Companies in North America ordered 10,989 robots from July to September. According to the association A3, it was the strongest quarter of the year so far.
Companies in North America ordered 10,989 robots worth 723.5 million dollars in the third quarter of 2026, according to figures from the automation association A3. That is 24.8 percent more units and 26.1 percent more value than a year earlier. In the first nine months, orders totalled 28,984 robots worth around 1.89 billion dollars, an increase of 9.6 percent in units and 13.3 percent in value.
After a weak first half, car manufacturers ordered more again, 7.5 percent more in the third quarter than a year earlier. Over nine months, however, they are still 17 percent below the previous year. Orders from automotive component suppliers rose 90.4 percent. Semiconductors and electronics grew 97.6 percent, plastics and rubber 67.7 percent, life sciences 38.7 percent and metals 37.0 percent. Food and consumer goods saw a decline of 23.7 percent.
Cobots up 56 percent
Collaborative robots, known as cobots, reached 1,831 units worth 63.8 million dollars in the third quarter. That is about 56 percent more than in the third quarter of 2025, and their share of all robots ordered was 16.7 percent.
A3 Executive Vice President Alex Shikany stressed that the growth was broadly spread across many industries. The association also points to the ISM purchasing managers' index, which at 54.5 in September signalled growth for the ninth month in a row. Higher input costs, trade uncertainty and the timing of large manufacturing projects remain factors to watch, according to A3.