The Japanese robots are coming, Europe

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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.