North America Hits Record Robot Sales in Q3 2021

According to the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), North American companies placed 9,928 robot orders in the third quarter of 2021, totaling $513 million. These figures represent a 32 % rise in units and a 35 % increase in value compared with the same period a year earlier, marking the third‑highest quarterly volume and the fifth‑highest revenue ever recorded.

Year‑to‑date, the region has shipped nearly 29,000 robots worth $1.48 billion—an unprecedented milestone that still leaves three months of the year to go.

A3 president Jeff Burnstein explained that “persistent labor shortages across manufacturing, logistics and almost every industry are driving firms of all sizes to adopt robotics and automation to maintain productivity and competitiveness.”

Across the first nine months of 2021, robot orders climbed 37 % in volume and 35 % in value over the same period in 2020, surpassing the previous record set in 2017 by 5.8 % and 0.5 %, respectively. Burnstein noted that existing users are expanding their robotic deployments, while newcomers are entering fields ranging from automotive and agriculture to construction, electronics, food processing, life sciences, metalworking, and warehousing.

In the first nine months, automotive‑related orders rose 20 % year‑over‑year to 12,544 units, but non‑automotive orders led the way, growing 53 % to 16,355 units—the second time in history that non‑automotive sales outpaced automotive sales in a first‑nine‑month period (the first being 2020).

During Q3, nearly two‑thirds of robot sales (6,302 units) came from non‑automotive sectors. Orders for plastics and rubber increased 10 %, while the most dramatic jump came from metals, which surged 183 %.

For a deeper dive into how the pandemic has reshaped automation, see PT’s earlier analysis of the global market.

A3 looked at January‑September robot orders for North America going back to 2017, the previous high, showing 2021 eclipsing that benchmark year. Source: Association for Advancing Automation.

Charge Lead by Non‑Automotive Automation

In the first nine months of 2021, automotive-related orders increased 20% year over year to 12,544 units. This was outpaced by non‑automotive orders, which grew 53% to 16,355 units ordered. A3 notes that this is only the second time non‑automotive orders have surpassed automotive-related orders in the first nine months of a year. The previous time was actually in 2020.

In the third quarter, nearly two-thirds of sales—6302 units—came from non-automotive industries. Robot orders for plastics and rubber were up 10%, while the biggest jump came in metals, which grew 183%.

Earlier this year PT looked at the pandemic’s impact on automation, as well as the global automation market.