Packaging Machinery & Automation
Sales of Robotic Units in North America Increase
Annual 2020 Order Growth (Units, YoY)
Source: Association for Advancing Automation
There has been speculation that the pandemic would spur U.S. industries to ramp up the automation of their operations. Others have said that U.S. industries were already doing just that. One study by the Robotic Industries Association (RIA), part of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3), suggests that the former is likely true. The organization announced last month that yearly orders of robots from non-automotive sectors surpassed automotive robot orders for the first time ever. Of course, the auto industry saw a steep decline in production due to the pandemic, unlike packaging which saw an explosion of e-commerce for the same reason. Whatever the reason, sales of robotic units in North America increased 3.5% in 2020 from 2019. This growth was driven by a strong Q4 that was the second-best quarter ever for North American robotic sales with a 63.6% increase over Q4 2019.
Global Packaging Machinery Demand Share 2018 ($)
Source: The Freedonia Group
The Freedonia Group was predicting a 4.5% annual growth until 2023 in global packaging machinery demand according to an analysis that was done in early 2020, and a study done by Transparency Market Research published earlier this year is expecting about a 6% CAGR growth in the market through 2026. Driving that increase is food and beverage. “Exponential growth in the sales of packaged and processed food products in the last decade has led to increased demand for varieties of packaging solutions,” according to the report. Also fueling the increase are a broader CPG growth and the need for automated processes.
Market Research Future says the Asia Pacific region is expected to see the most growth in the packaging machinery market due to the number of food and beverage manufacturers, but North America is expected to grow significantly as well.
Market Outlook by Packaging Segment
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Packaging Machinery & Automation
Cover and feature illustrations by fairywong / DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images