North American companies placed purchase orders for 10,989 industrial robots worth $723.5 million during the third quarter of 2026, up 24.8% in units and 26.1% in value from a year earlier, according to figures released on 28 October by the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). It was the strongest quarter of the year, bringing orders for January–September to 28,984 robots valued at approximately $1.89 billion, increases of 9.6% in units and 13.3% in value.
Automotive-component manufacturers increased robot orders by 90.4% year on year, while semiconductor, electronics and photonics buyers ordered 97.6% more units. Plastics and rubber rose 67.7%, life sciences and pharmaceuticals 38.7%, and metals 37.0%. Automotive original-equipment manufacturers returned to growth with a 7.5% quarterly increase after weakness earlier in the year, but their orders for the first nine months remained 17% below the comparable 2025 period. Food and consumer goods contracted 23.7% during Q3.
Collaborative robots accounted for 1,831 Q3 orders valued at $63.8 million, approximately 56% higher in unit volume than a year earlier. Cobots represented 16.7% of all robot units ordered in the quarter. Across the first nine months, buyers ordered 4,605 cobots worth about $178 million, representing 15.9% of units and 9.4% of total order value, according to A3.
The latest figures follow Q2 orders of 8,940 robots worth $622 million, when A3 reported growth of 4.3% in units and 21.3% in value year on year. Q3 therefore accelerated significantly in unit demand, although year-on-year comparisons vary by customer industry and the timing of major factory projects.
