Robot orders by automotive OEMs rebounded during Q3 following a weak first half, posting a 7.5% increase in robot units ordered versus Q3 2025.
Orders by automotive component manufacturers continued their 2026 improvement, with the number of robots increasing 90.4% over Q3 2025.
Metal producing and processing operations’ robot orders increased by +37.0% than in the third quarter of 2025. Relatedly, AMT – the Assn. for Manufacturing Technology has identified the significance of automation technology in the ongoing rise in U.S. manufacturing technology orders.
Other industrial segments posting strong improvement in robot demand during Q3 2026 demand included: semiconductors, electronics, and photonics, +97.6% units; plastics and rubber, +67.7% units; life sciences, pharma, and biomed, +38.7% units.
All other industries increased 0.5% in units ordered, while food and consumer goods operations’ robot orders declined 23.7% versus Q3 2025.
Demand for collaborative robots totaled 1,831 units valued at $63.8 million during Q3, increasing approximately 56% over Q3 2025. Cobots comprised 16.7% of all robot units ordered during the quarter.
For the January-September period, U.S. and Canadian businesses ordered 4,605 cobots worth approximately $178 million, 15.9% of total robot units and 9.4% of order value during over the first nine months of this year.
A3 noted that cobots accounted for 43.8% of robot orders life sciences, pharma, and biomed sector businesses, and 36.9% of robot orders in the semiconductors, electronics, and photonics sector.
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