Automotive manufacturers in the USA have been busy investing in automation — total installations of industrial robots in the car industry increased by 10.7%, reaching 13,700 units in 2024. These are preliminary results, presented by the
Federation of Robotics (IFR).
IFR president Takayuki Ito said: “The USA has one of the most automated car industries in the world, the ratio of robots to factory workers ranks fifth, tied with Japan and Germany and ahead of China. This is a great achievement of modernisation. However, in other key areas of manufacturing automation, the USA lags behind its competitors.”
Robots from abroad The majority of industrial robots are imported into the USA, as there are few robot manufacturers manufacturing there. Globally, 70% of installations are produced by four countries — Japan, China, Germany and South Korea. Within this group, Chinese manufacturers are the most dynamic, with production for their huge domestic market more than tripling in five years between 2019 and 2023. This puts it in second place after Japan. China’s success is based on its national robotics strategy. Its manufacturing industry installed a total of around 280,000 units per year between 2021 and 2023, compared to a total of 34,300 installations in the USA in 2024.
In China, robotics and automation are penetrating all levels of production. This is evidenced by its high robot density of 470 robots per 10,000 employees in manufacturing — the third highest in the world, surpassing Germany and Japan in 2023. The USA, on the other hand, ranks only 10th among the world’s most automated manufacturing countries with a robot density of 295 robots per 10,000 employees. The country’s automation is heavily concentrated in the automotive sector which accounted for 40% of all new industrial robot installations in 2024. This is followed by the metal and machinery industry with 3,800 units representing a market share of 11%. Installations in the US electrical and electronics sector has a market share of 9% with 2,900 units sold.