Producers are contemplating extra robots resembling ABB’s YuMi, in keeping with ABI Analysis. Credit score: ABB
Simply over half of world producers, or 53%, are within the early levels of adopting new industrial robotic {hardware}, in keeping with the newest “Industrial and Manufacturing Survey” by ABI Analysis. The worldwide expertise intelligence agency additionally discovered that 28% have already deployed robots inside their amenities.
The survey, carried out between This autumn 2024 and Q1 of 2025 throughout the U.S., Germany, and Malaysia, discovered that producers imagine that industrial robots are key to manufacturing methods to enhance high quality ranges. Forty % of respondents listed the adoption of robotics as a precedence for bettering high quality, up from 34.1% within the earlier research.
Nineteen % of respondents mentioned they’ll take into account adopting industrial robots inside the subsequent 5 years, whereas 33% will take into account the adoption of collaborative or cellular robots inside the identical time-frame.
“Adoption sentiment stays excessive throughout the assorted robotic type components, indicating that producers are conscious of the benefits of automation and might determine aspects of their worth chains the place ROI [return on investment] might be delivered,” mentioned George Chowdhury, robotics trade analyst at ABI Analysis.
“It’s necessary to notice that these outcomes have been collected earlier than the latest financial uncertainty,” he noticed. “Feasibly, if this survey have been carried out right now, we might see an uptick within the variety of responders evaluating proofs of idea or contemplating adoption within the subsequent 12 months, consistent with reshoring expectations.”
Producers wish to compensate for expertise hole
Survey respondents ranged from manufacturing engineers to C-level executives, with most contributors holding positions as IT managers and above by way of seniority. The responses have been cut up equally between the three nations.
When queried, this group of producers claimed {that a} lack of awareness and inadequate time to implement new automation merchandise are the most important limitations to robotics adoption. An absence of the talents wanted use new applied sciences additionally ranked excessive as a priority.
Worry of substitute by automated methods was ranked low as a problem, mentioned ABI Analysis. Additional responses highlighted the significance of on boarding, ongoing assist, synthetic intelligence, and open utility programming interfaces (APIs) as key product options for determination makers.
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Generative AI is seen favorably
The survey supplied perception into the notion of generative AI for manufacturing functions. Fifty % of respondents agreed that generative AI can be utilized to optimize device paths, indicating a misalignment with the capabilities of AI-augmented robots and their supposed capabilities.
Optimizing device paths is a key functionality of ABB‘s Robotic Studio, NVIDIA‘s Isaac portfolio, and the choices of offline programming software program distributors resembling Visible Parts, Siemens, Dassault Systèmes, and Cenit. Against this, 63% of respondents acknowledged the worth of generative AI for predictive upkeep and 66% for optimizing manufacturing traces.
ABI mentioned these responses counsel that generative AI is taken into account an data expertise (IT) — used for planning and enhancing processes with knowledge — relatively than an operational expertise (OT) for optimizing machine conduct in actual time. Importantly, 62% of respondents agreed that generative AI can be utilized to plan, analyze, and optimize human-robot Interactions.
The survey discovered optimistic attitudes amongst producers towards robotics and its capacity to proceed augmenting the trade. Nonetheless, the respondents have been much less conscious of the worth proposition of superior AI plus robotics, asserted ABI Analysis.
“There’s a massive disconnect right here between the perceived capabilities of AI-augmented robots and the brand new merchandise that innovators are bringing to market,” mentioned Chowdhury. “Repairing this notion, by educating the market of the capabilities of AI-augmented robots, have to be the No. 1 precedence of unique gear producers (OEMs) and methods integrators in the event that they want to see higher uptake of {hardware} and for the worth of latest robotics merchandise to be realized by the manufacturing market.”
These findings are from ABI Analysis’s Manufacturing Survey H2 2024 market report. This report is a part of the firm‘s Industrial, Collaborative & Business Robotics analysis service, which incorporates analysis, knowledge, and ABI Insights.
