Robots and cobots are becoming an essential part of industry transformation. Production automation is ceasing to be a mere technological trend, and is increasingly becoming a strategic direction for companies. In order to properly assess the potential of these solutions, it is worth sorting out the basic definitions, looking at current statistics and seeing how Poland compares to the global robotization market.
The following article is based on data and analysis of robot and cobot applications in industry.
An industrial robot is a device that carries out the production process automatically and autonomously. Most often, it works in a separate safety zone, and its main purpose is to increase the efficiency and safety of the implemented operations, as well as to take over repetitive tasks.
A cobot, or collaborative robot, is designed to work alongside humans. It is typically characterized by slower movement and less technical features, allowing it to take over selected tasks without fully separating the workstation.
Robots are more often responsible for fully automating the process, while cobots support operators and complement their activities.
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Although the development of robotic technology covers many areas, data from the industrial market shows a clear dominance of specific types of applications.
The largest share is:
It follows that robots and cobots are primarily used in repetitive tasks that require physical strength or high precision.
According to data for 2024, there are about 26,000 industrial robots in operation in Poland.
While this number may seem significant, in relation to the size of the economy and the country’s population, the level of robotization remains relatively low. In addition, a decline in deployment dynamics is observed:
These figures indicate that the Polish market for robots and cobots is still in the development stage and has great potential for growth.
One of the most widely used benchmarks is the number of robots per 10,000 industrial workers. This is a metric that allows you to assess the actual level of automation in manufacturing.
Against the backdrop of technology leaders in the CEE region, Poland performs relatively poorly, which shows the scale of the challenges of industrial transformation.
Lower levels of robotization can affect productivity, production costs and the ability of companies to compete in international markets.
Initially, robotization was seen mainly as a way to replace human labor. Return on investment was calculated primarily on the basis of increased productivity and increased production volume.
Today, this approach is evolving. Robots and cobots are increasingly playing the role of tools for stabilizing production processes, improving quality and enhancing work safety.
Robots equipped with artificial intelligence are being developed around the world to take on increasingly complex tasks. This is the next stage in the development of robotization, although currently most deployments are still focused on classic industrial applications.
From the perspective of manufacturing plants, this means that the coming years will be a period of parallel development of both industrial robots and cobots to support the work of operators.
Robots and cobots are becoming an integral part of modern manufacturing. Market data show that their use is mainly focused on repetitive processes, and the level of robotization in Poland is still lower than in the most technologically developed countries.
At the same time, increasing competitive pressures and the need to increase production efficiency indicate that automation using robots and cobots will be one of the key directions of industry development in the coming years.
Not always. Cobots are designed mainly for human collaboration and usually have lower technical performance. In many applications requiring high performance or fully autonomous operation, classic industrial robots are better suited.
Handling involves repetitive and physically demanding tasks, such as moving or stacking products. According to market data, it accounts for about 52% of robotic applications, since it is in these processes that automation brings the greatest efficiency gains.
It is estimated that in 2024 there will be about 26,000 industrial robots in operation in Poland. However, compared to market leaders, the level of robotization remains relatively low.
The data shows that in 2024, the number of new installations fell by about 13% from the previous year, even though the record level of deployments was reached in 2021.
Not always. Increasingly, they are being used as tools to support workers, improve safety and stability of production processes, rather than solely as a replacement.
