{
  "id": 1767437,
  "title": "Robot Orders Surge to $622 Million as Earnings Follow",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/robot-orders-surge-to-622-million-as-earnings-follow",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-18T18:14:27.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PYMNTS",
    "slug": "pymnts",
    "url": "https://www.pymnts.com/news/artificial-intelligence/2026/robot-orders-surge-to-622-million-as-earnings-follow/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "American companies are spending more on robots, with manufacturers seeing significant increases in revenue. North American businesses ordered 8,940 robots worth $622 million in the second quarter, marking a 4.3% increase in units and a 21.3% rise in revenue compared to the previous year, according to the Association for Advancing Automation. The growth in order value is nearly five times faster than the increase in order volume, indicating that companies are not just purchasing more robots but also paying more per robot and investing in more advanced machines.\n\nTeradyne, a company that manufactures machines testing computer chips and owns Universal Robots, which builds robotic arms, reported a 104% year-over-year increase in revenue, reaching $1.33 billion. For the first time, robotics contributed $100 million to Teradyne's earnings, driven by increased purchases from factories and electronics manufacturers. Electronics manufacturers and chipmakers have now surpassed the auto industry as Teradyne's largest robotics customer, according to Tech Times.\n\nABB, which provides electrical equipment and control systems for factories and buildings, reported record orders of $12 billion in the second quarter, a 28% increase from the previous year. Orders for ABB's electrification equipment surged 58%, while orders for data center-related equipment grew even more rapidly. ABB's CEO, Morten Wierod, attributed this success to the company's strategic focus on electrification and automation.\n\nThe demand for robotics is also spreading to smaller suppliers. Fuji Corporation, a Japanese manufacturer of machines for electronics assembly, saw a 96.6% increase in orders, with robotic equipment demand up 104%. Similarly, THK, a Japanese company specializing in precision mechanical parts for automated machinery, reported a 32.4% increase in first-half revenue and a 270% rise in operating income, driven by stronger sales of its components for AI-related manufacturing. THK's management linked these gains directly to the surge in AI-driven purchasing and raised its full-year forecast accordingly.\n\nThis significant investment in robotics is drawing regulatory attention. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) added foreign-made power inverters and new models of advanced robots, including humanoid and four-legged robots, to a restricted equipment list on July 28, citing national security concerns. This restriction blocks new foreign-made robot models from receiving the necessary authorization to be imported, marketed, or sold in the U.S., while existing authorized models remain unaffected. The FCC's move places the purchasing trend in the same regulatory category as foreign-made drones and routers, signaling that the extent of American companies' robot purchases is now a policy issue, not just a business decision.",
  "summary": "American businesses are spending more on robots, and the companies building them are reaping the rewards. North American companies ordered 8,940 robots worth $622 million in the second quarter, up 4.3% in units and 21.3% in revenue from a year earlier, according to the Association for Advancing Automation. Order value is growing nearly five times […] The post Robot Orders Surge to $622 Million as…",
  "key_points": [
    "American companies spent $622 million on 8,940 robots in Q2, a 21.3% revenue increase.",
    "ABB reported record $12B orders, 28% increase, driven by electrification and automation focus."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}