The Japanese robots are coming, Europe - FT中文网
登录×
电子邮件/用户名
密码
记住我
请输入邮箱和密码进行绑定操作:
请输入手机号码,通过短信验证(目前仅支持中国大陆地区的手机号):
请您阅读我们的用户注册协议隐私权保护政策,点击下方按钮即视为您接受。
FT商学院

The Japanese robots are coming, Europe

EU’s tight labour market combined with tech advances mean demand for robot workers is increasing

Japanese robots are going to become a more common sight in Europe. Rising wages are boosting demand for factory robots that can process everything from handling food to welding cars. For their manufacturers, which are starting an aggressive push, there is room for growth. 

Fanuc, one of Japan’s largest robotics companies, has quadrupled the size of its Spanish sales hub near Barcelona, adding to its expansion in Europe where it already has 10 facilities, including in Germany, Italy and Turkey.

Until now, demand for robot workers has been largely concentrated in Asia with about three-quarters of newly deployed robots installed in the region. Asia’s urgent need for automation has been growing over the past decade as low birth rates and a labour shortage from an ageing population increasingly cause problems for companies.

China has long been the largest market for Japan’s robot companies. The number of robots used in manufacturing in China reached a ratio of 322 units per 10,000 employees in 2021, exceeding robot density in the US. For Fanuc, the country accounted for almost 30 per cent of its sales in fiscal 2022.

But Chinese orders during the quarter to December quarter fell more than a third, the biggest drop among the markets it operates in. That is partly down to the local economic slowdown but also the results of price competition from local rivals that are entering the market.

The cost of a standard robot arm is about $330,000. As labour costs rise around the world, the required investment to improve productivity is starting to look more attractive than ever before. Growth in negotiated wages in the eurozone rose 4.7 per cent in the third quarter last year, the highest on record, before slowing slightly to 4.5 per cent in the fourth quarter.

Companies were already struggling to find workers in the EU’s tight labour market. Volkswagen has been using Fanuc’s robots for about a decade. The machines themselves are also becoming more sophisticated, able to handle an increasing number of tasks, such as painting, welding, quality inspection and handling dangerous chemicals. Generative artificial intelligence functions will help increase the scope of robot activities as object detection and real-time decision-making enhance efficiency and productivity.

Shares in Fanuc, which boasts gross margins of almost 40 per cent, are down a fifth from their June peak reflecting concerns about a slowdown and mounting competition in China. But Europe, whose revenue contribution to group sales is only 17 per cent, provides ample room for growth. The robots are coming.

版权声明:本文版权归FT中文网所有,未经允许任何单位或个人不得转载,复制或以任何其他方式使用本文全部或部分,侵权必究。

再次陷入危机的大众汽车能走上改革之路吗?

欧洲最大的汽车制造商正与工人和政界人士交战,试图渡过痛苦的电动汽车转型期。

哈里斯的另一个大选对手:通货膨胀

美国选民对高昂生活成本的不满可能决定下周谁将赢得白宫。

Lex专栏:Meta和微软通过季度理智检查

科技巨头今天吹捧真正的胜利,以证明明天的巨额投资是合理的。投资者对此是支持的,但程度有限。

FT社评:英国工党预算——雄心勃勃,前景不明

财政大臣蕾切尔•里夫斯现在必须兑现她的投资计划,否则税收还将进一步增加。

Lex专栏:大众汽车很难走出死胡同

尽管这家汽车制造商计划裁员和关闭工厂,但投资者的担忧是可以理解的。

安谋如何成为人工智能投资热潮中的意外赢家

这家由软银控股的英国芯片设计公司的股价在过去一年上涨了两倍。但它的野心远不止于此。
设置字号×
最小
较小
默认
较大
最大
分享×