North American companies ordered 10,989 robots worth $723.5 million in the third quarter of 2026, according to the A3. Orders rose 24.8% in volume, with strong contributions from automotive suppliers and cobots.
The North American industrial robotics market recorded its strongest quarter of 2026, according to data from the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). Between July and September, the value of orders rose 26.1% compared with the same period in 2025. The increase follows a first half of the year in which orders from carmakers declined.
Nearly 29,000 robots ordered in the first nine months of 2026
According to the A3, North American companies ordered 28,984 robots worth about $1.89 billion between January and September 2026. That is an increase of 9.6% in units and 13.3% in order value compared with the first nine months of 2025.
Third-quarter growth spanned several industrial sectors, including automotive components, semiconductors, electronics and life sciences. This diversification comes alongside investment in semiconductor manufacturing in the United States and in domestic pharmaceutical production.
Robot orders from automotive component suppliers up 90.4%
Automotive components posted one of the strongest increases of the quarter. According to the A3, robot orders from suppliers specialising in components rose 90.4% compared with the third quarter of 2025.
Carmakers, grouped under the Automotive OEM category, also returned to positive year-on-year order growth, at 7.5% for the quarter. Over the first nine months of 2026, however, their orders remain 17% below the same period of 2025.
Other industries, grouped by the A3 under the All Other Industries category, recorded a slight 0.5% increase in the number of robots ordered. By contrast, the food and consumer goods sector posted a 23.7% decline.
For Alex Shikany, executive vice president of the A3, this trend reflects a broader distribution of demand across industries and robotic applications, beyond carmakers.
Collaborative robots account for 16.7% of quarterly orders
Collaborative robots, also known as cobots, saw particularly strong growth. According to the A3, 1,831 cobots were ordered in the third quarter of 2026, worth $63.8 million.
The number of cobots ordered rose by about 56% compared with the third quarter of 2025. They accounted for 16.7% of all robots ordered during the period.
Over the first nine months of 2026, the A3 counted 4,605 collaborative robots ordered, worth about $178 million. Cobots made up 15.9% of total robot order volume and 9.4% of its value.
Their share varies widely by sector. Between January and September 2026, collaborative robots accounted for:
- 43.8% of robot orders in life sciences, pharmaceuticals and biomedical activities, according to the A3.
- 36.9% of robot orders in semiconductors, electronics and photonics, according to the A3.
These figures show the role of cobots in industrial activities other than automotive production.
Manufacturing recovery supports robot order growth
The growth of the robotics market comes as North American manufacturing activity improves. The ISM Manufacturing PMI for September 2026 stood at 54.5, marking a ninth consecutive month of manufacturing expansion according to this indicator.
Meanwhile, US Federal Reserve data show a 0.3% increase in manufacturing output in September 2026.
For the end of 2026, robot orders will depend in particular on input costs, trade uncertainty and the timing of major industrial projects. These factors could affect the pace of automation investment in the fourth quarter.