Insider Brief
- North American companies ordered 8,940 robots valued at $622 million in the second quarter of 2026, up 4.3% in units and 21.3% in order value from a year earlier, according to the Association for Advancing Automation.
- Non-automotive customers accounted for 56% of second-quarter robot orders, while first-half demand rose across semiconductors and electronics, life sciences, automotive components, food and consumer goods and other sectors even as automotive OEM orders fell 25%.
- Companies ordered 2,774 collaborative robots valued at $114 million in the first half, representing 15.4% of total robot units, with particularly strong adoption in life sciences and semiconductor, electronics and photonics applications.
PRESS RELEASE — North American companies ordered 8,940 robots valued at $622 million in the second quarter of 2026, according to new data released by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). Compared to the second quarter of 2025, this represents a 4.3% increase in units ordered and a 21.3% increase in revenue1. Second-quarter results brought first-half totals to 17,995 units valued at $1.166 billion, representing 2.0% growth in units and 6.6% growth in order value over the first half of 2025.
General Industry Continues to Offset Automotive OEM Softness
The first half of 2026 continued a trend that has been building over the past several quarters: robotics demand is becoming increasingly diversified across industries. While Automotive OEM orders declined 25% compared to the first half of 2025, growth in Automotive Component and several general industry sectors helped offset that decline, including:
- Semi & Electronics/Photonics: +35% units
- Life Sciences/Pharma/Biomed: +32% units
- Automotive Component: +24% units
- Food & Consumer Goods: +17% units
- Plastics & Rubber: +6% units
- All Other Industries: +6% units
- Metals: +3% units
Second Quarter Growth Broadens Across Key Manufacturing Sectors
Several industries posted double-digit year-over-year gains in robot orders during the second quarter. Semi & Electronics/Photonics increased 38% year over year, while Automotive Component grew 20%. Food & Consumer Goods and Metals each increased 18%, and Life Sciences/Pharma/Biomed posted 9% growth. Non-automotive customers accounted for 56% of robot units ordered during the quarter, continuing the trend of robots being adopted across a variety of industries.
Collaborative Robots Remain an Important Part of the Market
Collaborative robots continued to represent a significant portion of automation investment during the first half of 2026. Companies ordered 2,774 collaborative robots valued at $114 million, accounting for 15.4% of all robot units ordered and 9.8% of total order revenue. In the second quarter alone, companies ordered 1,137 collaborative robots valued at $44 million, representing 12.7% of total units and 7.1% of quarterly revenue.
Collaborative robot adoption remained particularly strong in Life Sciences/Pharma/Biomed and Semi & Electronics/Photonics, where collaborative robots accounted for 43.7% and 36.5% of first-half robot orders, respectively.
“The first half of 2026 shows how the mix of the robotics market continues to evolve,” said Alex Shikany, Executive Vice President at A3. “Automotive remains an important driver of demand, while we’re also seeing growth across a wider range of industries. Results were not uniform across every sector, but the breadth of growth outside Automotive OEM is an important trend we’ll continue to watch.”
Manufacturing Conditions Continue to Support Automation Investment
Despite continued uncertainty across the broader economy, manufacturers continued investing in automation during the first half of 2026. Manufacturing PMI remained in expansion territory for a sixth consecutive month in June, with new orders and production continuing to grow. Federal Reserve data also showed manufacturing output 1.1% above its year-earlier level in June.
While the timing of large Automotive OEM projects and broader economic conditions will continue to influence quarterly results, the first-half data suggests manufacturers continue to view automation as a long-term investment in competitiveness.
Go Beyond the Headlines with MI+
More detailed market breakouts and graphs for Q2 2026 are available upon request for press and within the A3 Vault for member companies. For deeper insights, A3 members can subscribe to MI+, the Association’s premium market intelligence platform, featuring forecasts, dashboards, and in-depth reporting to support better decision-making.
1 Quarterly year-over-year growth rates are based on a consistent reporting cohort. First-half comparisons are calculated from aggregate reported totals for the periods shown.
