Imports of industrial robots to the United States increased at a year-on-year rate of 17% in 2024, to a record $617 million, according to Commerce Department data.

Worldwide, imports of such automation equipment were about $5.4 billion.

An industrial robot is, in essence, the tireless muscle of the modern factory: it does not sleep, does not tire, does not hesitate. This automaton has no face, but it does have a programmable memory. Its language is not that of words, but of commands and axes.

Imports of industrial robots to the United States

To reduce the risk of geopolitical tensions, many companies with a global presence are increasingly regionalizing their supply chains, according to the company KUKA. 

However, relocating supply chains to high-wage countries is only competitive if productivity increases at least as much as production costs. KUKA claims that this is only possible by automating production processes with the increasing use of industrial robots. This trend has already become evident in recent years and will continue in the future.

Although it looks like a metal extension of the human arm, an industrial robot goes much further. It is a tool with the ability to weld, assemble, paint or move objects with a speed and accuracy impossible for any worker. Its existence transforms production rhythms and redefines the role of the human operator.

Imports of industrial robots to the United States, in millions of dollars, are shown below: 

• 2018: 488.
• 2019: 443.
• 2020: 431.
• 2021: 510.
• 2022: 540.
• 2023: 526.
• 2024: 616.

Robotic hardware

Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corporation assures that the market for software based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) is experiencing a moment of strong expansion. The reason? Industries are looking for more efficient, flexible and autonomous manufacturing processes.

Global companies such as ABB, Fanuc, Yaskawa, KUKA and Universal Robots are leading this transformation. They not only offer advanced hardware. They also develop AI-enabled software solutions to accelerate automation in key sectors such as automotive, electronics and logistics.

These are the imports of industrial robots to China, in millions of dollars:

• 2018: 1,144.
• 2019: 988.
• 2020: 1,041.
• 2021: 1,535.
• 2022: 1,375.
• 2023: 1,252.
• 2024: 645.