A new market report from HowToRobot.com in collaboration with Robotics Australia Group provides the first overview of robotics businesses based in Australia.
The report shows an emerging, fast-growing industry of 466 robot and automation suppliers with a unique potential for tapping into the growing global demand for robotics and automation.
Among these suppliers, 57 per cent are integrators, 19 per cent are robot manufacturers (including drones), 15 per cent are component suppliers, 7 per cent are distributors, and 3 per cent are advisors.
According to findings from the report, the top industries — apart from the robotics industry itself — served by most robotics suppliers includes:
- Metal and machinery (47 per cent)
- Logistics (42 per cent)
- Food and beverage (30 per cent)
In addition, non-manufacturing industries with a particularly strong focus in Australia includes:
- Mining (29 per cent)
- Energy (24 per cent)
- Construction (20 per cent)
- Agriculture and forestry (19 per cent)
- Recycling (17 per cent)
HowToRobot CEO Søren Peters said: “Many societies struggle with labour shortages and aging populations and need robots and automation to maintain living standards. They will count on robots to automate not only factories but also many other sectors, where Australia has a strong focus.”
Robotics Australia Group Chair Dr Sue Keay said: “As a country with vast geography and few people, we have developed a special expertise in field robotics, which can operate in challenging, unstructured environments.”
Examples include swarms of robots used in agriculture, underwater robots for offshore inspection, mobile robots for inspecting outdoor areas that are difficult to access, and many others.
Most commonly, robotics companies in Australia focus on automating tasks that are found across a range of industries, such as handling and picking items, inspection and quality control, logistics and storage functions, and packing and palletising.