North American companies ordered 10,989 robots valued at $723.5 million in the third quarter of 2026, according to new data released by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3).
Orders increased 24.8 percent in units and 26.1 percent in value compared to the third quarter of 2025, making it the strongest quarter of the year so far.
The third-quarter gains pushed total orders for the first nine months of 2026 to 28,984 robots valued at approximately $1.89 billion, representing increases of 9.6 percent in units and 13.3 percent in value over the same period last year.
Automotive OEM returns to growth as orders strengthen across industries
After declining during the first half of 2026, Automotive OEM robot orders returned to positive year-over-year growth in the third quarter, increasing 7.5 percent.
Automotive Component orders climbed 90.4 percent, continuing the strong demand from suppliers seen earlier in the year.
Several other industries recorded substantial increases in robot orders during Q3:
- Semi & Electronics/Photonics: +97.6 percent units
- Plastics & Rubber: +67.7 percent units
- Life Sciences/Pharma/Biomed: +38.7 percent units
- Metals: +37 percent units
All Other Industries increased 0.5 percent in units ordered, while Food & Consumer Goods declined 23.7 percent.
The growth in the Semi & Electronics/Photonics segment comes against a backdrop of continued investment in US semiconductor manufacturing and strong demand for electronics supporting AI and other applications. Life sciences has also seen continued investment in domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing among others.
Automotive Component orders have remained particularly strong despite earlier weakness among Automotive OEMs. While OEM orders improved in Q3, they remained 17 percent below their year-earlier level through the first nine months of 2026.
“What stands out in the third quarter is not simply the magnitude of the growth, but how broadly it was distributed across the market,” said Alex Shikany, executive vice president at A3.
“Automotive OEM orders returned to positive growth, while Automotive Components and sectors such as semiconductors/electronics and life sciences posted significant gains. That broader mix is important because it points to a robotics market that is becoming increasingly diversified across industries and applications.”
Collaborative robot orders increase 56 percent
Collaborative robots also posted a strong third quarter, with 1,831 units valued at $63.8 million ordered, an increase of approximately 56 percent in units compared to Q3 2025. Collaborative robots accounted for 16.7 percent of all robot units ordered during the quarter.
Through September, North American companies ordered 4,605 collaborative robots valued at approximately $178 million, representing 15.9 percent of total robot units and 9.4 percent of order value.
Collaborative robots continue to be used across a wide range of applications and industries. In the first nine months of 2026, cobots accounted for 43.8 percent of robot orders in LifeSciences/Pharma/Biomed and 36.9 percent in Semi & Electronics/Photonics.
Manufacturing activity remains in expansion
The stronger robot order numbers come alongside improving manufacturing activity. The September ISM Manufacturing PMI registered 54.5, marking a ninth consecutive month of expansion, while Federal Reserve data showed manufacturing output increasing 0.3 percent in September.
Higher input costs, trade uncertainty and the timing of large manufacturing projects remain factors to watch. But with robot orders strengthening across several industries, the North American market enters the final quarter of 2026 with positive momentum.
