North American Robot Orders Jump 24.8% in Q3 to 10,989 Units

North American companies ordered 10,989 robots in the third quarter, up 24.8% year over year, according to data released this week by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). The orders were worth $723.5 million, a 26.1% increase over the same period last year.

It was the strongest quarter of the year for robot demand. Manufacturers across semiconductor, biopharmaceutical and metals sectors posted what A3 called "substantial increases" as capital flowed into U.S. facility automation and expansion projects. Manufacturing activity improved over the summer despite input cost and trade headwinds.

"What stands out in the third quarter is not simply the magnitude of the growth, but how broadly it was distributed across the market," Alex Shikany, A3's executive vice president, said in a statement.

Which industries drove the orders?

Semiconductor and electronics led all sectors with 97.6% growth versus last year. Automotive components followed at 90.4%, then plastics and rubber at 67.7%. Life sciences gained 38.7% and metals 37%.

Automotive OEMs — the carmakers themselves — increased robot purchases by 7.5%. That's a turnaround worth noting: OEM robot orders fell 25% during the first half of 2026 before recovering in Q3. Not every sector participated. Food and consumer goods purchases declined 23.7%.

The industries buying robots hardest are largely the same ones touched by federal policies that unlocked project funding or pushed companies to reshore manufacturing to the United States. The CHIPS and Science Act (the 2022 law funding domestic chip fabs) and rising demand for weight-loss drug production are driving much of the recent robotics investment, Alex Coleman, a principal analyst at A3, said on the Business of Automation podcast Friday.

"If you've looked at any of the headlines in the last year, or the last six months and have read a story, any story, about the U.S. economy, it's really being captured in automation here," Coleman said.

What about collaborative robots?

Collaborative robots — cobots, industrial robotic arms that work alongside humans without caged enclosures — grew 56% year over year and made up 16.7% of all units purchased in Q3. Orders reached 1,831 units valued at $63.8 million.

The cobot share runs even higher in specific sectors. Through the first nine months of 2026, cobots accounted for 43.8% of life sciences robot orders and 36.9% of semiconductor and electronics orders.

One caveat on scope: A3's data cover industrial robots only. They exclude automated mobile robots and humanoids, a spokesperson confirmed by email Friday. So the headline growth number understates total automation spending if you count warehouse mobility platforms or emerging humanoid pilots.

What does this change for plant planners?

For manufacturing engineers and purchasing teams, the Q3 numbers signal two things. First, lead times matter again — a quarter this broadly distributed across sectors puts pressure on integrators and robot makers' build slots, so capital equipment budgets locked for 2027 should factor in demand from chip fabs and pharma expansion. Second, the automotive recovery is real but modest: a 7.5% OEM gain after a 25% first-half decline means component suppliers (up 90.4%) are the ones driving auto-related automation spend, likely tied to EV and drivetrain retooling programs.

What to watch next: whether the automotive OEM rebound holds through Q4, whether cobots sustain their faster-than-market growth rate, and how CHIPS Act-funded fab construction converts from robot orders into installed capacity through 2027.