Counting which industrial robot companies are worth noting in 2018

As robot manufacturers continue to expand, new startups are launching innovative models that are more vibrant than ever. Oversupply may be a problem, but the number of industrial robot manufacturers in the world is still not large. The market seems to be shifting from a largely barrier-free, largely closed market to a market open to new suppliers and technologies.

As some companies have launched groundbreaking programs, they are expected to innovate in hardware and software in 2018. Software innovations include apps that monitor and manage robots, as well as more sophisticated industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications that can be extended to soldering and other activities. On the hardware side, the robot arm may integrate more computing power inside and use more efficient actuators and other components.

According to reports, there are more robots of various price points available on the market. The following are the 30 industrial robot arm manufacturers worthy of attention in 2018:

Fanuc

Fanuc is a professional factory automation company and the world's largest manufacturer of industrial robots in terms of the number of robotic arms installed in factories around the world. Fanuc has benefited from its long-standing relationship with General Motors (GM) and is currently entering the mainland. In fact, FANUC has been very successful on the mainland, so it is difficult to keep up with orders and is expanding the mainland factory. The company has recently reached a milestone in the production of the 500,000th industrial robot and has expanded its product range.

Yaskawa Electric

Yaskawa Motoman is also a professional factory automation company, specializing in industrial robots, and has a huge business in motion control systems such as servo motors, and currently provides IT services. The concept of mechatronics was first proposed by Yaskawa.

Abbott (ABB)

ABB is the only European company among the world's top ten robot manufacturers, with a wide range of interests in many industries and a supplier of power generation equipment. In terms of factory automation, ABB's most important is its IIoT solution, Ability. Ability is ABB's network for connecting its robots and other devices for precise monitoring and control. The company also introduced new robots, including the eye-catching YuMi robot.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI)

Although Kawasaki is famous for its motorcycle manufacturers, it is also one of the world's largest manufacturers of robotic equipment. Its new collaborative robot duAro has been a great success, with 2,000 units sold in the mainland. Kawasaki is planning to expand its robot production to include more collaborative robot models.

Nachi-Fujikoshi

Like most large industrial robot manufacturers, Fujitsu dates back to the 1st century. Fujitsu specializes in industrial robots, machining tools and machine components. The company recently launched a new robot for the electronics manufacturing industry.

Denso RoboTIcs

Denso is a company that was spun off from Toyota. At the time, Toyota was looking for ways to make the process more efficient, so that it could compete with American auto giants. Denso is currently not only a large auto parts company, but also a leading supplier of industrial robots. As electric vehicles become more popular, their skill set may make Denso a good place.

Kuka

After the acquisition of Kuka, the world's largest home appliance manufacturer, Kuka is in an ideal position to take full advantage of the growth of the mainland and Asian robotics markets. Even if the amount sold to external companies is relatively limited, Midea's demand in 2018 may increase significantly. Kuka is probably one of the most innovative companies in the industrial robot market and is launching new robots for a variety of applications.

Mitsubishi Robot (Mitsubishi RoboTIcs)

Although factory automation is a relatively small business of Mitsubishi Electric, its robotics division is one of the world's largest manufacturers of industrial robots.

Epson Robots

Seiko is a long-established watch company. The company started building robots to make watches more precise and efficient. Seiko Epson later decided to sell its robots to outside companies and is now one of the world's largest suppliers. Seiko has included robots in its precision product category and plans to launch collaborative robots in the future.

Staubli

Stäubli was founded in the 1890s and initially developed from the textile industry. The company has acquired two long-established brands, Jacquard looms and the first industrial robot company UnimaTIon, which is now one of the world's largest suppliers of automation equipment.

Hon Hai Group

Hon Hai has clearly expressed its determination to fully automate the entire world, or at least to its own factory. Some factories in Foxconn in mainland China are close to unmanned factories. As robots become more and more suitable for electronics manufacturing, Foxconn is likely to establish a more comprehensive automation factory.

Comau

Comau is part of the world's largest car group, Fiat Chrysler, but does not rely on the parent company. The company has launched a range of innovative products, the most notable of which is the largest collaborative robot on the market. The company has also made progress in the development of robotics software and IIoT technology.

Omron Adept

Omron acquired Adept not long ago and has developed many different types of automation technology in recent years. Most of the robots the company offers are used in the automotive and medical industries. Omron also has a large presence in sensors and other components.

Universal Robots

Universal Robots is generally considered to be the first manufacturer to introduce collaborative robots. The company's innovative machines offer many new features, primarily the opportunity to use smaller, cheaper robots and use them in a variety of settings without the need to separate them from human employees with a protective zone. Universal's success may be partly due to its robot being the first collaborative robot. But perhaps even more critical, this robot is an excellent design that other robot manufacturers follow.

Rethink RoboTIcs

Rethink Robotics, one of the early collaborative robot manufacturers, has recently attracted a lot of interest. For many new technologies, such as collaborative robots, one of the main challenges is to explain how to use it. Major collaborative robot manufacturers are investing more time and effort in this area, and it seems to be gaining.

Shinsong (Siasun)

Xinsong is probably the largest and most well-known robot manufacturer in the mainland. The company is the first mainland robot manufacturer to join the US Robotic Industries Association. The company not only launched heavy industrial robots, but also wanted to introduce elderly care robots.

Harbin Institute of Technology Robotics Group (HRG)

The size of the Harbin Institute of Technology Robot Group is similar to that of Xinsong. The company has built some interesting robots, some very attractive applications, such as jade production lines. Harbin Institute of Technology claims to be the leading robot company in the mainland, so its competition with Xinsong may cause concern in the next few years.

Doosan Robotics

Doosan is a Korean conglomerate that covers almost all industries in the world, especially power plants and construction. The company decided to launch a collaborative robot, in addition to being interested in this technology, and the collaborative robots need not be separated from the human staff, and can be used almost as humans as any other power tool.

Daming robot

Daming has interesting design and confident marketing methods and is particularly interested in the Japanese market. The company is actively looking for partners in Japan, but also participated in the Hannover exhibition in Germany, so it is not self-restricted. Daming will ship more than 2,000 robots in 2018.

Hanwha Techwin

Hanwha is one of the largest conglomerates in Korea. Therefore, robot manufacturing may only account for a small portion of its business, and like Doosan, the company may only be curious about this technology. Han Wah said that his collaborative robot is the first such robot in Korea and plans to use it himself.

Hyundai Robotics

Hyundai is one of the largest groups in Korea, and its cars are more famous than the shipbuilding business. But Hyundai also has a huge shipbuilding business, and robots seem to have great potential in the shipbuilding sector. The company has now split its robotics division and hopes that modern robots will challenge the top five Japanese robot manufacturers.

Bosch

Bosch is a large European and American home appliance manufacturer, which has a place in many markets, while robots are only small and relatively new businesses. Most of Bosch's industrial robotic arms are available in hundreds of Bosch plants around the world. But if Bosch sells products to other companies, the high quality of its collaborative robots may attract a large number of companies to purchase.

Kawada

Kawada is a Japanese company and mainly invests in large-scale construction projects such as bridges. But its two-armed, humanoid robot is one of the most innovative robots on the market. Its NextAge robot has been deployed in many factories and can undertake a variety of complex tasks, and is finding new partners for various industries in Kawada.

TAL Brabo

TAL is the robotics division of Tata, India. TAL has shown a robot called Brabo. Designed for the automotive industry, Brabo is said to be the first industrial robot made in India. And its parent company Tata is one of the world's largest car companies.

Toshiba Robotics

Toshiba is a large Japanese conglomerate and is still one of the world's leading electrical and electronics companies.

ST Robotics

ST Robotics has demonstrated an ultra-fast collaborative robot that is generally considered safer because it is slower to move. It is therefore worthwhile to observe whether speed will become a different factor in this market.

Delta

Delta is very active in the industrial automation market, producing a range of SCARA and articulated robots.

Kinova Robotics

This fun startup has created a lightweight robotic arm that can be mounted on vehicles such as wheelchairs and mobile logistics platforms. The company recently raised $25 million and is further developing its applications and finding new markets.

Franka

The startup is said to have developed collaborative robots that replicate themselves. Interestingly, Franka has received investments from companies such as Kuka and Foxconn.

The robots produced by Mecademic Mecademic are very small, and can be said to be a scaled-down industrial robot suitable for the production of miniature devices such as watches.