Kickstart: Is a drop in robot sales just a glitch?

Sales of robots dropped in North America in 2023, but that may not be a sign that manufacturers are abandoning automation. Instead, executives with robot makers and the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) say the underlying case for investments in robots remains strong.

Simply put, it's hard to find qualified workers for the factory floor and robots help ease the demand for human laborers. In addition, while the auto industry may have scaled back on purchases in 2023, other end markets are discovering the value in automation, Jeff Burnstein, president of Ann Arbor, Mich.-based A3, said.

"There's little doubt that orders will increase from all nonautomotive industries as they recognize how robots can help them overcome their unique challenges," Burnstein said in a Feb. 12 news release.

Robot sales in North America dropped 30 percent in 2023, A3 said, as companies purchased 31,159 robots in 2023 vs. 44,196 in 2022 and 29,708 in 2021. The group says some of those 2022 record sales were due to companies "over-purchasing" due to fears of supply chain problems.

Those big buys in 2022 then left companies with equipment on hand but not enough people or expertise to bring the robots online, Lou Finazzo, vice president of automotive at robot supplier Fanuc Corp., told our sister paper Crain's Detroit Business.

For its part, A3 says increased purchasing in the final weeks of 2023 indicates sales will pick up again in 2024.

Injection molding machine maker Husky Technologies is trying to rally plastics industry involvement in public policy discussions.

PN's Jim Johnson writes from The Packaging Conference in Austin, Texas, that Husky executive Steve Koenig says the company learned the value of participation when federal leaders in Canada moved to have plastics declared "toxic" in 2021. While the courts later overturned that decision, it was a clear sign to Husky to pay attention to discussions.

The big push now is for businesses from the plastics industry — not just trade groups — to participate in discussions related to the United Nations' plastics treaty talks. "We need to be present," he said.

If you want an alternative to flowers for Valentine's Day, then how about something more sustainable like a plant?

Sierra, the magazine of The Sierra Club, lists houseplants as a top plastic-free sustainable alternative for Valentine's Day gifts in 2024, noting you can watch them grow and bloom and keep them for far longer.

Most houseplants, of course, come in plastic planters, which Sierra Club would prefer shoppers avoid or at least reuse and recycle. Planter makers, however, note they are already working to make greener containers.

Twinsburg, Ohio-based HC Cos., which uses injection molding, blow molding and thermoforming to make its planters and nursery supplies, has set a goal of using at 10 percent post-consumer content in all of its consumer planters in 2024. In 2023, more than 50 percent of the plastic it purchased came from recycled materials, with 7 percent coming from post-consumer sources.