China has been the world's largest consumer of industrial robots for eight consecutive years. Under the trend of transformation and upgrading of China's manufacturing industry, it is expected that the density of domestic industrial robots will continue to increase, and it is expected to exceed 58.9 billion yuan in 2023. In 2021, the installation of industrial robots in my country will reach 243,300 units, accounting for half of the total installation of industrial robots in the world. Among them, automobile manufacturing is one of the industries where robots are most widely used. From the perspective of global application, more than 1 million robots are used in automobile manufacturing, realizing the full chain coverage from welding, painting, assembly to logistics.
China is the fastest growing robot market in the world, with the largest number of newly installed robots each year, and has become an important supporting force to promote the steady development of the global robot industry. It is estimated that by 2030, 14 million robots will be put into use in China. At present, the application of industrial robots in my country has covered 60 major industries and 168 middle categories of industries in the national economy. In 2021, the density of robots in my country's manufacturing industry will reach 322 units per 10,000 people, and the robot density will enter the top five in the world for the first time. According to data from Tianyancha, at present, there are more than 483,000 robot-related companies in China, of which more than 128,000 will be newly registered in 2022, and the growth rate of newly registered companies will be 36.9%.
Li Yaping, president of the China Mechatronics Technology Application Association, pointed out that my country's robot industry has basically formed a whole industrial chain system from parts to complete machines to integrated applications. Artificial intelligence, 5G, new energy, new materials, etc. are deeply integrated with robot technology, and the robot industry has ushered in a period of historical opportunities for upgrading and leapfrog development.
Robot density is a key indicator of the current level of automation in the world's leading car-producing economies: in South Korea, there were 2,867 industrial robots in operation per 10,000 employees in 2021. Germany ranks second with 1,500 units, followed by the United States with 1,457 units per 10,000 workers, and Japan with 1,422 units.
The application of robots in the automobile manufacturing industry not only improves production efficiency and product quality, but also makes automobile manufacturing more flexible and intelligent. In the future, with the transformation and upgrading of the automobile industry and the development of intelligence, the application prospects of robots in the automobile manufacturing industry are still broad.
According to a report from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) in Frankfurt on March 22, 2023, the automotive industry has the largest number of robots used in factories around the world, with a new record of about 1 million units. This accounts for roughly one-third of all industry installations.
