The Industrial Internet of Things (or IIoT) – a term that gained traction following General Electric’s use of it in the early 2010s (according to Dataversity) – is a subset of IoT that prioritizes applications in industrial sectors. (Though, relatedly, upgrades to the cloud’s massive storage capacity in 2002 helped lay the groundwork.) Once big IoT go-getters pinpointed how the impacts of actuators and smart sensors could rock environments that lean heavily on industrial applications, IIoT network architecture took real shape.
In the IIoT world, the interconnectivity of industrial devices and equipment facilitates smarter data collection and analytics processes, machine learning (ML) and systems in manufacturing and logistics, energy, healthcare and more (in terms of automation and real-time decision-making).
And with the convergence of industry-shaking technologies came the unmissable use cases of robotics in IIoT.
Per a report released today from Research and Markets, the global industrial market for robotics was valued at $16.5 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach approximately $20 billion by 2027. Robotics sales’ upswings dosey doe with IIoT markets in basically nigh-frictionless ways, as the integration of advanced robotics into industrial operations has driven high-tech efficiencies not previously achievable. (Especially in M2M, or machine-to-machine, communications and autonomous production.)
The long-story-short version of it?
The proliferation of cogs in the IIoT wheel are game-changers, and robotics is one such cog. (And key one, at that.)
Moreover, recent data from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) sheds light on additional robotics-related developments. In summary, the IFR’s report states:
- In the North American robotics market, total installations in manufacturing rose by 12% and reached 41,624 units in 2022. (And the top adopter? Automotive.)
- In the U.S., Canada and Mexico, 20,391 industrial robots were installed; that’s up 30% from 2021. Installations surged in 2022 to 14,594 units.
- Given automotive’s rise, demand from car components manufacturers hit 48% in 2022 in the U.S. alone.
- Installation counts in Canada have, per the IFR, “have largely depended on automotive industry investments at large” and account for roughly 40% of all robot installations. However, Canadian sales to automotive declined by another 36%, with 1,258 units in 2022. (As opposed to the country’s pre-pandemic level of 1,897 units.)
- In Mexico, robotics sales in automotive grew by 16% and reached 4,222 units in 2022; that’s the second-best result since its peak level back in 2017.
Of course, the influence of robotics in non-automotive manufacturing sectors has had its ebbs and flows, too. But with tons of eyes on automotive, as President of the IFR Marina Bill has said:
“North America represents the second largest operational stock of industrial robots in the world after China. The U.S., Canada, and Mexico are global growth innovators in robotics automation, and the automotive sector really is leading the way.”
Edited by
Greg Tavarez
