Communications of the ACM
As Baby Boomers Retire, German Businesses Turn to Robots
Heavy investment in automation by car makers and other industrial giants means Germany is already the world's fourth-biggest market for robots, and the largest in Europe.
Credit: Matthias Rose/REUTERS
As Germany's baby boomers retire, exacerbating the country's labor shortage, many companies are filling job openings with robots.
As robots become more affordable and user-friendly, small businesses increasingly are turning to automation.
Around half of the Japanese-made robots sold by FANUC Germany are going to small and medium-sized enterprises.
Said FANUC Germany's Ralf Winkelmann, "Robots enable the survival of companies that see their future at risk due to staff shortages."
Meanwhile, in a recent survey by robot marketplace automatica, almost 50% of German workers indicated they believe robots can mitigate staffing shortages.
In contrast, Daimler Truck's Michael Brecht said, "There is nothing more flexible than a human. The more complex the production, the more differentiated, the harder it becomes to use robots."
From Reuters
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