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Japanese robots are going to become a more common sight in Europe. Rising wages are boosting demand for factory robots that can process everything from handling food to welding cars. For their manufacturers, which are starting an aggressive push, there is room for growth.
日本机器人将在欧洲变得更加常见。不断上涨的工资推动了对工厂机器人的需求，这些机器人可以处理从搬运食品到焊接汽车等各种事务。它们的制造商正开始积极出击，还有增长的空间。
Fanuc, one of Japan’s largest robotics companies, has quadrupled the size of its Spanish sales hub near Barcelona, adding to its expansion in Europe where it already has 10 facilities, including in Germany, Italy and Turkey.
日本最大的机器人公司之一发那科(Fanuc)将其位于巴塞罗那附近的西班牙销售中心的规模扩大至原来的四倍，进一步在欧洲扩张——该公司已经在德国、意大利和土耳其等地拥有10家工厂。
Until now, demand for robot workers has been largely concentrated in Asia with about three-quarters of newly deployed robots installed in the region. Asia’s urgent need for automation has been growing over the past decade as low birth rates and a labour shortage from an ageing population increasingly cause problems for companies.
到目前为止，对机器人工人的需求主要集中在亚洲，新部署的机器人中约有四分之三安装在该地区。过去10年，随着低出生率和人口老龄化导致的劳动力短缺日益给企业带来问题，亚洲对自动化的迫切需求一直在增长。
China has long been the largest market for Japan’s robot companies. The number of robots used in manufacturing in China reached a ratio of 322 units per 10,000 employees in 2021, exceeding robot density in the US. For Fanuc, the country accounted for almost 30 per cent of its sales in fiscal 2022.
长期以来，中国一直是日本机器人公司的最大市场。2021年，中国制造业中使用的机器人数量达到每万名员工322台，超过了美国的机器人密度。对发那科而言，中国占其2022财年销售额的近30%。
But Chinese orders during the quarter to December quarter fell more than a third, the biggest drop among the markets it operates in. That is partly down to the local economic slowdown but also the results of price competition from local rivals that are entering the market.
但在截至去年12月的季度，来自中国的订单下降了逾三分之一，是该公司运营的市场中降幅最大的。这在一定程度上要归因于当地经济放缓，但也要归因于进入市场的本土竞争对手的价格竞争。
The cost of a standard robot arm is about $330,000. As labour costs rise around the world, the required investment to improve productivity is starting to look more attractive than ever before. Growth in negotiated wages in the eurozone rose 4.7 per cent in the third quarter last year, the highest on record, before slowing slightly to 4.5 per cent in the fourth quarter.
一个标准机械臂的成本约为33万美元。随着全球劳动力成本的上升，提高生产率所需的投资开始变得比以往任何时候都更具吸引力。去年第三季度，欧元区协商薪资增长4.7%，为有记录以来的最高水平，随后在第四季度略微放缓至4.5%。
Companies were already struggling to find workers in the EU’s tight labour market. Volkswagen has been using Fanuc’s robots for about a decade. The machines themselves are also becoming more sophisticated, able to handle an increasing number of tasks, such as painting, welding, quality inspection and handling dangerous chemicals. Generative artificial intelligence functions will help increase the scope of robot activities as object detection and real-time decision-making enhance efficiency and productivity.
在欧盟紧张的劳动力市场上，企业已经很难找到工人。大众(Volkswagen)已经使用发那科机器人大约十年。机器本身也变得越来越复杂，能够处理越来越多的任务，如喷漆、焊接、质量检查和处理危险化学品。生成式人工智能功能将有助于增加机器人活动的范围，因为物体检测和实时决策可以提高效率和生产力。
Shares in Fanuc, which boasts gross margins of almost 40 per cent, are down a fifth from their June peak reflecting concerns about a slowdown and mounting competition in China. But Europe, whose revenue contribution to group sales is only 17 per cent, provides ample room for growth. The robots are coming.
拥有近40%毛利率的发那科股价较6月份的峰值下跌了五分之一，反映出市场对中国经济放缓和竞争加剧的担忧。但对该公司销售额贡献仅为17%的欧洲，提供了充足的增长空间。机器人要来了。