ANN ARBOR, MI-New orders received by North American-based robotics companies fell 38 percent in the first half of 2006, according to statistics released by the Robotic Industries Association (RIA).
Most of the losses were the result of a drop in sales to the automotive industry, where new orders were down 52 percent. Sales to nonautomotive companies fell 5 percent, with orders placed by food, consumer goods and life sciences companies showing a slight increase.