Global Robot Controllers Market 2016-2020

Overview of the robot controllers market

Extensive research carried out by the analysts at Technavio has shown that the global robot controllers market will witness impressive growth and will post a CAGR of more than 7% over the forecast period. The increasing adoption of Chinese robots and robot controllers is one of the major factors driving this market’s growth. Global sales of industrial robots, including material handling, welding, painting, assembling/disassembling, logistics, machine tending has increased considerably over the past few years. In 2014, the majority of units were sold in China, of these indigenous Chinese companies had manufactured nearly 25,598 units, which were sold domestically. The government of China has been instrumental in creating a favourable environment for the robotic industry with policies, such as investment credits. These policies endorse the sales of indigenous industrial robots, robot controllers, and robot peripherals, leading to rapid growth of local vendors. Moreover, the country has adopted industrial robots for material handling, machine tending, packaging, foundry and forging, and other applications on a large scale to address issues of growing labor costs and inflation, which will also contribute to this market’s growth over the next four years.

One of the recent trends gaining significant traction in the market is the increasing adoption of compact and small-sized robot controllers. To stay competitive and increase the utility of robot controllers, vendors such as ABB are increasingly focussing on reducing the size of robot controllers. The shrinkage is possible as robot controllers now contain fewer components inside due to consolidation. Incorporating amplifier and controls within a robot’s system eliminates the need for extra cabinets, making the controllers more compact. By creating small and compact controllers, end users can now place controllers into the robot cage or mount them above the robots. This has led to their augmented adoption in semiconductor and electronics industry, and for research laboratories and life science installations.

Competitive landscape and key vendors

The global robot controllers market is characterized by the presence of several well-established international vendors such as ABB, KUKA, and Yaskawa. The competition among the vendors is anticipated to increase on the basis of product features, price, customized solutions, and services offered. The leading players are making significant investments in R&D activities, which will result in the development of modern industrial robots with highly robust reliable robot controllers. The market is experiencing mergers and acquisitions by large vendors, such as ABB, to enhance their offerings and services in the global robotics market. This should revolutionize the market in the future.

Key vendors in this market are -

• ABB
• FANUC
• KUKA
• Yaskawa Electric

Other prominent vendors in the market include Alfa Robot, Arburg, Engel, Epson Robots, Hans Hundegger, Harmo, iRobot, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, NACHI-FUJIKOSHI, Omron Adept Technologies, Sepro Group, Stäubli Robotics, TecnoMatic Robots, WITTMANN, and Yamaha Robotics.

Segmentation by type and analysis of the robot controllers market

• OEM proprietary robotic controllers
• PLC-based robotic controllers

The OEM proprietary robot controllers market was the highest revenue contributing region and will continue to dominate the market until the end of 2020. The growth of this segment is attributed to the excessive incorporation in process-driven robotic applications in industries such as automotive. Additionally, vendors are developing robot controllers with advanced ARM processor that enables superior performance such as vision capabilities and precise motor control. Rapid advancements in technology are helping designers to build robot controllers with innovative features and enhanced functionalities. Moreover, OEM proprietary robot controllers are ideal for point-to-point repetitive process-intensive applications, which will boost this segment’s growth over the next four years.

Geographical segmentation and analysis of the robot controllers market

• Americas
• APAC
• EMEA

During 2015, the APAC region dominated the global robot controllers market and will continue to lead the market until the end of 2020.  Factors such as the increasing demand from strong automotive, electrical and electronics, semiconductor, and chemical and petrochemical industries will drive this market’s growth in the region. In 2014, China was leading the industrial robotics market globally with the highest production rates and sales figures. The sales of robots have increased significantly, indicating augmented sales for robot controllers in the country. Furthermore, APAC is a major global manufacturing hub that has registered significant investments in major industries, which will also aid in this market’s growth in the region.

Key questions answered in the report include

• What will the market size and the growth rate be in 2020?
• What are the key factors driving the global robot controllers market?
• What are the key market trends impacting the growth of the global robot controllers market?
• What are the challenges to market growth?
• Who are the key vendors in the global robot controllers market?
• What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the vendors in the global robot controllers market?
• What are the trending factors influencing the market shares of the Americas, APAC, and EMEA?
• What are the key outcomes of the five forces analysis of the global robot controllers market?

Technavio also offers customization on reports based on specific client requirement.

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• Global Industrial Robotics Market in the Automotive Industry 2016-2020
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• Global Parallel Robots Market 2016-2020
• Global Research and Development Spending in the Robotics Industry 2016-2020