On September 24, the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) released its World Robotics 2026 report. The headline number: the global stock of operating industrial robots hit a record 5 million units in 2025, up 9%. Factories installed more than 600,000 new robots in the year, an 11% jump.
Most of these robots are not doing anything glamorous. A large share lift, move, pack and stack. If you run a plant or a warehouse, the more useful question is what these numbers change for handling work on your floor.
What the IFR data shows
A few points from the report are worth knowing:
China installed 354,000 robots in 2025, up 20%, which is 59% of global deployments.
The United States installed almost 38,500 units, up 12%, and moved past Japan into second place.
Europe is growing more slowly. Germany, the largest European market, fell 8% to under 25,000 units.
The IFR forecasts installations will rise 9% to 655,000 units in 2026 and reach 806,000 by 2029.
The IFR ties this demand to several factors: more resilient supply chains, relocation of manufacturing capacity, labor shortages, and demographic change. It also points to AI, machine vision and easier programming, which are lowering the cost of putting a robot to work.
Why this matters for handling
The IFR does not break these figures down by handling application, so what follows is our reading of it, not a statistic.
Handling tasks such as palletizing, case packing, machine loading and part transfer are repetitive, physically demanding and hard to staff. When a manufacturer builds new capacity in a high-wage market, or struggles to hire for the end of the line, these are often the first jobs automated.
The IFR's US release also notes a 30% rise in robot installations in food and beverage, to about 2,900 units. Plants like that run frequent product changes and mixed packaging. They need robots that are flexible to set up, not only fast.
How to choose a handling robot
Before comparing brands, check five things:
Payload, including the gripper. Add the weight of the end-of-arm tool to your heaviest product. Size the robot to that total, not the product alone.
Reach. Map the pallet, the conveyor and the pick point. Reach decides whether one robot can serve two pallet stations.
Footprint. In a crowded cell, a compact base and a wrist that can work in tight spaces matter as much as speed.
Cabling and interference. Hollow-arm designs with cables routed inside the arm avoid snagging against neighboring robots or fixtures.
Safety and maintenance. Ask about emergency-stop architecture and how easily the robot can be serviced.
Where CRP handling robots fit
CRP's handling robot range covers several load classes:
Desktop and compact robots such as the CRP-RS10-20Z40. It comes in 800 mm and 1000 mm arm lengths, with a maximum payload of 20 kg. The CRP-RS08-10Z40H offers 600, 700 or 800 mm arm lengths and up to 10 kg. Both use a high-rigidity design aimed at fast, accurate, low-noise operation.
Small-load robots such as the CRP-RH14-10. Its safety design includes an emergency stop board independent of the control system, with a forced-disconnection relay for a double-circuit emergency stop.
Large-load robots for heavier work. The CRP-RH26-165/185/210 has a 2.6 m arm span, and the CRP-RH32-130 has a 3.2 m arm span. Both use a hollow arm with a built-in wrist cable, so the arm does not snag on neighboring equipment. The CRP-RP24-130 adds gravity compensation, load adaptation and S-T functions, which CRP states are meant to improve precision and shorten cycle time under typical working conditions.
CRP's 6-axis packing robots span payloads from 6 kg to 20 kg and arm lengths from 900 mm to 2000 mm, so one supplier can cover a mixed line of light and heavy tasks.
Practical advice
Start with your heaviest, most awkward product and work backward to the robot. Then confirm cycle time with a layout drawing, not a brochure. If you send us the product weight, pallet pattern and target throughput, our engineers can suggest a suitable model and layout.
Ready to automate your handling line? Request a Technical Consultation with the CRP team.
Source: International Federation of Robotics, World Robotics 2026 press release, September 24, 2026.