Cobot orders in North America up 56%

Companies in North America ordered considerably more robots in the third quarter of 2026. That is reported by the American trade association A3 (Association for Advancing Automation) in its quarterly figures of 28 October. A total of 10,989 robots were ordered, 24.8 percent more than a year earlier, with a value of 723.5 million dollars. Cobots grew fastest: 1,831 units, around 56 percent more than in the same quarter of 2025.

Cobots gain ground outside the automotive industry

According to A3, almost one in six robots ordered in the third quarter was a cobot. Over the first nine months the total was 4,605. What stands out is where they end up. In life sciences, pharma and biomedical, 43.8 percent of all robots ordered this year were cobots. In semiconductors and electronics the figure was 36.9 percent.

Beyond cobots, growth also came mainly from sectors outside the automotive industry. Semiconductors and electronics ordered almost twice as many robots as a year earlier, plastics and rubber 67.7 percent more and the metals sector 37.0 percent more. Orders from car manufacturers themselves rose by 7.5 percent, after a decline in the first half of the year. The food and consumer goods sector ordered fewer.

More cobots, more cables along the arm

A cobot is often used for tasks that used to be done by hand: loading machines, packing, screwing, testing. There is almost always a gripper or tool attached that needs air, vacuum or a signal. Those lines run along the arm.

This is a point that is often overlooked at the time of purchase. A cobot works alongside people and is regularly converted. A bundle hanging loose along the arm snags, chafes against the arm and wears at the wrist, where axis 6 rotates a long way. With every new application another hose or cable is often added.

Three points to consider with a new cobot:

• Define the bundle in advance. Know which cables and hoses go to the tool and how thick the bundle is at its thickest point. That size determines the protective hose.
• Guide the hose tightly along the arm. Clamps on the segments hold it in place, without loose loops that snag on a workpiece or a person.
• Consider the weight. Everything hanging on the arm reduces what the gripper may lift. Choose the lightest hose that fits.

How to choose hose size, clamps and fixing is explained in our new article cobot dress pack: cables along the arm.

What Wisman Techniek does

Wisman Techniek assembles Reiku dress packs for industrial robots and cobots, and installs them on site. In the dress pack configurator you choose the brand and model of your cobot and get a cobot package with hose, clamps and end fitting. If you already have a cobot with a bundle that chafes or keeps breaking the same cable, send us a photo and the model. We will take a look free of charge.

ProductRobot dress packsReiku robot dress packs: protective hose, holders per axis and retraction system as one system. Assembled, run in and fitted by the robot division of Wisman Techniek.View the product