Recently, the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) released a report indicating that industrial robots in Europe are on the rise: nearly 72,000 industrial robots were installed in the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) in 2022, an increase of 6% year-on-year.

Marina Bill, President of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), said: “The top five countries in the EU for robot adoption are Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Poland, which will account for approximately 70% of all industrial robots installed in the EU in 2022.”

Germany: Europe’s largest robot market

Germany is by far the largest robot market in Europe: around 26,000 units (+3%) were installed in 2022. 37% of total installations in the EU. Globally, the country ranks fourth in robot density, behind Japan, Singapore and South Korea.

The automotive industry has traditionally been the main user of industrial robots in Germany. In 2022, 27% of newly deployed robots will be installed in the automotive industry. The number was 7,100 units, down 22 percent from the previous year, a well-known cyclical investment behavior in the sector.

The main customer in other segments is the metal industry, with 4,200 installations (+20%) in 2022. This is up from pre-pandemic levels that fluctuated around 3,500 units per year and peaked at 3,700 units in 2019.

Production in the plastics and chemicals sector is back to pre-pandemic levels and will grow 7% to 2,200 units by 2022.

Italy: the second largest robot market in Europe

Italy is the second largest robotics market in Europe after Germany. The number of installations in 2022 reached a record high of nearly 12,000 units (+10%), accounting for 16% of the total installations in the EU.

The country has a strong metals and machinery industry: sales reached 3,700 units in 2022, an increase of 18% over the previous year. Robot sales in the plastics and chemical products industry increased by 42%, with 1,400 units installed.

The country also has a strong food and beverage industry. Installations increased by 9% to 1,400 units in 2022. Demand in the auto industry fell 22 percent to 900 vehicles. The segment is dominated by the Stellantis group, formed from the merger of FIAT-Chrysler and France’s Peugeot Citroen.

France: Third largest robot market in Europe

In 2022, the French robot market ranked third in Europe, with annual installations growing by 15% to a total of 7,400 units. That is less than a third of that in neighbouring Germany.

The main customer is the metal industry, with a market share of 22%. The segment installed 1,600 units, an increase of 23%. The auto sector grew 19% to 1,600 units. This represents a 21% market share.

The French government’s €100 billion stimulus plan for investment in smart factory equipment, which comes into effect in mid-2021, will create new demand for industrial robots in the coming years.

Spain and Poland continued to grow

Annual installations in Spain increased by 12% to a total of 3,800 units. The installation of robots has traditionally been decided by the automotive industry. According to the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA), Spain is the second largest automobile producer in Europe after Germany. The Spanish automotive industry installed 900 vehicles, an increase of 5%. Metals sales rose 20 per cent to 900 units. By 2022, the automotive and metal industries will account for nearly 50% of robot installations.

For nine years, the number of robots installed in Poland has been on a strong upward trend.

The total number of installations for the full year 2022 reached 3,100 units, which is the second best result after a new peak of 3,500 units in 2021. Demand from the metals and machinery sector will grow by 17% to 600 units in 2022. The automotive industry shows cyclical demand for 500 installations – down 37%. The war in neighboring Ukraine has weakened manufacturing. But investments in digitalisation and automation technologies will benefit from a total of €160 billion of EU investment support between 2021 and 2027.

Robot installations in European countries, including non-EU member states, totaled 84,000 units, up 3 percent in 2022.