Collaborative Manufacturing Robots Market - By Payload, By Component, By Mobility, By Application, By End Use, Forecast 2025 – 2034

Collaborative Manufacturing Robots Market Size

The global collaborative manufacturing robots market size was valued at USD 121.7 million in 2024. The market is expected to grow from USD 133.9 million in 2025 to USD 329.1 million in 2034, at a CAGR of 10.5%. The market of collaborative manufacturing robots is witnessing intense growth with the increasing incorporation of automation in businesses. The demand for collaborative robots (cobots) is because of their capability to increase productivity as well as enhance workplace safety — working side by side with humans.
 

According to International Federation of Robotics (IFR), the global operational stock of industrial robots reached 4.2 million units in 2023, with cobots accounting for a considerable share. The automotive, electronics, and health care markets have started using cobots to improve operational efficacy and cots, enhance accuracy, and decrease manual intervention. In addition, government policies supporting Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing are accelerating the growth of the market. The Horizon 2020 program of the European Union supported robotics research and development with considerable funding, resulting in innovative advancements in collaborative robotics.
 

The growing demand for automation solutions, which are flexible and scalable, provides another growth impetus for the business. SMEs (Small and Medium sized Enterprises) have limited resources, and therefore, cost-effective programmable cobots are within their reach. The US Department of Commerce notes that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for close to 44% of the U.S. GDP. Their adoption of cobots is likely to increase as they try to stay relevant in a fast-paced economy. In addition, the rising capability of other technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are allowing for even more complex tasks to be completed by cobots, hence increasing productivity across sectors.
 

Collaborative Manufacturing Robots Market Trends

• The application of AI and IoT in the domain of cobots is helping to automate complex processes more competently. For example, AI-powered cobots are able to evaluate data in real-time, thus improving the decision-making and operational efficiency during the task.
   
• Different governments across the globe are adopting automation policies. An example is China’s “Made in China 2025” plan, which promotes the use of advanced manufacturing technology like cobots to enhance industrial productivity. The establishment of safety standards like ISO/TS 15066 offers guidelines for the safe functioning of cobots in collaborative environments. These standards enhance acceptance because they guarantee that human workers can share workspaces safely with robots.
   
• Cobots come equipped with sophisticated safety elements like force-limiting sensors to guarantee safe human-robot interaction. OSHA in the United States is particularly noted for highlighting the injury mitigating capabilities of cobots.
   
• Cobots are becoming more popular in the healthcare industry to help with surgeries and rehabilitation procedures.
   

Trump Administration Tariffs

• The global collaborative manufacturing robots market was greatly impacted by the tariff policies of the Trump administration, especially those concerning the Chinese imports. Numerous crucial parts for cobots, including sensors, controllers, and precision gearboxes faced tariff restrictions. Increased input costs of manufacturing incomplete products forced some U.S and international businesses to either reevaluate their outsourcing policies or sink higher production costs. This change, in turn, reduced profit margins while increasing the prices for end-users.
   
• The primary goal of these tariff was to protect and stimulate local manufacturing. Unfortunately, however, these tariffs negatively impacted the global supply chain distributed. These suspended components from Chinese companies controlled the manufacturers who used them sales. Due to these delays and increased prices, industries dominating the automotive , logistics and electronics verticals faced a slowdown. Companies also tried to solve this problem by relocating their production overseas and sourcing parts from other countries. Although these approaches could boost the U.S. economy long term, they do require substantial capital and time to shift the market and postpone their resourceful expansion and innovation cycles which slow growth in the short term.
   
• Even within the context of these challenges, tariffs accelerated the adoption of automation in the U.S. businesses facing higher costs of labor and materials increasingly relied on cobots to improve efficiency and remain competitive within the market. Nevertheless, the lack of clarity regarding trade policies complicated planning which emphasized the need for stable, proactively developed policies that foster innovation and domestic investment in the automation industry.
   

Collaborative Manufacturing Robots Market Analysis

Based on payload, the market is segmented into up to 5 kg, 5-10 kg, 10-25 kg, and more than 25 kg. The up to 5 kg segment accounted for revenue of around USD 46.4 million in the year 2024 and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of around 9.6% from 2025 to 2034.
 

• Industries demanding accuracy and precision employ collaborative robots with payloads of up to 5 kg. These cobots are especially in demand in the electronics and pharmaceutical manufacturing sectors.
   
• These Cobots are most popular with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for cost-effective automation. Their small form factor allows for easy integration within congested workflows which is a boon for space constrained environments.
   
• Cobots with lift capacities up to 5 kg are highly sought after for lightweight tasks like assembly, pick-and-place operations, and testing because of the versatility offered.
   

Based on application, the collaborative manufacturing robots market is classified into material handling, assembling & dissembling, welding & soldering, dispensing, processing, and others. Material handling dominated the market in 2024, with share of 41.5%, and is expected to reach USD 144.8 million by 2034.
 

• Material handling is one of the largest application segments for cobots, driven by the need for efficient and accurate handling of goods in industries like logistics and warehousing.
   
• The value of the Automated Material Handling Equipment Market stands at USD 67.5 billion as of 2023 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of more than 7% from 2024 to 2032. The adoption of cobots in material handling improves operational productivity and decreases manual handling injuries in the workplace.
   
• Cobots are beneficial for picking, placing, and palletizing, lessening human load and errors.
   

Based on end-user, the market is classified into large enterprises, small & medium enterprises (SMEs). In 2024, large enterprises segment held a significant share of the market and is expected to maintain its position during the forecast period.
 

• These large enterprises are the first to implement cobots because of these businesses’ needs to expand and optimize productivity.
   
• For instance, Melecs EWS of Austria was able to improve the engraved board assembly packaging workflow by 25% using a UR5 cobot with a custom gripper for packaging.
   
• These enterprises adopt cobots to improve cost-efficiency, operational efficiency, and gain strategic advantage over competitors.
   

The U.S. plays a significant role in the global collaborative manufacturing robots market with a revenue of around 27.3 million in 2024 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 11.4% in the forecasted years. The region dominance is due to by its robust construction industry.
 

• One of the leading markets for cobots and fully automated technologies is the United States due to high adoption of automation in the country. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the use of industrial robots in American factories has grown by 35% in the last five years.
   
• The adoption of collaborative robots (cobots) has surged due to China’s “Made in China 2025” initiative. Additionally, China was the largest market for industrial robots for the past decade, accounting for over 50% of global installations in 2022 per the IFR.
   
• Germany’s focus on Industry 4.0 and strong manufacturing base has fueled cobot adoption. Germany is among the world’s top five adopters and has the largest share of cobot adoption in the EU at 36%.
   
• The Vision 2030 initiative adopted by the Saudi government is encouraging cobot adoption across multiple sectors. The Saudi Industrial Development Fund has also financed many projects revolving around robotics, including collaborative robots.
   

Collaborative Manufacturing Robots Market Share

• The global collaborative manufacturing robots industry is moderately fragmented, with Top 5 players, such as Universal Robots A/S, ABB, FANUC America Corporation, KUKA AG, and Yaskawa America, Inc., holding a market share of 60-65%.
   
• Universal Robots A/S: Universal Robots focuses on designing easy-to-use cobots with sophisticated safety mechanisms. They also sponsor industry events, allowing the company to maintain a strong market presence through innovative partnerships.
   
• ABB: ABB has designed customized systems to enhance efficiency and productivity. With an extensive network around the world, ABB dominates the market for automated specialized cobots.
   
• FANUC America Corporation: FANUC adopts a different approach by focusing on R&D needed for the manufacturing of high-performance cobots, spendings more on developing fully automated industrial robot work cells.
   
• KUKA AG: KUKA has a reputation for tailoring products to specific industry needs, making them more relevant to their customers, which makes KUKA more competitive in the market.
   
• Yaskawa America, Inc.: Yaskawa's integration of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things into business collaboratives enhances technology features and increases market growth.
   

Collaborative Manufacturing Robots Market Companies

Major players operating in the collaborative manufacturing robots industry include:

• ABB Robotics
• AUBO Robotics
• Doosan Robotics
• FANUC Corporation
• KUKA Robotics
• Rethink Robotics
• Stäubli Robotics
• Techman Robot
• Universal Robots
• Yaskawa Electric Corporation
   

Market leaders in the area of collaborative manufacturing robots are employing strategies like product innovation, strategic collaborations, partnerships, and new area or region penetration to consolidate their standing towards the market. An example is Universal Robots that now offer cobots with advanced safety measures and easy to program interfaces for various sectors.
 

Another broad strategy focuses on spending for advanced technology development in the area of cobots. ABB, for example, is spending heavily on research and has recently introduced more precise and efficient cobots. Also, there is a trend for forming alliances with system integrators and end users to widen market presence and provide targeted offerings.
 

FANUC sells two different series of collaborative robots, the CR series and the CRX series. These series address many industrial applications with different payloads and reach. FANUC first introduced the CR series with the CR-35iA, which was the first collaborative robot to have a high payload capacity. Since then, FANUC has added several models to this series to accommodate many uses.
 

Collaborative Manufacturing Robots Industry News

• In September 2024, ABB Robotics (ABB Group) introduced the Ultra Accuracy feature for GoFa collaborative robots. It is the first cobot on the market to achieve over ten times greater accuracy than other cobots with 0.03 mm accuracy. Ultra Accuracy also resolves the imbalance in precision requirement in electronics, automotive, aerospace, and metal machining industries where critical spatial orientation is a prerequisite for ensuring quality standards.
   
• In July 2024, KUKA introduced the “LBR iisy,” a collaborative robot aimed at users completely new to robotics. This robot is designed to be user-friendly, allowing non-technical users to unbox and set up the robot within minutes.
   
• In March 2024, Schneider Electric presented the collaborative robotics line Lexium RL 3 and RL 12 models at MODEX 2024, while Lexium RL 18 is expected to be released later in 2024. These robots incorporate super-fast motion capabilities and control greater than 130 axes per one processor, solving issues of flexibility and environmental sustainability of production systems for manufacturers.
   
• In March 2024, Yaskawa America, Inc. released the collaborative robot MOTOMAN HC30XP. Its features include servicing harsh environments with IP67 water resistance as well as Explosive-environment approval, enabling secure and effective human-robot collaboration in dangerous areas. This step facilitates automation in dangerous industrial environments.
   

The Collaborative manufacturing robots market research report includes in-depth coverage of the industry, with estimates & forecast in terms of revenue (USD Billion) and volume (Thousand Units) from 2021 to 2034, for the following segments:

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Market, By Payload

• Up to 5 kg
• 5-10 kg
• 10-25 kg
• More than 25 kg

Market, By Component

• Hardware
• Software

Market, By Mobility

• Stationary
• Mobile

Market, By End Use

• Large enterprises
• Small & medium enterprises (SME)

Market, By Application

• Material handling
• Assembling & dissembling
• Welding & soldering
• Dispensing
• Processing
• Others

The above information is provided for the following regions and countries:

• North America
  • U.S.
  • Canada
• Europe
  • Germany
  • UK
  • France
  • Italy
  • Spain
• Asia Pacific
  • China
  • Japan
  • India
  • South Korea
  • Australia 
• Latin America
  • Brazil
  • Mexico 
• MEA
  • Saudi Arabia
  • UAE
  • South Africa