The most robotized countries in the world. Where does Spain rank?

The so-called fourth industrial revolution—the technological industrial revolution—is in full swing. At this stage, the streamlining of production processes, reducing both manufacturing times and costs, is paramount. This new era is based on industrial automation, a primary objective for the vast majority of economies worldwide.

The robotization of companies and production systems makes it possible to automate a wide variety of manufacturing lines in multiple tasks, transforming plants into more efficient organizations. Integrating robots leads to increased production, thanks to better management of time, resources, and materials, reduced costs, and increased quality, minimizing defective products or those that do not meet established standards.

With the introduction of cobots into production systems, voices have emerged warning about job losses. However, recent studies have shown the opposite: the implementation of collaborative robotics in companies requires the design, maintenance, and manufacture of these robots, making specialized professionals essential. Currently, according to the CEAC (Spanish Association of Autonomous Communities of the Autonomous Community of Madrid), there is a shortage of specialized robotics technicians in Spain, so this automation process, already present in 90% of Spanish multinationals, represents a “golden opportunity” for many professionals in the sector. For the vast majority of companies, this technology has not reduced their workforce, but rather has led to a relocation of tasks and highlighted the need for operators to acquire new professional skills. There are numerous success stories that support this.

According to ICEX (Spanish Institute of Industrial and Commercial Excise), the automotive, electrical and electronics, and metalworking industries are the sectors that allocate the most financial resources to the purchase of robots. The automotive sector accounts for 33% of total demand, as passenger car manufacturing has become increasingly complex over the last decade. Furthermore, with the growing demand for electric and hybrid vehicles, the range of models is increasingly broad.

WORLD RANKING AND SPANISH CASE

According to the latest data obtained by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), Spain is among the 15 most robotized countries in the world, a ranking led by South Korea.

This list is compiled by calculating the robotization rate per industrial job. Taking this into account, Spain has 157 robots per 10,000 workers, ranking fourteenth.

The South Korean market, seven times larger than ours, turns out to be the biggest competitor, followed by Singapore. These countries are the ones that have invested the most resources in robotization processes to ensure their factories are at the forefront of the technological industrial revolution. However, by geographic distribution, Europe has the highest average rate, with 106 units per 10,000 employees, ahead of the Americas (91) and Asia (75).

Continuing with the studies of the Spanish Association of Robotics and Automation, Spain is expected to reach eleventh place this year, as cobots are already present in most economic sectors.

Within Spain, robotics has been implemented to perform all kinds of tasks, such as subway and railway operations, deactivating potentially explosive devices, using smart vending machines, automotive manufacturing, and microscopic surgery. Automation has provided solutions to the current demands of the Spanish market, achieving more flexible, efficient, and sustainable production.

Thus, on the international scene, Spain has a promising future, positioning itself among the leaders in robotics and its application in industry. Thanks to the R&D teams and laboratories working to develop new technologies and the investment from large multinationals, corporations, and SMEs, the Spanish robotics sector is growing exponentially, bringing automation to all services.

At Universal Robots, as an established company specializing in the design and implementation of collaborative robotic solutions for all types of industries, we aim to continue this upward trend and promote automation in Spain. For this reason, we offer customized solutions to all types of companies.

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