Page 478 - Sensors and Control Systems in Manufacturing

Sensors in Flexible Manufacturing Systems
In 2009, about 11,800 industrial robots were ordered for destina- 431
tions in the Republic of Korea, down 17 percent from 2008. In 2008,
the supply was about 12,800 units, which was largely the result of
strong demand from the electronic components industry and more
complete reporting on robots in this particular industry. In 2008, this
sector cut investments by almost 70 percent. This sharp fall has been
somewhat offset by a huge increase in robot supplies to the automo-
tive industry and the communications industry.
China was the third largest robot market in Asia, with 5,800 newly
installed robots, about 29 percent more than in 2008. The automotive
industry is still the predominant user of industrial robots, but the
rubber and plastics industry and the electrical/electronics industry
are gaining importance. In 2008, the number of industrial robots
supplied in India almost doubled, to about 950 robots. At the moment,
the actual numbers are quite small, but this escalation in the supply
of robots testifies to the dynamism of the Indian market. Table 8.5
gives the installation and operational stock for 2005-2010.
Total supplies in all other Asian markets, including, Indonesia,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam,
decreased by 8.5 percent.
In America, robotics investments were down by 19 percent, to
about 17,990 units.
Although robot sales to the chemical industry, including the rub-
ber and plastic products industry, increased remarkably in 2008, these
increases were not sufficient to offset the sharp cyclical decline in

TABLE 8.4 Yearly Robot Installations and Operational Stocks 2005–2010