Sales in the robotics and automation industry in Germany increased by 13 percent in 2021 - more than expected. "The robotics and automation industry is booming," says Frank Konrad, Chairman of VDMA Robotics + Automation. "However, suppliers will not be able to process the orders on the books as quickly as usual. The task now is to manage bottlenecks in the supply chains," he adds.

Image processing sub-sector again shows strongest growth

The three sub-sectors developed differently in 2021: The machine vision sector grew by 16 percent, with sector sales reaching 3.1 billion euros. Robotics sales rose by 13 percent to 3.5 billion euros. Integrated Assembly Solutions recorded an 11 percent increase in sales to 7.1 billion euros. Overall, Robotics and Automation sales increased by 13 percent to 13.6 billion euros.

Slower growth expected for 2022

VDMA Robotics + Automation forecasts sales growth of 5 percent to 3.2 billion euros for machine vision in 2022. Sales in the robotics sub-sector will grow by the same proportion to 3.6 billion euros. At 7 percent, Integrated Assembly Solutions could grow somewhat more strongly, bringing the industry's sales to 7.6 billion euros.

Overall, this corresponds to sector growth of 6 percent to 14.4 billion euros. This figure takes into account the currently severely disrupted supply chains. In particular, a shortage of electrical engineering and electronic components is extending delivery times, explains the VDMA.