466.6 million, a decrease of 8% in reported and constant currency, when compared to the first quarter of 2023.
SCHMID Group Closes Business Combination, Begins Trading on NASDAQ
05/02/2024 | SCHMID GroupGebr. SCHMID GmbH, a global solutions provider for the high-tech electronic, photovoltaics, glass, and energy systems industries, and Pegasus Digital Mobility Acquisition Corp. announced the completion of their business combination.
Sanmina's Second Quarter Fiscal 2024 Financial Results
05/02/2024 | Sanmina Corp.Sanmina Corporation, a leading integrated manufacturing solutions company, today reported financial results for the fiscal second quarter ended March 30, 2024 and outlook for its fiscal third quarter ending June 29, 2024.