Denmark-based Universal Robots and Taiwan-based Techman Robot - the world's top-2 collaborative robot vendors - are both optimistic about global demand in 2021.
Universal Robots expects global sales to increase 30% in 2021, while Techman expects shipments to rise 50%.
Universal Robots and Techman have global market shares of 40-50% and about 10% respectively currently, according to industry sources.
Many manufacturers had to suspend production in first-half 2020 in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, and consequently Universal Robots's cobot sales declined 12% in 2020, according to Mark Jagiela, CEO of Teradyne, the parent company of Universal Robots. However, demand dramatically rebounded in third-quarter 2020, with fourth-quarter sales growing 41% sequentially, Jagliela noted, adding that annual sales are expected to increase at CAGR of 25-30% until 2024.
Techman saw 2020 global shipments slip 10% on year amid the pandemic, but orders have rebounded since fourth-quarter 2020, company CEO Haw Chen said.
Techman is integrating cobots with technological solutions such as machine vision, AI-based interpretation and 3D stack processes for product differentiation, Chen indicated.
International vendors of industrial robots Fanuc, Yaskawa Electric, ABB and Kuka have also stepped into development and production of cobots, industry sources noted.
