UK robotic installations statistics for 2004

Purpose – Aims to collate and analyse data relating to the sales and installations of industrial robots in the UK for the preceding year and, by comparison with data from previous years, identify market trends. Design/methodology/approach – Data has been collected by the annual survey of UK robot sales and installations conducted by the British Automation and Robotics Association. Findings – The key statistics for 2004 are as follows: a total of 785 units installed; total installations to date (from 1978) are 21,744 units adjusted to 14,176 to allow for International Federation of Robotics 12‐year retirement rule; the automotive sector remains dominant but dropped 79 per cent from 2003 to 458 units; the non‐automotive sector grew 11 per cent from 2003 with 327 units installed; significant growth in three sectors are: plastics and rubber 46 per cent; construction 85 per cent; and pharmaceuticals 95 per cent. Arc and spot welding installations reduced by 45 per cent, however, spot welding remains dominant application; growth of 80 per cent in “Dispensing” applications; six‐axis robots account for majority of the market; significant growth in seven‐axis robots; majority of installations fall between £10 and 30 k cost classification highlighting a price drop from 2003; robots originating from EU decreased by 145 per cent; and robots originating from Japan increased by 8 per cent. Originality/value – The study identifies current trends in the UK industrial robot market in terms of factors such as industrial sector, application, robot type/structure and cost. By relating the data to the economic and industrial conditions prevalent in the UK this will provide a useful insight for robot application and development for both end‐users and vendors.