Spain easily doubles the average figure per country for the number of robots used in the manufacturing industry
According to a press release published by ICEX, Spain easily doubles the average figure per country for the number of robots used in the manufacturing industry, according to data from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) for 2016. The world average is 74 robots for every 10,000 employees, whereas in Spain the figure is 160. As can be seen from the data, the process of automating production is accelerating both inside and outside Spain.
These statistics see Spain a hair’s breadth from the top ten countries worldwide, with South Korea heading the list with 631 robots per 10,000 employees followed by Singapore with 488. Spain is in sixth place in Europe, behind Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Italy and Belgium. Here too Spain is far ahead of the average of 99 units.
The ten world leaders ahead of Spain in the list are: South Korea, Singapore, Germany, Japan, Sweden, Denmark, United States, Italy, Belgium and Taiwan.
A standout position
The situation in Spain is also noteworthy when compared to other countries such as France, where the average number of robots is 132 units. The IFR estimates that the process begun by the current French government to recover competitiveness will involve the installation of new robots in the coming years. France is expected to grow by 10% this year, and between 5% and 10% until 2020, compared to predicted growth for Germany of 5%.
Another country behind Spain is the United Kingdom, the only member of the G7 that lags behind even the world average, with 71 units and a modest 22nd place in the ranking.
According to Junji Tsuda, president of the IFR, “Robot density is an excellent standard for comparison in order to take into account the differences in the automation degree of the manufacturing industry in various countries”.
According to the data from the IFR, the average number of robots rose from 66 in 2015 to 74 in 2016. Compared to the European average of 99 units, the US had 84, and Asia 63, evidencing of the wide gap between the indisputable leaders of the ranking and the bottom of the list.
Click here for further information.
