The German engineering association, VDMA, has raised its 2017 forecast from 10 to 18 per cent growth in machine vision turnover in Germany, corresponding to €2.6 billion.
According to the new forecast, the German robotics and automation industry overall will now have 11 per cent increase in turnover instead of the initially expected 7 per cent. VDMA is predicting €14 billion in robotics and automation sector turnover during 2017.
The news comes as the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) announces that by 2020 more than 1.7 million new industrial robots will be installed in factories around the world.
In 2017, robot installations are estimated to increase by 21 per cent in the Asia-Australia region, according to the IFR. Robot supplies in the Americas will grow by 16 per cent and in Europe by 8 per cent, the IFR believes.
German robotics is proving to be much more dynamic than forecast, according to the VDMA. An initial projection of 8 per cent growth in sales has been raised to 15 per cent for 2017, with industry turnover pegged at €4.2 billion.
The IFR expects global installations of industrial robots this year to grow by 18 per cent to 346,000 units. Germany is the fifth largest robotics market in the world and Europe’s biggest.
Dr Norbert Stein, chair of the board of VDMA Robotics and Automation, commented: ‘Both incoming orders and turnover development for the current year have greatly exceeded our expectations.’
