Robots support employment

According to IFR president Joe Gemma, the “positive impact” of robots on European competitiveness and employment can be seen in Germany.

“The country´s automotive sector, for instance, holds the top position for robot density in Europe - with about 1,150 industrial robots per 10,000 employees,” he explains. “As a result of the ongoing trend to automate production, employment in the German car industry rose by about 93,000 jobs to 813,000 during the period 2010 to 2015.”

In France, investment in machinery and equipment are also accelerating at a faster pace than the overall economy, IFR adds. An example is automotive where annual robot sales as a whole increased by an average of 7% per year between 2010 and 2015. During the same period, the motor vehicle sector ordered on average 6% more robots per year and the demand from automotive parts suppliers increased by 9%.

In the UK, the development of robot installations in the next few years depends on the question “if and when” planned projects will be implemented, IFR says. Despite this, it can be assumed that investments planned by domestic manufacturers will most likely go ahead and that modernisation, as well as a strengthening of their overall competitiveness, will continue unabated, it adds.