“This is a great achievement of modernization,” notes Ito, who also serves as chief technical advisor at Fanuc Corp. “However, in other key areas of manufacturing automation, the U.S. lags behind its competitors.”

America ranks tenth among the world’s most automated manufacturing countries with a robot density of 295 robots per 10,000 employees. The country’s automation is heavily concentrated in the auto industry. Around 40 percent of all new industrial robot installations in 2024 were in the automotive sector.

This is followed by the metal and machinery industry with 3,800 units representing a market share of 11 percent. Installations in the U.S. electrical and electronics industry has a market share of 9 percent, with 2,900 units.

However, the U.S. lags behind other countries when it comes to robot manufacturing. The majority of machines used domestically are imported from overseas. However, some large manufacturers, such as ABB Robotics and Fanuc America, build some robots in the Detroit area.

Globally, 70 percent of robots are produced by four countries: Japan, China, Germany and South Korea. Within this group, Chinese manufacturers are the most dynamic, with production for their huge domestic market more than tripling over the last five years. That puts China in second place after Japan.