More than 4.7 million industrial robots are at work in manufacturing facilities across the globe. Together, they form a vast and diverse workforce: robotic arms weld car frames, autonomous mobile robots move parts across warehouses, high-speed pick-and-place systems sort products, and collaborative robots team up with humans to handle demanding jobs.
In many factories, robots have become as essential as human workers, and their presence is only growing.
In 2024, manufacturers deployed 542,000 new robots, more than double the amount installed a decade ago.
Familiar pressures and new innovations are fueling this surge. The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) points to five main trends shaping the robotics sector: addressing labor shortages, sustainability, artificial intelligence, humanoids and new fields of business such as Robot-as-a-Service. These forces are all unfolding right now on factory floors, in investment strategies and across global supply chains.
Dassault Systèmes brings a unique perspective to all of this. With decades of industry knowhow and our suite of advanced digital solutions, we work alongside our customers to determine where robots deliver the most value and how to integrate them seamlessly into existing production lines. So what does that look like in practice? Let’s break down each of the five IFR trends and what they mean for the factories of today and tomorrow:
1. Industrial robots tackling labor shortages in manufacturing
Factories everywhere are struggling with labor shortages. Aging populations, regional skills gaps and shifting expectations mean some production lines simply can’t be staffed. Nearly 60% of manufacturers said the inability to attract and retain employees is their top concern. Deloitte estimates that 1.9 million manufacturing jobs could go unfilled over the next decade if talent challenges persist.
In many cases, then, robots are taking on vacant jobs rather than displacing people. Mobile and collaborative robots already inspect products, perform tasks like hazardous painting and handle heavy lifting – all roles that are difficult, unsafe or undesirable for humans. With these jobs taken care of, workers can then move to safer, more skilled and rewarding work.
Digital solutions helps manufacturers navigate this change. By training in simulated environments employees can prepare to work alongside robots safely and confidently, while virtual twin capabilities allow companies to model different workforce scenarios and plan the right balance of human and robotic resources.
2. Robotics drives sustainability and energy efficiency
Manufacturing is responsible for around one-fifth of global carbon emissions, making sustainability a baseline requirement for how factories operate.
Robotics has an important role to play. Automation brings greater stability to production processes, improving yields and reducing rejects to keep waste to a minimum. Smarter systems also optimize energy consumption on the line while supporting more localized, flexible production models that cut transport emissions and strengthen regional economies.
Robots themselves are also becoming greener. Lightweight designs, smart power management and innovations such as bio-inspired components all help to boost efficiency without compromising performance.
Dassault Systèmes supports these design trade-offs with precision. Lifecycle assessment capabilities in the 3DEXPERIENCE platform make it possible to measure the carbon impact of different design choices, while simulation and virtual twins allow engineers to explore countless design alternatives and scenarios before committing to physical prototypes.
3. Artificial intelligence goes from programming to learning
Industrial robots used to do exactly what they were programmed to do and nothing more. Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing that, giving machines the ability to learn, adapt and refine their actions in real time.
Some robots now interpret sensor data to catch defects, adjust to tackle bottlenecks or optimize repetitive tasks. Others run thousands of scenarios in a virtual environment before beginning a job. Generative AI takes it further, helping engineers explore workflows that robots could later improve on their own.
The results are promising.
AI-powered predictive maintenance can reduce costs by 10 to 40% and cut downtime by 20 to 50%, according to PwC. In practice, that means fewer interruptions, faster output and millions of euros saved.
However, AI only delivers value when deployed safely and reliably. Dassault Systèmes bridges this gap. With DELMIA, every robot task can be simulated and validated virtually before implementation. Factory layouts, logistics flows and human-robot interactions can all be tested in advance, so when AI-powered robots hit the floor, they’re ready for real-world complexity.
4. Practical applications take humanoid robots beyond hype
Headlines frequently portray humanoids as futuristic general-purpose helpers in homes, hospitals and more, yet in industry, their role is far more targeted. According to IFR, the potential of these human-like robots is being explored in different ways by different regions.
In North America, humanoids are being deployed in logistics and manufacturing, handling material transport, parts delivery or basic assembly. China is testing service roles like customer support while preparing to scale for industrial use. Japan is integrating humanoids into social and care settings. And Europe is more focused on collaborative, human-centric designs that enhance safety and efficiency.
In all cases, the aim is to augment, not replace, human workers by taking on repetitive, strenuous or hazardous tasks. Dassault Systèmes helps companies assess where humanoids make sense. By simulating human-robot collaboration, manufacturers can evaluate ergonomics, safety and efficiency before deployment. Virtual environments also reveal how humanoids fit into existing workflows to make sure they add value without causing disruption.
5. Robot-as-a-service and new robotics roles
Robotics is expanding well beyond large manufacturing facilities. Warehouses, hospitals, farms and construction sites are all adopting automation to boost safety and efficiency.
A big enabler is the Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS) model. Through RaaS, businesses subscribe to robotic capabilities tailored to their needs and scale up as and when required. For smaller companies, RaaS opens up opportunities to embrace advanced automation without a high upfront investment. For larger organizations, it makes experimentation with new tasks more viable.
Here too, virtual twin technology is essential. By capturing and analyzing real-world data, companies can model workflows, optimize performance and adjust quickly to change. And these insights can be applied to all manner of scenarios such as large distribution hubs, agricultural fields or research labs to make sure that teams adapt to work alongside robots and they deliver meaningful value.
Making robotics work for your business
The next wave of robotics will come down to our ability to design ecosystems where humans, robots and data work together. McKinsey likens it to introducing a new species into a facility. Because of this, in many cases, adoption will be staged, starting with proven platforms like autonomous vehicles, drones and collaborative arms before moving to more complex systems like humanoids.
Dassault Systèmes is here to make that transformation possible. Our powerful digital capabilities allow companies to design, simulate and optimize robotics solutions before they ever reach the floor, and manage them throughout their lifecycle. This helps to build a foundation for acceptance, return on investment and, ultimately, scale.
Discover here how virtual simulation can transform your robotics strategy.
Industrial Equipment Industry Sales Strategy Expert, Dassault Systèmes