Japan, in first place, and Germany, in second place, are in the Top 10 industrial robot exporters, according to data from the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Globally, external sales of these products totaled 6.92 billion dollars in 2021, representing a year-on-year growth of 29.1 percent.
Of that total, Japanese exports were US$2.377 billion, followed by Germany (US$724 million), Italy (US$391 million), China (US$342 million) and the United States (US$331 million).
Competitors in Teradyne’s Industrial Automation segment include traditional industrial robot manufacturers such as KUKA Robotics Corporation, ABB, FANUC and Yaskawa Electric Corporation, companies with emerging collaborative robot offerings such as Techman, Doosan and AUBO Robotics, and autonomous mobile robot manufacturers such as Omron, Fetch, OTTO Motors, Vecna, Seegrid and Balyo.
As for ABB, approximately half of its customers are in the industrial sector.
ABB serves production facilities and factories around the world, from process industries such as oil and gas, pulp and paper, and mining, to discrete industries such as automotive, food and beverage, and consumer electronics.
Automation, software and digital services that help customers improve safety, uptime, energy efficiency and productivity are key to the success of ABB’s offering in this market.
Industrial robot exporters
The current Covid-19 pandemic has served to remind companies of the importance of simplicity and flexibility in automated production and has accelerated demand for digital services and solutions.
In discrete industries, end markets such as food and beverage, consumer electronics, machine builders and general industry grew strongly.
Investments in robotics by the automotive industry picked up and ABB applied a selective strategic approach aimed at improving long-term profitability in that segment.
The segments of the later-cycle process industries recovered especially during the second half of 2021, benefiting from a rebound in raw material prices and the general easing of international travel restrictions.
This was especially the case for the oil and gas segment, while recovery in segments such as pulp and paper, mining or water and wastewater had already started earlier.
Other outstanding exporters of industrial robots in 2021 were Denmark ($326 million), France ($316 million), Vietnam ($247 million), South Korea ($180 million) and Austria ($173 million).
