The past few years have rapidly changed the landscape of work. With some industries facing greater uncertainty, now more than ever, robots are becoming more and more prevalent as part of our organizations.
As robots extend out of assembly lines and on to the ground floor of many work environments, businesses are rushing to get a head start.
What Do the Numbers Show?
The year 2021 has been the best year yet for North American Robotics. Breaking records at a $2 billion dollar value, over 39 000 robotic units were sold. Statistics by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) has shown that there was a 28% rise in the in the number of robots sold to companies in 2021.
What’s even more fascinating is the trends shown in non-automotive robotic sales. Orders outside of the automotive industry now take up 58% of the North American market. The biggest industry jumps since 2020: metals, up 91%, and food and consumer goods, up 29%.
Why Are Robots So Prevalent Now?
The advent of new or improved technology has been a huge driver towards lower cost robotics for small-medium enterprises (SME).
Additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and quality low-cost sensor technologies are a few of many recent advances in the 21st century that are not only built upon by existing robotic hardware but contribute towards its direct advancement.
These digital and physical technologies integrated, often referred to as the “Internet of Things”, make it easier than ever for emerging start-ups and entrepreneurs to create products, solving problems at a faster rate and accelerate innovation across all industries.
Essentially, costs are lower than ever, and is equally matched with designed reliability and ease of use.
Organizations are also hoping to catch up with the huge interruption in supply chains caused by the global pandemic. Robots make sense, with some sources like Forbes reporting as much as 10x higher productivity when organizations adapt to robotics and AI. The kicker? Workers at these organizations are happier too.
How Will This Impact Jobs?
Loss of jobs is a big fear with robotics, but what the research says may surprise you.
Robots are additive to the economy and create opportunities to enhance our current jobs as companions, as well as open avenues for new employment opportunities. Statistics Canada reports that firms who utilized robots averaged 15% higher employment than before utilizing our electronic companions.
With the current recession facing Canadians, and the increased demands on local automation through robots, it’s a no-brainer to view robots as friend, not foe, into the future.
Image credits: Tiger Lily, Tiger Lily
