Industrial Robotics: North American Orders Rise 25% in Q3

North American Robot Orders Rise 24.8% in Q3 to 10,989 Units, Led by Component and Semiconductor Demand

ANN ARBOR, United States — November 3, 2026 — North American companies ordered 10,989 robots valued at $723.5 million in the third quarter of 2026, according to data from the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). Orders rose 24.8% in units and 26.1% in value year on year, the strongest quarter of 2026 so far. The result points to rising capital spending across the wider Industrial Robotics Market.

Orders for the first nine months of 2026 reached 28,984 robots valued at about $1.89 billion. That is up 9.6% in units and 13.3% in value from the same period a year earlier.

Automotive OEM orders returned to growth in the third quarter, rising 7.5% after declines in the first half. They remain 17% below their year-earlier level through the first nine months. Automotive component orders climbed 90.4%.

Other sectors posted sharp gains: Semiconductor, Electronics and Photonics rose 97.6% in units, Plastics and Rubber 67.7%, Life Sciences, Pharma and Biomedical 38.7%, and Metals 37%. Food and Consumer Goods fell 23.7%.

Global manufacturing context is consistent with the order data. According to NMSC, the global industrial robotics industry was valued at USD 48.75 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 88.66 billion by 2030, a CAGR of 12.7% over 2025–2030.

Key Highlights:

• Collaborative robot orders reached 1,831 units valued at $63.8 million, up roughly 56% year on year and 16.7% of all units ordered in the quarter.

• A3 Executive Vice President Alex Shikany said growth was broadly distributed across industries, indicating a more diversified market.

• The September ISM Manufacturing PMI registered 54.5, a ninth consecutive month of expansion, and Federal Reserve data showed manufacturing output up 0.3% in September.

• Higher input costs, trade uncertainty and the timing of large manufacturing projects remain factors to watch.

Analyst Insight:

According to analysts at Next Move Strategy Consulting, labor constraints, reshoring and productivity requirements are sustaining demand for automation, making purchasing decisions less cyclical and more strategic. NMSC analysts note that growth is expanding beyond traditional automotive use cases into electronics, logistics and pharmaceutical manufacturing, a pattern consistent with the diversified order mix reported this quarter.

Industry Outlook:

The third-quarter data indicates that robot demand is broadening across end-use sectors while automotive OEM spending recovers gradually. Continued expansion in manufacturing activity and investment in semiconductor and pharmaceutical production are likely to support order volumes into the final quarter of 2026. Tariff and input-cost conditions, along with project timing, will remain the principal variables for suppliers and integrators.

Source: Robotics & Automation News

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Prepared By: Sanyukta Deb