North America's robot invasion hit a bump in 2023

STORY: North American companies ordered

about a third fewer robots last year

Concerns about a slowing economy and higher

interest rates made purchases difficult to justify

Automotive-related industries took the biggest hit,

as well as food and metals manufacturing

In 2023, companies bought 31,159 robots,

a decrease of 30% from the year prior

(Source: A3)

the largest drop in percentage terms since 2006

2022 was a record year for orders, according to A3 data

Robot sales boomed during the global

health crisis amid a dire labor shortage

Many companies put in extra orders due to

delivery and global supply chain concerns

(Jeff Burnstein, President, Association for Advancing Automation)

"There’s still this feeling that companies were buying in advance of their needs, so a lot of companies now have inventory to work through before they order a lot of new robots again."

Industry experts point to U.S. labor shortages as

a reason the robot business will continue to thrive