VDMA Report: German robotics and automation sector expects 5 percent downturn in 2019
VDMA報告：德國機器人和自動化行業預計2019年將下跌5％

November 25, 2019–The German robotics and automation sector cannot escape the economic slowdown in the mechanical engineering industry: For 2019, the industry expects sales to fall by 5 percent to 14.3 billion euros. "An initially high order backlog was largely reduced in the course of the year, and the autumn upturn familiar from previous years failed to materialize. After a decade of sales records, our innovation and growth sector is now also facing a significant damper due to the difficult global economic situation," says Wilfried Eberhardt, Chairman of VDMA Robotics + Automation and Chief Marketing Officer of KUKA AG.

2019年11月25日——德國機器人和自動化行業無法逃脫機械工程行業的經濟放緩：2019年，該行業預計銷售額將下降5％至143億歐元。“最初積壓的大量訂單在這一年大幅減少，而往年常見的秋季回升并未實現。在十年的銷售記錄之后，由于全球經濟形勢嚴峻，我們的創新和增長部門現在也面臨著巨大的阻力，”VDMA機器人技術及自動化協會主席、庫卡公司首席營銷官Wilfried Eberhardt說道。

In 2019, this development will affect all sub-sectors of robotics and automation. For machine vision, a 7 percent decline in industry sales is expected. The largest sub-sector, Integrated Assembly Solutions, is expecting a decline of 5 percent. Robotics is currently forecasting a minus of 3 percent.

在2019年，這一態勢將影響機器人和自動化的所有子行業。對于機器視覺，預計行業銷售將下降7％。最大的子行業集成裝配解決方案預計將下降5％。機器人技術公司目前預測為負3%。

The reasons for this downturn are a global economy that is losing momentum and saturation effects in important markets. For example, worldwide sales of smartphones are stagnating, which is also having an impact on investment in machinery. In addition, the current uncertainty in many customer industries is causing a reluctance to invest. The uncertainties resulting from the transformation of the automotive industry and the increasing number of trade disputes are having a particularly strong impact here. As a turnaround is not yet in sight, VDMA Robotics + Automation is forecasting a further decline in its sector turnover of 10 percent for 2020.

此次衰退的原因是全球經濟在重要市場失去勢頭和出現飽和效應。例如，智能手機的全球銷售停滯不前，這也對機械投資產生了影響。此外，當前許多客戶行業的不確定性導致人們不愿進行投資。尤其是汽車行業轉型帶來的不確定性和日益增多的貿易爭端帶來了特別強烈的影響。由于還看不到好轉的跡象，VDMA機器人及自動化協會預測2020年該行業營收將進一步下降10%。

"As a key technology for optimizing production and guaranteeing high quality and sustainability standards, robotics and automation will continue to play a central role in the future and return to its growth course in the medium term," emphasizes Patrick Schwarzkopf, Managing Director of the VDMA Robotics + Automation Association.

VDMA機器人及自動化協會董事總經理Patrick Schwarzkopf強調：“作為優化生產并確保高質量和可持續性標準的關鍵技術，機器人和自動化技術將在未來繼續發揮核心作用，并在中期重返增長軌道。”