A3 reported 8,806 robots ordered in North America worth $574 million, up 11.6% in units and 17.2% in revenue year over year.
Following a year-over-year decline in 2024 and slower growth in the first half of 2025, North American robot orders rose in Q3 2025, according to the Association for Advancing Automation, or A3.
Third-quarter orders totaled 8,806 robots valued at $574 million, an 11.6% increase in units and a 17.2% rise in revenue compared with the same period in 2024. In the first half of 2025, robot orders increased 4.3% and revenue rose 7.5% from the same period last year.
A3 is an automation industry association focused on advancing automation adoption. Based in Ann Arbor, Mich., it has more than 1,400 member organization, including manufacturers, component suppliers, system integrators, end users, academic institutions, research groups and consulting firms.
Automotive and consumer goods drive quarterly gains
A3 said key growth sectors in Q3 included food and consumer goods, up 105% year over year, and automotive OEMs, up 68%. Metals rose 11% and all other industries increased 8%, supporting gains across multiple sectors during the quarter.
By contrast, automotive component orders declined 25%, and plastics and rubber fell 35%, which A3 attributed to sector-specific capital spending slowdowns.
Non-automotive sectors accounted for 59% of all robots ordered in 3Q 2025, according to the latest data. A3 said the share aligns with higher order volumes in food and consumer goods, metals and general manufacturing.
“These gains highlight a broader shift as manufacturers across diverse sectors turn to automation to enhance productivity as well as address labor shortages, reshoring pressures, and changing customer demands,” the organization said.
“We’re seeing growth continuing in newer industries, which is encouraging,” Jeff Burnstein, president of A3, told The Robot Report. “That balances out the drop-offs in industries like automotive.”
Cobot market expands
A3 began reporting force- and power-limited robot volumes earlier this year. In Q3 2025, companies ordered 1,174 collaborative robots valued at $42 million, accounting for 13.3% of total units and 7.2% of total revenue.
Through the first nine months of 2025, companies ordered 4,259 cobots valued at $156 million, representing 16.1% of units and 9.4% of total revenue, A3 said. The association said it plans to add growth rates and sector-specific trends to future reporting.
Q3 performance picks up year-to-date totals
In January-September 2025, North American companies ordered 26,441 robots valued at $1.7 billion, up 6.6% in units and 10.6% in revenue from the same period in 2024.
“It’s encouraging to see robotics demand improve over last year, with more automation projects steadily returning to the pipeline,” stated Alex Shikany, executive vice president at A3. “The market has experienced a substantial amount of economic and policy uncertainty this year, and it’s been a challenging environment for capital investment, but there is upside.”
“We’re seeing sustained interest from companies across the region, with attendance rising at events like Automate, and more leaders are exploring automation as a long-term strategy to strengthen their operations,” he added. “That enthusiasm is now starting to show up in the order data, particularly across general industry sectors. As industrial production improves into 2026 and supply chains stabilize, we expect automation to remain a strategic priority for manufacturers looking to compete, build resilience, and address persistent workforce pressures.”
A3 said additional information is available to member companies through the A3 Vault and its MI+ subscription market intelligence platform. The association also organizes events, including the A3 Business Forum in January in Orlando, Florida and Automate in June in Chicago.
This Control Engineering article originally appeared on another WTWH Media publication, The Robot Report on November 19, 2025.
Edited by Puja Mitra, WTWH Media, for Control Engineering
