Automation as a Strategic Factor in U.S. Manufacturing Investments
The American market for industrial robotics is growing. In 2025, approximately 38,000 industrial robots were newly installed in the United States, an increase of eleven percent over the prior year. Notably, the strongest percentage growth did not come from the traditional automotive industry, which has historically been the primary driver of robotics adoption.
Food Processing Overtakes Traditional Sectors
The food processing sector stood out in particular: with approximately 3,000 new installations and growth of 30 percent, the industry has now reached a level comparable to mechanical engineering and electronics. This demonstrates that the automation wave has long since broadened into a cross-sector phenomenon.
Robot Density in International Comparison
A look at robot density illustrates where the United States stands on a global scale. With 307 industrial robots per 10,000 manufacturing employees, the country trails well behind Germany (449) and Japan (446), and far behind South Korea (1,220). This gap carries strategic significance: it signals considerable catch-up potential and, with it, growing capital investment requirements.
Implications for European Companies with U.S. Ambitions
For mid-sized European companies looking to establish or expand manufacturing operations in the United States, this translates into a concrete planning consideration. The American labor market for skilled production workers is tight in many regions. Qualified personnel are not available in unlimited numbers, and that is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future.
Companies planning a new U.S. production facility from the ground up have the opportunity to define the degree of automation strategically from the outset. This is a structural advantage over the retrofitting of legacy operations, which is frequently required at existing plants.
For suppliers from Germany’s mechanical engineering and automation technology sectors, this creates a market with a favorable starting position: rising investment appetite, a structurally tight labor market, and still considerable room for growth.
Political Tailwinds for the Robotics Industry
The topic is also gaining traction at the policy level. The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) has submitted recommendations to the U.S. government for a national robotics strategy. These include targeted investment incentives, the expansion of training capacities, and stronger institutional anchoring of the automation agenda. Should these proposals translate into concrete funding measures, the momentum is likely to accelerate further.
Putting the Numbers in Context
Automation is no longer an afterthought in the planning of new U.S. manufacturing capacity — it is a factor that should be integrated into site selection and investment strategy from day one. The data, the policy environment, and labor market realities all support addressing this dimension early and systematically.
For German machinery and plant manufacturers, this represents a particularly attractive window of opportunity for U.S. market entry: rising demand meets a shortage of skilled workers and substantial automation potential. Companies entering the U.S. market now will find a market that increasingly needs automation and still offers ample room for growth.