Germany Faces 3rd Year of Robot Declines as China Outnumbers It 14 to 1
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Sep 24
Germany Faces 3rd Year of Robot Declines as China Outnumbers It 14 to 1
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 24
Summary
German factory robot installations are forecast to fall for a third straight year, deepening a competitiveness gap with China in industrial automation.
China now accounts for nearly half of the 5 million robots operating in factories worldwide, the International Federation of Robotics said, underscoring how aggressively Beijing has scaled deployment since its 2014 robot push.
That lead is adding to pressure on Germany’s industrial base, already hit by low-cost Chinese exports that have contributed to about 14,000 industrial job losses a month in Germany.
The widening robotics gap is feeding broader trade tensions in Europe, where the EU’s deficit with China has reached about 1 billion euros a day and officials warn the imbalance is nearing a tipping point.