10 MORE REASONS TO BUY ROBOTS,SO WHY ISN'T BRITAIN BUYING?

摘要

Three years ago I wrote a trade press article putting forward '10 good reasons to invest in robots'. Since then the worldwide stock of operational industrial robots has risen to the one million mark and there is now a strong trend towards flexible automation in many non-automotive markets, with food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, life sciences, photovoltaic and packaging sectors all increasing their robot investments. Nor does the global economic downturn seem set to curtail this growth, since factors like higher quality standards, environmental and safety regulations, energy and infrastructure costs, and the need for more flexible production are all stimulating demand for robotic technology. Shipments are expected to grow by around 4 per cent annually between 2009 and 2011.