Japan is the world’s number one industrial robot manufacturer, according to research published this month by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

The country now delivers 45 percent of the global supply of industrial robots.

In 2020, Japan shipped a total of 136,069 robots to factories and other smart industrial facilities worldwide.

The Japanese industrial robot market has experienced a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of six percent over the past five years, with over one-third of its shipments (36 percent) now destined for China, the largest national market for these devices.

The second largest overseas customer for Japan’s industrial robots is the US, buying nearly one-quarter (22 percent) of its exports, says the IFR.

In January, China announced a five-year plan to boost its own robotics sector, as the country races to automate faster than competitors like Japan and the US and lower its manufacturing costs.

China currently has the world’s ninth highest robot density (246 robots per 10,000 human workers), up from 25th just five years ago.

According to the IFR, just five countries – China, Japan, the US, South Korea, and Germany – account for over three-quarters (76 percent) of world industrial robot installations.

Asia is by far the biggest regional market for industrial robots, with 71 percent of the 266,452 units that were installed in 2020.

By contrast, the second largest, Europe, declined by eight percent, while in the Americas installations fell by 17 percent.

• The gradual return to physical events after two years of pandemic restrictions saw Japan host the 24th International Robot Exhibition (iREX) earlier this month as a hybrid show.

In 2019, the previous, solely physical exhibition attracted over 140,000 visitors to more than 3,000 stands from 637 different companies.

• In 2016, Japan and the UK signed a strategic partnership in robotics and autonomous systems. However, at the launch in London, Japan announced funding for the sector that was 200 times larger than the UK’s.

Britain continues to have one of the lowest robot densities in the developed world, despite its Industrial Strategy, its new Plan for Growth, and its central investments in robotics, automation, autonomous systems, AI, and other new technologies.

• In other news, the IFR has announced Marina Brill as its new Vice President. She is Global Head of Marketing and Sales Robotics at ABB.