Why this is important to Wisconsin businesses: Wisconsin companies in the sector may find growing interest in their technologies and expertise.
Manufacturers in France are stepping up the pace of adding robotics, with some help from their government.
A record-breaking 7,380 new industrial robot systems were installed in France in 2022, a 13% increase over 2021, according to a World Robotics report. That’s up from the average 8% annual increase since 2017.
The automotive industry has been the main target for robotics and now has about 32% of the systems nationwide. In 2022, the auto and metals industries each received about 22% of the new robotics installations.
France is the third-largest market for robot installations in the European Union, following Italy and Germany, the report says.
Throughout the European Union, nearly 72,000 industrial robotic units were added in 2022, a 6% increase over the previous year, according to the International Federation of Robotics. Germany, Italy, France, Spain, and Poland led the trend. Together, they accounted for about 70% of the installations in 2022.
The French government has made industrial development a major goal. In 2021, President Emmanuel Macron unveiled his France 2030 plan that called for allocating €30 billion ($35 billion USD) to create the “high tech champions of the future.” The five-year plan focused on investing in sectors such as robotics, semiconductors, electric cars, and nuclear and renewable energy sources. Of the total, €6 billion ($6.9 billion USD) was designated for robotics and technology advances.
France 2030 is an addition to the €100 billion ($114 billion USD) stimulus plan presented in 2020 to help weather the pandemic, which also highlighted investment in smart factory equipment.
Several of the world’s top robotics firms are based in France, including Aldebaran Robotics, which creates humanoid robots for both consumer and industrial use. Naïo Technologies makes agricultural robots for improving farming practices, while Scallog offers robotic solutions to enhance e-commerce and logistics operations. Exotec is known for its warehouse robots that employ a unique grid system to optimize space and efficiency, and Wandercraft specializes in exoskeletons to aid people with mobility issues.
Wisconsin companies in the automation and robotics industry may find a growing number of opportunities for partnerships as demand accelerates for cutting-edge solutions.
