North American robot orders rose 4.3% in units and 21.3% in value in Q2 2026, with non-automotive buyers at 56%

A3 reported on 12 August 2026 that North American companies ordered 8,940 robots worth $622 million in Q2 2026, up 4.3% in units and 21.3% in order value year over year. First-half totals reached 17,995 units and $1.166 billion, up 2.0% and 6.6%. Growth concentrated outside the traditional automotive base: semiconductors, electronics and photonics up 35% in units, life sciences, pharmaceuticals and biomedical up 32%, automotive components up 24%, and food and consumer goods up 17%, while automotive OEM orders fell 25% against the first half of 2025. Non-automotive customers accounted for 56% of units ordered in the quarter, and 2,774 collaborative robots worth $114 million made up 15.4% of first-half units.

What it means Revenue rising five times faster than units means buyers are moving up-market per robot rather than simply buying more of them, and the automotive OEM decline against 56% non-automotive share is the clearest sign yet that robotics demand has decoupled from the car industry.